تَحَمَّل عَن أَبيكَ الثِقلَ يَوماً

فَإِنَّ الشَيخَ قَد ضَعُفَت قِواهُ

Bear your father's burden one day,

For the old man's strength has weakened.

أَتى بِكَ عَن قَضاءٍ لَم تُرِدهُ

وَآثَرَ أَن تَفوزَ بِما حَواهُ

Fate brought you though he did not want it,

And he preferred you to gain what it contains.

صَديقُكَ في الجِهارِ عَدُوّ سِرٍّ

فَلا تَأسَف إِذا شَحَطَت نَواهُ

Your friend in public is an enemy in secret,

So do not grieve if his intentions have turned.

رَكَنَت إِلى الفَقيرِ بِغَيرِ عِلمٍ

وَكَم زَورٍ لِسائِلِهِ رَواهُ

She leaned on the poor without knowing,

And how much lies she told her questioners.

وَما في نَشرِ هَذا الخَلقِ نُعمى

فَهَل يُلحى الزَمانُ إِذا طَواهُ

There is no blindness in the dispersal of these people,

Can time erase it when it is folded?

فَصيلُ أَخيكَ يَشكو طولَ ظِمءٍ

بِما لاقى فَصيلُكَ مِن غَواهُ

Your brother's foal complains of prolonged thirst

With what your foal found of its passion.

وَكَيفَ يُؤَمِّلُ الإِنسانُ رُشداً

وَما يَنفَكُّ مُتَّبِعاً هَواهُ

And how can man expect guidance,

When he does not cease following his whim?

يَظُنُّ بِنَفسِهِ شَرَفاً وَقَدراً

كَأَنَّ اللَهَ لَم يَخلُق سِواهُ

He thinks highly of himself and his status,

As if God created none but him.

أَلا ثَني جَمالَكَ نَحوَ مَرعىً

فَهَذا الرَملُ لَم يَنبُت لِواهُ

Oh turn your beauty towards a pasture,

For this sand did not grow its grass.

وَلَستُ بِمُدرِكٍ أَمراً قَريباً

إِذا ما خالِقي عَنّي زَواهُ

And I cannot attain something soon,

If my Creator distances it from me.