تَغدو عَلى الأَرضِ في حالاتِ ساكِنِها

وَتَحتَها لِهُدوءِ الجِسِّ نَضطَجِعُ

You walk on earth in the state of its inhabitants

And under it, I lie down for the tranquility of the body

وَالمَوتُ خَيرٌ وَفيهِ لِاِمرِئٍ دَعَةٌ

إِن يُضرَبِ التُربُ لا يَحدُث لَهُ وَجَعُ

And death is better, and in it there is rest for a person

If dust is struck, no pain comes to him

تَشابَهَ القَومُ في عِلمي إِذا جَبُنوا

فَلا أَلومُ وَلا أُثني إِذا شَجُعوا

The people are alike in my knowledge when they are cowardly

So I neither blame nor praise when they are brave

قَريضُهُم كَقَريضِ البارِكاتِ وَما

سَجعُ الحَمائِمِ إِلّا مِثلَ ما سَجَعوا

Their rhyming is like the rhyming of the prolific ones, and

The cooing of doves is just like what they rhymed

تَرى وَميضَ حَياءٍ لا حَيا قَلِقاً

عِندَ الثُرَيّا وَهَل سارٍ فَمُنتَجِعُ

You see the glimmer of a life with no living, restless

By the burial ground, is there any traveller so I may lie down?

بِئسَ المَعاشِرُ إِن ناموا فَلا اِنتَبَهوا

مِنَ الرُقادِ وَإِن غابوا فَلا رَجَعوا

Evil are those who socialize - if they sleep, they do not wake

From slumber, and if they are absent, they do not return

كَم أَنفَدَ اللَيلَ ناسٌ غَفلَةً وَكَرىً

وَلَو أَحَسوّا خَفيَّ الأَمرِ ما هَجَعوا

How many have wasted the night in heedlessness and dislike

If they sensed the subtle matter, they would not have slept

يَشجو الفُراقُ فَلَولا إِلفُ مُفتَقِدٍ

لِلظاعِنينَ لَما أَبكَوا وَلا فَجِعوا

Separation laments - if not for missing a loved one

The grieved would not have wept nor mourned