تَعالى رازِقُ الأَحياءِ طُرّاً

لَقَد وَهَتِ المُروءةُ وَالحَياءُ

Come sustainer of the living, quickly,

Modesty and shame have certainly perished.

وَإِنَّ المَوتَ راحَةُ هِبرِزِيٍّ

أَضَرَّ بِلُبِّهِ داءٌ عَياءُ

And death is the rest of Hibraizi,

A fatal disease has harmed his mind.

وَما لي لا أَكونُ وَصيَّ نَفسي

وَلا تَعصي أُمورِيَ الأَوصِياءُ

Why am I not the advisor of my own self,

And my affairs do not obey advisors?

وَقَد فَتَّشتُ عَن أَصحابِ دينٍ

لَهُم نُسكٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُم رِياءُ

I have searched for people of faith,

Who have devotion but no pretense.

فَأَلفَيتُ البَهائِمَ لاعُقولٌ

تُقيمُ لَها الدَليلَ وَلا ضِياءُ

I found beasts without intellects,

No evidence can guide them nor light.

وَإِخوانَ الفَطانَةِ في اِختِيالٍ

كَأَنَّهُمُ لَقَومٍ أَنبِياءُ

And brothers of wit in affectation,

As if they were prophets to a nation.

فَأَمّا هَؤُلاءِ فَأَهلُ مَكرٍ

فَأَمّا الأَوَّلونَ فَأَغبِياءُ

As for the latter they are scheming folk,

And as for the first they are fools.

فَإِن كانَ التُقى بَلَهاً وَعِيّاً

فَأَعيارُ المَذَلَّةِ أَتقِياءُ

If piety is confused and dimwitted,

Then the most pious are the lowliest.

وَأَرشَدُ مِنكَ أَجرَبُ تَحتَ عِبءٍ

تَهُبُّ عَلَيهِ ريحٌ جِربِياءُ

And more rightly guided than you is a one-eyed camel

Bowed under a burden, blown by rough winds.

وَجَدتُ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ فَقيرٌ

وَيُعدَمُ في الأَنامِ الأَغنِياءُ

I have found all people to be poor,

And the wealthy are absent among mankind.

نُحِبُّ العَيشَ بُغضاً لِلمَنايا

وَنَحنُ بِما هَوينا الأَشقِياءُ

We love life, hating death,

Yet we are miserable by what we desire.

يَموتُ المَرءُ لَيسَ لَهُ صَفيٌّ

وَقَبلَ اليَومِ عَزَّ الأَصفِياءُ

A man dies having no loyal friend,

Though yesterday the loyal were magnificent.

أَتَدري الشَمسُ أَنَّ لَها بَهاءً

فَتَأسَفَ أَن يُفارِقَها الأَياءُ

Do you know that the sun has splendor,

Then regrets that dusk takes it away?