لَقَد فَنَيتَ وَّهَل تَبقى إِذا عَمَرَت
جَوّالَةٌ بَينَ تَغريبٍ وَاِشراقِ
You have vanished, yet will you remain when you live on
A wanderer between sunset and sunrise
وَكَم سَحابَةِ قَومٍ غَرَّ لامِعُها
وَإِن دَعَتكَ بِإِرعادٍ وَإِبراقِ
And how many clouds of a people alluringly shine
Yet if they call you with thunder and lightning
إِنَّ السُيوفَ مَخاريقٌ إِذا عُصِيَت
بِها الفَوارِسُ أَودى كُلُّ مِخراقِ
The swords are destructive when the knights disobey them
Each polished sword is destroyed
أَورَقتُ عَصراً فَإِن أَورَقتُ في طَلَبٍ
فَإِنَّ إيراقَ كَفّي هاجَ إيراقي
I blossomed in a season, and if I blossom seeking
My palms bleed their blossoming
وَالجَدُّ يَأتيكَ بِالأَشياءِ مُمكِنَةً
وَلا تُنالُ بِإِشآمٍ وَإِعراقِ
And seriousness brings you things made possible
Not attained by wailing and shedding tears
أَغرَقتُ في حُبِّيَ الدُنِّيا عَلى سَفَهٍ
فَقَد تَكَسَّبتُ إِحراقاً بِإِغراقِ
I drowned in my blind love of life
And so I gained burning in my drowning
أَطرِق كَرى لَيسَ لي عِلمٌ بِشَأنِ غَدٍ
وَلا لِغَيري وَلا يَزِنكَ إِطراقي
Bow your head, for I know not tomorrow’s matter
Nor does anyone else, so do not blame my bowing
فَالحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ما فارَقتُ سَيِّئَةً
وَكَيفَ لي مِن ضَنى دَينٍ بِإِفراقِ
So praise be to God, I have not abandoned any evil
How could I have little faith by abandoning religion?
وَالنُسكُ لانُسكَ مَوجودٌ فَنَبغِيَهُ
فَعَدِّ عَن فُقَهاءِ اللَفظِ مُرّاقِ
Devotion is to be found, so we must seek it
Away from the jurists of superfluous words
وَما اِحتِيالِيَ في الأَقدارِ إِن جَعَلَت
عَصبَ التِجارِ لِشُعثِ الهامِ سُرّاقِ
And my tricks with fate, if it has made
The sinews of trade to the dishevelled first pilferers
هَذِّب سَجاياكَ لا يَكثُرُ بِها دَنَسٌ
مِنَ الدَنايا لِيَرقى في العُلا راقِ
Refine your nature, let no filth from the world
Multiply, so you may rise up pure
فَكُلُّ مِرآةِ قَومٍ زُبرَةٌ صُقِلَت
حَتّى أَرَتهُم بِصافي اللَونِ رَقراقِ
For each people's mirror is a polished glass
That showed them in the clarity of smoothness
يَرقى المُعَزِّمُ وِلداناً لِيورِثَهُم
نَفَعاً وَلا نَفَعَ إِلّا بُسلَةُ الراقي
The determined one climbs, to bequeath the children
No benefit but the composure of the climber
