دَهرٌ يَمُرُّ كَما تَرى فَأَهلَّةٌ

تَنمي لِتَكمُلَ أَو بُدورٌ تَسقَمُ

Time passes as you see, so seize the moment

To reach completeness or cycles that decay.

وَتُحِبُّ أَن يُثنى عَلَيكَ بِأَنَّكَ ال

بَرُّ التَقيُّ وَأَنتَ صِلٌّ أَرقَمُ

You'd love to hear praise that you're so pure,

So devout and kind - but you're corrupt decay.

وَشَهادَةٌ لَكَ أَنَّ خُلقَكَ يُجتَنى

لِيُصابَ شَهداً وَهوَ صابٌ عَلقَمُ

To claim your character is worth learning

Is to hope for honey and get bitter gall.

تَجني فَتَنقُمُ ما كَرِهتَ وَكُلُّ ما

تَجنيهِ تَحسَبُ أَنَّهُ لا يَنقُمُ

You reap as you sow, avenging what you hate,

Blind that your own deeds will come back to appall.