دُنياكَ تُشبِهُ ناضِحاً مُتَرَداً

مِن شَأَنِها الإِقبالُ وَالإِدبارُ

Your world resembles a gushing disobedient stream

Prone to advance and retreat

آلَيتُ ما الحِبرُ المِدادُ بِكاذِبٍ

بَل تَكذِبُ العُلَماءُ وَالأَحبارُ

I did not swear by ink or pen of any liar

Rather the scholars and wise men lie

زَعَموا رِجالاً كَالنَخيلِ جُسومُهُم

وَمَعاشِرٌ أُمّاتُهُم أَشبارُ

They claimed men tall as palm trees

While tribes have mothers as short as palm spadices

إِن يَصغُروا أَو يَعظُموا فَبِقُدرَةٍ

وَلِرَبِّنا الإِعظامُ وَالإِكبارُ

Whether they are big or small it's by God's power

To our Lord belong might and pride

وَوَجَدتُ أَصنافَ التَكَلُّمِ سِتَّةً

بِالمَينِ مِنها أُفرِدَ الإِخبارُ

I found six types of speech

Of which telling news was singled out

خاطَت إِبارُ الشَيبِ فَودَكَ بَعدَما

خَلُقَ الشَبابُ فَهَل لَهُنَّ إِبارُ

The hems of old age have stitched so, after

Youth created, can they be stitched?

يُستَصغَرُ الحَيُّ الحَقيرُ وَدونَهُ

أُمَمٌ تَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ جَبّارُ

The living low person is belittled, yet below him

Are nations fancying he is a tyrant

جَشِبٌ كَفاكَ مُطاعِماً وَعَباءَةٌ

أَغنَتكَ أَن تُتخَيَّرَ الأَوبارُ

Bread and a cloak have sufficed you, so no need

To be picky in choosing fur coats

أَمّا وَبارِ فَقَد تَحَمَّلَ أَهلُها

وَتَخَلَّفَت بَعدَ القَطينِ وَبارُ

As for the Bedouins, their people endured

While only Bedouins and ruins remained

وَالشَخصُ في الغَبراءِ غُبِّرَ فَاِنثَنى

وَكَأَنَّما هُوَ لِلغُبارِ غُبارُ

A person in the dust became dusty, bent over

As if he were but dust to dust

يا طالِباً ثَأرَ القَتيلِ أَلَم يَبِن

لَكَ أَنَّ كُلَّ العالَمينَ جُبارُ

O you who seek blood vengeance for the slain

Know that the Lord of both worlds is a tyrant

وَتَخالَفُ الأَهواءُ هَذا مُدَّعٍ

فِعلاً وَذَلِكَ دينُهُ الإِجبارُ

Conflicting whims, this one pretending

In deed, and his faith is coercion