تَقَنَّع مِنَ الدُنيا بِلَمحٍ فَإِنَّها

لَدى كُلِّ زَوجٍ حائِضٌ ما لَها طُهرُ

Be content with a glimpse of this world, for with each spouse,

It is menstruating, it has no period of purity.

مَتى ما تُطَلِّق تُعطِ مَهراً وَإِن تَزِد

فَنَفسُكَ بَعدَ الدَينِ وَالراحَةِ المَهرُ

Whenever you divorce, you must pay a dowry, and if you marry,

Yourself after the debt and comfort is the dowry.

وَلم تَرَ بَطنَ الأَرضِ يُلقي لِظَهرِها

رِجالاً كَما يُلقى إِلى بَطنِها الظَهرُ

You have not seen the belly of the earth throw on its back

Men as its back is thrown into its belly.

بَنو الشَرخِ زادوا عَن بَني الشَيخِ قوَّةٌ

وَيَضعُفُ عَن ضُعفٍ بِقارِحِهِ المُهرُ

The sons of vitality exceeded the sons of the Sheikh in strength,

And the experienced becomes weak after weakness with his opponent.

إِذا ما جَرَينا وَالَّذينَ تَقَدَّموا

مَضوا وَتَرامى في جَوانِحِنا البُهرُ

When we and those who preceded us raced,

They passed away while perplexity crept into our consciences.

تَمَتَّعَ أَبكارُ الزَمانِ بِأَيدِهِ

وَجِئنا بِوَهنٍ بَعدَما خَرِفَ الدَهرُ

The virgins of time enjoyed its hands,

And we came in decline after the epoch grew old.

فَلَيتَ الفَتى كَالبَدرِ جُدِّدَ عُمرُهُ

يَعودُ هِلالاً كُلَّما فَنِيَ الشَهرُ

If only the youth were renewed like the moon in his life,

Returning crescent after the month passes away.