أَعَن عُفرٍ تُلِمُّ بِسِربِ عُفرِ

وَتَغفِرُ في الشَكاةِ لِأُمِّ غُفرِ

Regarding a hoopoe that reproaches a flock of hoopoes

And pardons in distress the mother of pardons

أَما في الأَرضِ مِن رَجُلٍ لَبيبٍ

فَيَفرُقَ بَينَ إيمانٍ وَكُفرِ

Is there not in the land a reasonable man

Who can distinguish between faith and blasphemy

وَجَدتُ أَباكَ مُفتَرِياً حَديثاً

فَأَنتَ عَلى مَقَصِّ الشَيخِ تَفري

I found your father a fabricator of false tales

So you follow in the footsteps of the old fool

تَأَمَّل هَل تَرى في الدارِ شَفراً

كَأَنَّ العَينَ ما سُتِرَت بِشُفرِ

Consider, do you see a nail in the house

As if the eye was not veiled by a nail

خُطوبُ الدَهرِ مِن بيضٍ وَسودٍ

عَصَفنَ بِكُلِّ ذي بيضٍ وَصُفرِ

The vicissitudes of fate, black and white

Blew away all that’s black and yellow

إِذا أوتيتَ مِلءَ يَدٍ طَعاماً

فَأَطعِم مَن عَراكَ وَلَو كَظُفرِ

If your hand is filled with food

Feed those in need, even if they are ungrateful