أَنا صائِمٌ طولَ الحَياةِ وَإِنَّما

فِطري الحِمامُ وَيَومَ ذاكَ أُعَيِّدُ

I fast throughout my life, yet

My Eid is the dove, and on that day I celebrate

لَونانِ مِن لَيلٍ وَصُبحٍ لَوَّنا

شَعري وَأَضعَفَني الزَمانُ الأَيِّدُ

Two colors of night and dawn have dyed

My hair, and time has weakened me, the prolonger

وَالناسِ كَالأَشعارِ يَنطِقُ دَهرُهُم

بِهُم فَمُطلِقُ مَعشَرٍ وَمِقَيِّدُ

People are like poems, time speaks of them

Releasing some and confining others

قالوا فُلانٌ جَيِّدٌ لِصَديقِهِ

لا يَكذِبوا مافي البَريَّةِ جَيِّدُ

They said so-and-so is good to his friend

They do not lie, there is no good in the wilderness

فَأَميرُهُم نالَ الإِمارَةَ بِالخَنى

وَتَقيُّهُم بِصَلاتِهِ مُتَصَيِّدُ

Their prince attained leadership through betrayal

While their devout by his prayers is a hunter

كُن مَن تَشاءُ مُهَجَّناً أَو خالِصاً

وَإِذا رُزِقتَ غِناً فَأَنتَ السَيِّدُ

Be whoever you want, mixed or pure

And if you gain wealth, then you are the master

وَاِصمُت فَما كُثِرَ الكَلامُ مِن اِمرِئٍ

إِلّا وَظُنَّ بِأَنَّهُ مُتَزَيِّدُ

And be silent, for the more a man speaks

The more he is thought to exaggerate