مَكانٌ وَدَهرٌ أَحرَزا كُلَّ مُدرِكٍ

وَما لَهُما لَونٌ يُحَسُّ وَلا حَجمُ

A place and time have grasped all comprehension,

Yet they have no perceivable form or volume.

وَلَيسَ لَنا عِلمٌ بِسِرِّ إِلَهِنا

فَهَل عَلِمَتهُ الشَمسُ أَو شَعَرَ النَجمُ

We have no knowledge of our God's secrets -

Did the sun know them or did the stars sense them?

وَنَحنُ غُواةٌ يَرجُمُ الظَنَّ بَعضُنا

لِيَعرِفَ ما نورُ الكَواكِبِ وَالرُجمُ

We are wanderers who surmise and accuse each other

To know the light of the planets and the accusations.

وَتَطرُدُنا ساعاتُنا وَكَأَنَّنا

وَسائِقُ خَيلٍ ما تُكَفكِفُها اللُجمُ

Our hours drive us away as if we were

Camel drivers unrestrained by the halters.

قَضى اللَهُ في وَقتٍ مَضى أَنَّ عامَكُم

يَقِلُّ حَياهُ أَو يَزيدُ بِهِ السَجمُ

God ordained in a time gone by that your year

Should diminish life or add to captivity.

فَقَولُكُمُ رَبِّ اِسقِنا غَيرُ مُمطِرٍ

وَلَكِن بِهَذا دانَتِ العُربُ وَالعُجُمُ

So your saying "Lord, give us rain" is fruitless,

For by this the Arabs and non-Arabs submitted.

عَلى كُلِّ شَيءٍ تَهجِمونَ بِجَهلِكُم

وَأَعياكُمُ يَوماً عَلى رَشَدٍ هَجمُ

With your ignorance you attack everything

And one day your onslaught will hit true guidance.