لِيَثْنِ هذا الزمانُ من طَمَعِه

ما أنا من صابِه ولا سَلَعِهْ

May this age withhold its greed

I am neither its prey nor its goods

هذا نظيفٌ إذا الزمانُ رنا

إليه مات الزَّمانُ من فَزَعه

How pure it is when the age sings

The age died of fearing it

كيف يرومُ الزمانُ غِرَّتنا

إِذ أحصَنتْنا الحصونُ من خِلَعه

How can the age dream of deceiving us

When strongholds have guarded us from its tricks

خزٌّ ووشيٌ حكى مُقَمَّعُه

ما حاك هذا الربيعُ من قِطَعه

Shame and disgrace told by its masked face

This spring didn't weave any of its pieces

يزدادُ لمعاً إذا نواظرنا

زادت مساماتَنا إلى لُمَعه

Our eyes shine brighter

As our glances grow sharper towards its glimmer

فزيُّنا الدهرَ زيُّ آخرَ في

أَيام أعيادِه وفي جُمَعه

So we adorned time with another adornment

In its holidays and its gathering

سقياً له صانعاً ومصطنعاً

أجل وسقياً له وَمُصطنِعه

Quenching it, making and pretending

Yes, quenching it and its pretense

رآهُ في المكرماتِ متبعاً

فكان أسنى مَن كان مِن تَبَعه

He saw it following favors

Thus it was more malicious than its followers