كُلوا وَاِشرَبوا أَيُّحا الأَغنِياءُ

وَإِن مَلَأَ السِكَكَ الجائِعون

Eat and drink, O you who are wealthy,

Even if the hungry crowd the streets.

وَلا تَلبِسوا الخِزَّ إِلّا جَديداً

وَإِن لَبِسَ الخِرَقَ البائِسون

And wear nothing but the newest silk,

Even if the wretched are clad in rags.

وَحوطوا قُصورَكُم بِالرِجالِ

وَحوطوا رِجالَكُم بِالحوصون

Surround your palaces with men,

And surround your men with fortresses.

فَلا تُبصِرونَ ضَحايا الطَوى

وَلا يُبصِرونَ الَّذي تَصنَعون

So you do not see the victims of starvation,

And they do not see what you are doing.

وَإِن ساءَكُم أَنَّهُم في الوُجودِ

وَأَزعَجَكُم أَنَّهُم يُعوِلون

And if it displeases you that they exist,

And disturbs you that they wail aloud,

مُروا فَتَصولُ الجُنودُ عَلَيهِم

تُعَلِّمهُم كَيفَ فَتكُ المَنون

Give the command, and soldiers will assault them,

Teaching them how death destroys.

فَهُم مُعتَدونَ وَهُم مُجرِمونَ

وَهُم مُقلِقونَ وَهُم ثإِرون

For they are aggressors and they are criminals,

They are agitators and they are rebels.

وَتِلكَ العِصِيُّ لِتِلكَ الرُؤوسِ

وَتِلكَ الحِرابُ لِتِلكَ البُطون

Those batons are meant for those heads,

And those bayonets are for those bellies.

وَتِلكَ السُجونُ لِمَن شُدتُموها

إِذا لَم تَزُجّوهُمُ في السُجون

And those prisons—for whom did you build them,

If not to cast them into the cells?

كِلوا لِلظُبى حَقَّ هاماتِهِم

فَإِنَّ المُلوكَ كَذا يَفعَلون

Yield the right of their skulls to the blades,

For such is the way that kings behave.

إِذا الجُندُ لَم يَحرُسوكُم وَأَنتُم

سَراةُ البِلادِ فَمَن يَحرُسون

If the army does not guard you, when you are

The masters of the land, whom then will they guard?

وَإِن هُمُ لَم يَقتُلوا الأَشقِياءَ

فَيا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ مَن يَقتُلون

And if they do not kill the miserable,

Then I wonder, whom will they kill?

وَلا يُحزِنَنَّكُم مَوتُهُم

فَإِنَّهُمُ لِلرَدى يولَدون

And let not their death bring you sorrow,

For they were born for destruction.

وَقولوا كَذا قَد أَرادَ الإِلَهُ

وَإِن قَدَّرَ اللَهُ شَيئاً يَكون

And say: "Thus has God willed,"

"And if God decrees a thing, it comes to be."

وَيا فُقَراءُ لِماذا التَشَكّي

أَلا تَستَحونَ أَلا تَخجَلون

And O poor ones, why do you complain?

Have you no shame? Do you not blush?

دَعوا الأَغنِياءَ وَلَذّاتِهِم

فَهُم مِثلُ لَذّاتِهِم زائِلون

Leave the rich and their pleasures alone,

For they, like their pleasures, are fleeting.

سَيُمسونَ في سَقَرٍ خالِدينَ

وَتُمسونَ في جَنَّةٍ تُنعَمون

They will end up in Hellfire eternally,

While you will end up in Paradise, living in bliss.

فَلا تَعطَشونَ وَلا تُسغَبون

وَلا يَرتَوُنَ وَلا يَشبَعون

You shall not thirst there, nor suffer hunger,

While they shall not quench their thirst nor be full.

لَكُم وَحدَكُم مَلكوتُ السَماءِ

فَما بالُكُم لَستُم تُقنَعون

For you alone is the Kingdom of Heaven,

So why are you not content?

فَلا تَحزَنوا أَنَّكُم ساهِرونَ

فَسَوفَ تَنامونَ مِلءَ الجُفون

Do not grieve that you lie awake at night,

For soon you shall sleep a slumber that fills the eyes.

سَتَتَّكِؤونَ مَعَ الأَنبِياءِ

تُظَلِّلُكُم وارِفاتُ الغُصون

You shall recline in the company of the Prophets,

Shaded by lush, spreading branches.

يُضَوِّعُ السَنا حُمولُكُم بِالشَذى

وَتَجري الطِلا أَنهُراً وَعُيون

Radiance shall scent your litters with fragrance,

And wine shall flow in rivers and springs.

وَتَسقيكُمُ الخَمرَ حُرٌ حِسانٌ

كَما يَشتَهينَ كَما تَشتَهون

Beautiful maidens shall serve you the cup,

Just as they desire, just as you desire.

كَذا وَعَدَ اللَهُ أَهلَ التُقى

وَأَنتُم هُمُ أَيُّها المُتعَبون

Thus has God promised the people of piety,

And you are they, O weary ones.

أَلا تُؤمِنونَ بِقَولِ الكِتابِ

فَوَيلٌ لَكُم إِنَّكُم كافِرون

Do you not believe in the word of the Book?

Then woe to you, for you are unbelievers.