من ذا على الدهر مكث

وأيّ عمرٍ ما نكث

Who has endured throughout time

And which life has not wavered?

خان الفتى ما جمعت

يمناه خوفا وحرث

The young man's promises failed

His right hand feared and farmed

وحبطت أعماله

فما بكى ولا اكترث

And his works were ruined

Yet he neither wept nor cared

يعبثُ في سفاهة

والمرء لم يخلق عبث

He toys with foolishness

And man was not created vainly

يا عامر القصر أما

تأسى لإخرابِ الجدث

Oh inhabitant of the palace, do you not

Grieve for the ruin of ancestry?

كيف اغتررت والردى

يلفّ كهلا تجدث

How could you be fooled when decay

Envelops the old as they crumble?