لَم تُبَيِّن عَن أَهلِها الأَطلالُ

قَد أَتى دونَ عَهدِها أَحوالُ

The ruins did not reveal anything about their people

Times have changed from what they were before

لَيسَ فيها ما إِن يُبَيِّنُ لِلسا

ئِلِ إِلّا جَآذِرٌ وَرِئالُ

Nothing in them that would reveal to one who asks

Except tree trunks and sandy hills

وَالعَواطي الأُدمُ السَواكِنُ بِال

سُلّانِ مِنها الآحادُ وَالآجالُ

And the desolated plains - the transient residing therein

Among them are individuals and groups

وَشَتيمٌ جَونٌ يُطارِدُ حولاً

أَخدَرِيٌّ مُسَحَّجٌ صَلصالُ

And a twisted, winding valley chasing around

A greenish, slippery, muddy one

وَقَناةٌ تَبغي بِحَربَةَ عَهداً

مِن ضَبوحٍ قَفّى عَلَيهِ الخَبالُ

And a canal longing for the time of youth

From a flood that has triumphed over it are dams

نَظَرَت عَهدَهُ وَباتَت عَلَيهِ

بَينَ فَلجٍ وَاللَوذِ غُبسٌ بِسالُ

It looked back at its time and spent the night over it

Between a creek and muddy ruggedness is a long night

فَاِبتَغَتهُ بِالرَملَتَينِ ثَلاثاً

كُلَّ يَومٍ في صَدرِها بَلبالُ

It sought it for three days with the two sands

Each day in its chest was turmoil

ثُمَّ لاقَت بَصيرَةً بَعدَ يَأسٍ

وَإِهاباً في بَعضِهِ أَوصالُ

Then after despair it found some insight

And in some of it were limbs