لا تُخْدعَنَّ بأطماعٍ تُزَخْرِفُها

لكَ المُنى بحديثِ المَينِ والخُدَعِ

Be not deceived by vain desires embellished,

For you is happiness in talk of guile and fraud.

فلو كَشَفتَ عن المَوتى بأجمَعِهِم

وجدتَ هُلكَهُمُ في الحِرصِ والطَّمَعِ

If you unveiled all the dead together,

You would find their ruin was in greed and hope.

ومُماذقٍ رَجْعُ النّداءِ جَوابُهُ

فإذا عَرا خطبٌ فأبعدُ مَن دُعِي

And calling back the call, the answer follows,

So when distress comes, shun those called.

مثلُ الصّدَى يَخفى عليَّ مكانُهُ

أبداً ويملأُ بالإجابَةِ مِسمَعِي

Like an echo, its place is ever hidden from me,

Yet fills my hearing with its answering cry.