أبا تُرابٍ دهرُنا جاهلٌ
يَرفع للشِّبهِ ذَوِي الجهْلِ
O Abu Turab, ours is an ignorant age:
on a mere semblance, it elevates the ignorant.
كأنّه المِيزانُ يعلُو به
ذو النّقْصِ عن رُتبةِ ذي الفضلِ
It is as though it were a balance, by which
the deficient man rises above the station of the worthy.
وما يضِرُّ العزلُ مَن لم يَزَلْ
من فضلِهِ الباهِرِ في شُغلِ
Dismissal cannot harm a man who always remains
employed through his resplendent merit.
Sol 5.6