1. زَمانٌ بارَتِ الأُدَباءُ فيهِ

    فَلَيسَ لَهُم بِمَوسِمِهِ نَفاقُ

    An age in which men of letters go unsold,

    so in its season there is no demand for them.

  2. يَسوقُ إِلَيَّ هَمّا بَعدَ هَمٍّ

    وَعَتبي عَن مَسامِعِهِ يُساقُ

    It brings me worry after worry,

    and my reproach is driven away from its ears.

  3. لِأَنّي لَستُ آمُلُ بُقياً

    وَهَل يَبقى عَلى القَمَرِ المَحاقُ

    For I do not hope for mercy—

    and does the waning spare the moon?