قُل للّذين تَناكصتْ ثقتي

بهمُ وقهقرَ عنهمُ الأملُ

Tell those whose trust in me has cracked

And hope for them has faded

ووجدتُهم عمداً بلا خطأٍ

رابوا بما قالوا وما فعلوا

Whom I found deliberately without fault

Deceived by what they said and did

ما كان عندي أنّني أبداً

عن عُقْرِ دار الوُدِّ أنتقلُ

I never thought I would

Move away from the house of affection

ومللتُمُ مَن لا يحول ولا

يمشي بعَرْصةِ سِرِّه المَلَلُ

And you got bored of those who do not change or

Walk with the splint of their secret boredom

وغُرِرتُمُ من دولةٍ عرضَتْ

والدّهرُ لو أنصفتُمُ دُوَلُ

And you were fooled by a state that was presented

While fate, had you been fair, changes

هي عيشةٌ من بعدها هُلُكٌ

أو صحّةٌ في إثْرها عِلَلُ

It is a living after which there is demise

Or health after which there are diseases

وقد اِحتملتُ وإنّما غَشَمَتْ

ظلماً أُمورٌ ليس تُحتَمَلُ

And I endured though matters out of injustice

That cannot be endured clouded me

وعهدتُكم قولاً بلا عملٍ

فالآنَ لا قولٌ ولا عملُ

I made you a promise without action

Now there is neither promise nor action

ومن المُنى لِي مُرُّ غيركمُ

والصّاب عند ضرورةٍ عَسَلُ

And bitterness for me is sweeter than you

And honey at dire need is bitterer

قد كان قبلكُمُ وما لبثوا

قومٌ إلى ما نلتُمُ وُصُلُ

There used to be before you, and they did not last,

A people who reached what you have reached

طاروا كما وقعوا بلا سَببٍ

وتراهُمُ خرجوا كما دخلوا

They flew as they fell without cause

And you see them leave as they entered

لا تحسبوها اليومَ دائمةً

فالظّلّ ظلُّ الشّمسِ ينتقلُ

Do not think it will last forever today

For the shade is the sun’s shifting shade

شَتّان بين معاشرٍ نُصحوا

لم يقبَلوا ومعاشرٍ قبِلوا

Great is the difference between a people advised

Who did not accept and a people who accepted advice

من أين في الدّنيا وكيف بها

حالٌ من السّراءِ تتّصلُ

From where and how in the world

Is a state of prosperity reached?

يَفْرِي الزّمانُ وليس نُبصرهُ

ما ليسَ تفَرِي البِيضُ والأَسَلُ

Time ebbs and we do not see it

What ebbs is not white or dark honey