1. يا لَيتَ مَن مَنَعَ المَعروفَ يُمنَعُهُ

    حَتّى يَذوقَ رِجالٌ غَبَّ ما صَنَعوا

    Oh, would that whoever withheld kindness were denied it,

    So that men might taste the consequences of what they had done.

  2. وَلَيتَ رِزقَ رِجالٍ مِثلُ نائِلِهِم

    قوتٌ كَقوتِ وَوُسعٌ كَالَّذي وُسِعوا

    And would that men's sustenance matched their giving:

    Sustenance for sustenance, and abundance such as they were granted.

  3. وَلَيتَ لِلنّاسِ خَطّاً في وُجوهِهِمُ

    تَبينُ أَخلاقُهُم فيهِ إِذا اِجتَمَعوا

    And would that people had a mark upon their faces,

    In which their characters became clear when they gathered.

  4. وَلَيتَ ذا الفُحشِ لاقى فاحِشاً أَبَداً

    وَوافَقَ الحِلمَ أَهلُ الحِلمِ فَاِرتَدَعوا

    And would that the foul-mouthed always encountered someone foul-mouthed,

    And the forbearing met with forbearance, and so restrained themselves.