ذو قصر أحدب من غير كبر

محتقر المنظر خبار الحبر

Short in stature, hunchbacked though not from age;

Lowly in appearance, soft in aspect (wording uncertain);

مستضعف لكن إذا ضيم انتصر

مستأنس فإن مسناه نفر

Deemed weak, yet when wronged it takes revenge;

Tame, yet if we touch it, it springs away;

وإن جنى جنايةً لم يعتذر

مفوق سهما إذا شك انسمر

And if it commits an offense, it makes no apology;

It nocks an arrow that, when it pierces, stays embedded;

نصاله الحب ومأواه الحفر

لما رأى العصفور حباً قد بدر

Its arrowheads are grain, and its dwelling is in pits.

When the sparrow saw grain that had been scattered,

ارتاب بالحنطة ما بين المدر

ولم يزل بين الرجاء والحذر

It distrusted the wheat lying among the clods,

And remained between hope and caution:

يبعثه الحرص ويعييه الخطر

ثم هوى مستيقناً لما افتكر

Greed urged it on, and danger confounded it.

Then it swooped down, convinced after reflecting

ان بني الدنيا جميعاً في غرر

وأمل النفع ولم يخش الضرر

That all the children of the world are at risk.

And it hoped for gain and feared no harm,

فشده الفخ بأشراك الغير

ولم يطق دفع القضاء والقدر

So the trap bound it in the snares of misfortune,

And it could not ward off decree and destiny.

وكثرة الاطماع آفات البشر

وفي تصاريف الليالي معتبر

And excessive greed is the bane of humankind;

And in the changing fortunes of the nights there is a lesson:

والحزم أن تجزع من حيث تسر

وآخر الصفو وإن لذ الكدر

And prudence is to feel alarm where you find joy;

And unclouded joy, however sweet, ends in murk.