الناسُ إِن لَم تُنَبِّهُّم قِيامَتُهُم

الناسُ إِن لَم تُنَبِّهُّم قِيامَتُهُم

أَو نُبِّهوا فَتُرابٌ ما لَهُم قِيَمُ

أَو نُبِّهوا فَتُرابٌ ما لَهُم قِيَمُ

People, if their resurrection does not awaken them,

If people are not awakened by their demise,

or if they are awakened, are dust, with no worth.

Or if they're awakened, they're just dust without worth.

يُؤَمَّلُ القَومُ عِندي شيمَةً حَسُنَت

يُؤَمَّلُ القَومُ عِندي شيمَةً حَسُنَت

وَشيمَةُ الدَهرِ أَن لا تَحسُنَ الشِيَمُ

وَشيمَةُ الدَهرِ أَن لا تَحسُنَ الشِيَمُ

People are led to hope for a good trait in me,

I hope for the best in people, though time's way

yet time's nature is that traits should not be good.

Is that manners stay poor and don't improve.

مازالَ يَبخَلُ حَتّى ما يَصوبَ حَياً

مازالَ يَبخَلُ حَتّى ما يَصوبَ حَياً

فَهَل تَعَلَّمُ بُخلَ العالَمِ الدِيَمُ

فَهَل تَعَلَّمُ بُخلَ العالَمِ الدِيَمُ

It has been miserly so long that no rain falls;

Stinginess persists till no life remains correct.

so are the steady rains learning the world's miserliness?

Does the world's stingy, vile nature ever learn?