1. مَتى أَنا في هَذا التُرابِ مُغَيَّبٌ

    فَأُصبِحَ لا يُجنى عَلَيَّ وَلا أَجني

    When shall I lie buried in this earth,

    And then be neither wronged nor do wrong?

  2. أَسيرُ عَنِ الدُنيا وَلَستُ بِعائِدٍ

    إِلَيها وَهَل يَرتَدُّ قُطنٌ إِلى دَجنِ

    I depart from the world and shall not return

    To it—and does cotton return to dark clouds?

  3. وَجَدتُ بِها أَحرارَها كَعَبيدِها

    قِباحَ السَجايا وَالصَرائِحَ كَالهُجنِ

    I found its freeborn like its slaves,

    Foul in character, and the purebred like the crossbred.

  4. وَيَومَ حُصولي في قَرارِيَ نِعمَةٌ

    عَلَيَّ كَيَومي لَو خَرَجتُ مِنَ السِجنِ

    And the day I reach my resting place is a blessing

    To me, as would be the day I came out of prison.

  5. وَإِنَّ زَماناً فَجرُهُ مِثلُ سَيفِهِ

    هِلالٌ دُجاهُ مِن مَخالِبِهِ الحُجنِ

    And indeed, time's dawn is like its sword;

    The crescent in its darkness is one of its hooked claws.

  6. فَما سُقِيَت دارٌ فَقُلتُ لَها اِنعَمي

    وَلا هَبَّ إِيماضٌ فَقُلتُ لَهُ هِجَني

    So I never told a rain-watered dwelling, 'Prosper!'

    Nor, when lightning flashed, did I say to it, 'Stir me!'

  7. إِذا ما وَرَدنا لِلمَنايا شَريعَةً

    فَهانَ عَلَينا ما شَرِبنا مِنَ الأَجنِ

    When we reach death's watering place,

    Then the foul water we have drunk will matter little to us.