1. We all make excuses for the impossible,
And are fooled by hopes and dreams.

2. It’s as though we graze on mirages in the wilderness,
Always drinking from a figment of imagination.

3. The youth yearns for longevity, yet below him
Lies the pit of doom and the assault of fate.

4. His hopes lead him on while behind him
Is a destiny that shatters the strangers of dreams.

5. Man is caught between a tragedy of the soul,
Or of family, life, or wealth and riches.

6. And if disasters spare him, he still remains
Subject to the vagaries of all things.

7. It is the way of fate with her children
To make every fortunate one meet his end.

8. I have lost a dear one. His loss distorts me.
It has cloven my sides and pierced my joints.

9. At dawn, his caller deafens my hearing;
And casts the blackness of gloom over my wings.

10. The throng of worries besiege me, fattening me,
As wishes run wild, toppling all that can be attained.

11. Insomnia keeps me restless, as if I slept
On a bed of thorns flaying my sides.

12. My love shows, though patience is my goal,
And my tears answer me without being asked.

13. Whenever I seek patience from it, I find it
In the realm of frustration and paucity.

14. O you who migrated, betrayed by a treacherous one
Whose harm cannot be avoided by migration!

15. The strokes of fate have been long for him, and his adversity
Remains even when the noble are gone.

16. They carried his bier as though
They bore a mountain of mountains.

17. And they wrapped him in panels that are not
Laid except for favors and generosity.

18. They showed him other than a lowly grave,
And mourned him with unsoiled garments.

19. They parted ways at his tomb, which is
The concourse of visitors and conversations.

20. Who will lead the singers when the stalwarts are gone,
Lost in confusion and wailing?

21. Who will answer the guests when they dispute over no argument?
Who will attend to the opponents when they disengage from debate?

22. Who will help the destitute when he is in dire need,
Empty-handed, stripped of his money?

23. Who will lead the armies and restore them
Laden with captives and spoils?

24. Who will provoke the steeds snorted in fury
As the north wind stirred their passion?

25. Who will water the breasts of the valiant in every
Raiding with the blood of heroes?

26. Who will blunt the sharp edges of swords
With blows between shoulders and napes?

27. The belly of earth has revealed its shining sun,
And it lies prostrated in the open.

28. Alas! The plots of the brave and tricks of the cunning
Are lost to the decree of fate and its dispensation!

29. O Abu Ali, none shall be watched over like you!
So be patient, though the patience of others is dear.

30. O bearer of burdens, yours is no easy load;
It is not like other burdens.

31. Hold back the tears from your eyelids, after
They have frozen and ceased to fall for calamities.

32. And when sadness turns away from you,
Don the garb of the one who meets you.

33. And find solace from one who cannot console you,
Except by retained virtues and glories.