1. No foot was moved, no hand outstretched
Except by destiny's command.

2. Speeches are equal where the sons of Muharriq
And the Kings of Persia and the horde of Qudar,

3. Are concerned. A young man may know how many days
Of his life he has lived, and how many remain for him

4. In his abode. But my knowledge of where my fortune lies
Is as obscure as the grave, as the heart's mysteries.

5. Two abodes: as for this one, it is hateful,
Utterly; of that other world no reports have reached us.

6. No courier has come to us from it, in frantic haste,
That we might ask him of the strange, new dwelling place.

7. Empires are confirmed for those long settled there,
And Laila is exposed, without her veil.

8. Many are the bodies, worthy of the dust,
That have returned to dust, plastered on a wall.

9. A body, if its parts once separate,
Cannot avoid its destiny's decree.

10. And when the rounds of wealth left it bare,
Did not your Fortune show unchanging constancy?