تَقَضّاكَ دَهرُكَ ما سَلَّفا

تَقَضّاكَ دَهرُكَ ما سَلَّفا

وَكَدَّرَ عَيشَكَ بَعدَ الصَفا

وَكَدَّرَ عَيشَكَ بَعدَ الصَفا

Your time has reclaimed what it once lent you,

Time has taken from you what it loaned,

and clouded your life after it was serene.

And clouded your life after serenity.

فَلا تُنكِرَنَّ فَإِنَّ الزَمانَ

فَلا تُنكِرَنَّ فَإِنَّ الزَمانَ

رَهينٌ بِتَشَتيتِ ما أَلَّفا

رَهينٌ بِتَشَتيتِ ما أَلَّفا

So do not find it strange, for time

So do not deny that time

is bound to scatter what it once united.

Is pledged to scatter what it brought together.

وَلَمّا رَآكَ قَليلَ الهُمومِ

وَلَمّا رَآكَ قَليلَ الهُمومِ

كَثيرَ الهَوى ناعِماً مُترَفا

كَثيرَ الهَوى ناعِماً مُترَفا

And when it saw you with few cares,

And when it saw you with few worries,

full of passion, at ease and pampered,

Much passion, living in comfort,

أَلَحَّ عَلَيكَ بِرَوعاتِهِ

أَلَحَّ عَلَيكَ بِرَوعاتِهِ

وَأَقبَلَ يَرميكَ مُستَهدفا

وَأَقبَلَ يَرميكَ مُستَهدفا

it beset you relentlessly with its terrors,

It insisted on startling you

and began shooting at you as its target.

And set out to target you.

يَجورُ عَلى المَرءِ في حُكمِهِ

يَجورُ عَلى المَرءِ في حُكمِهِ

وَلَكِنَّهُ رُبَّما أَنصَفا

وَلَكِنَّهُ رُبَّما أَنصَفا

It wrongs a person in its judgment,

It wrongs a person in its rule,

yet at times it deals fairly.

But perhaps it has also been fair.