أَجَلُ الفَتى مِمّا يُؤَمَّلُ أَسرَعُ

أَجَلُ الفَتى مِمّا يُؤَمَّلُ أَسرَعُ

وَأَراهُ يَجمَعُ دائِباً لا يَشبَعُ

وَأَراهُ يَجمَعُ دائِباً لا يَشبَعُ

A young man's appointed end comes sooner than what he hopes for.

The youth's fate comes faster than one hopes

And I see him amassing tirelessly, never satisfied.

And I see he constantly gathers, never satisfied

قُل لي لِمَن أَصبَحتَ تَجمَعُ ما أَرى

قُل لي لِمَن أَصبَحتَ تَجمَعُ ما أَرى

أَلِبَعلِ عِرسِكَ لا أَبا لَكَ تَجمَعُ

أَلِبَعلِ عِرسِكَ لا أَبا لَكَ تَجمَعُ

Tell me, for whom do you now amass all that I see?

Tell me, for whose wedding do you gather what I see

Is it for your wife's future husband—may you have no father!—that you amass?

Is it for your own wedding? You have no father gathering for you

لا تَنظُرَنَّ إِلى الهَوى وَاِنظُر إِلى

لا تَنظُرَنَّ إِلى الهَوى وَاِنظُر إِلى

رَيبِ الزَمانِ بِأَهلِهِ ما يَصنَعُ

رَيبِ الزَمانِ بِأَهلِهِ ما يَصنَعُ

Do not look toward desire; look instead toward

Do not look to passion, but look to

the ravages of time—what it does to its people.

The world's wickedness with its people, what it does

المَوتُ حَقٌّ لا مَحالَةَ دونَهُ

المَوتُ حَقٌّ لا مَحالَةَ دونَهُ

وَلِكُلِّ مَوتٍ عِلَّةٌ لا تُدفَعُ

وَلِكُلِّ مَوتٍ عِلَّةٌ لا تُدفَعُ

Death is certain; no stratagem can ward it off.

Death is inevitable, it cannot be averted

And every death has a cause that cannot be warded off.

And for every death there is a cause that cannot be repelled

وَالمَوتُ داءٌ لَيسَ يَدفَعُهُ الدَوا

وَالمَوتُ داءٌ لَيسَ يَدفَعُهُ الدَوا

إِما أَتى وَلِكُلِّ جَنبٍ مَصرَعُ

إِما أَتى وَلِكُلِّ جَنبٍ مَصرَعُ

And death is an illness that medicine cannot repel

Death is an illness that cannot be cured by medicine

when it comes; and every flank has a place to fall.

Whether it comes or not, each side has an appointed time

كَم مِن أَخٍ قَد حيلَ دونَ لِقائِهِ

كَم مِن أَخٍ قَد حيلَ دونَ لِقائِهِ

قَلبي إِلَيهِ مِنَ الجَوانِحِ يَنزِعُ

قَلبي إِلَيهِ مِنَ الجَوانِحِ يَنزِعُ

How many a brother I have been barred from meeting,

How many brothers have I been prevented from meeting

my heart straining toward him from within my ribs!

Whose hearts tug mine from the ribcage

شَيَّعتُهُ ثُمَّ اِنصَرَفتُ مُوَلِّياً

شَيَّعتُهُ ثُمَّ اِنصَرَفتُ مُوَلِّياً

عَن قَبرِهِ مُستَعبِراً أَستَرجِعُ

عَن قَبرِهِ مُستَعبِراً أَستَرجِعُ

I escorted him to burial, then departed, turning away

I bade him farewell, then turned away

from his grave, weeping and saying, 'We belong to God, and to Him we return.'

Leaving his grave, stifling my agony

فَعَلى الصِبا مِنّي السَلامُ وَأَهلِهِ

فَعَلى الصِبا مِنّي السَلامُ وَأَهلِهِ

ما بَعدَ ذا في أَن أُخَلَّدَ مَعمَعُ

ما بَعدَ ذا في أَن أُخَلَّدَ مَعمَعُ

So farewell from me to youth and its companions.

So farewell to youth and its people

After this, there is no more striving for me to live forever.

After this, nothing in my singing brings joy

وَإِذا كَبِرتَ فَهَل لِنَفسِكَ لَذَّةً

وَإِذا كَبِرتَ فَهَل لِنَفسِكَ لَذَّةً

ما لِلكَبيرِ بِلَذَّةٍ مُستَمتِعُ

ما لِلكَبيرِ بِلَذَّةٍ مُستَمتِعُ

And when you grow old, is there any pleasure for your soul?

And when you are old, is there pleasure left for you?

An old man finds no enjoyment in pleasure.

No pleasure remains for the old to enjoy

وَإِذا قَنِعتَ فَأَنتَ أَغنى مَن مَشى

وَإِذا قَنِعتَ فَأَنتَ أَغنى مَن مَشى

إِنَّ الفَقيرَ لَكُلُّ مَن لا يَقنَعُ

إِنَّ الفَقيرَ لَكُلُّ مَن لا يَقنَعُ

And if you are content, you are the richest of all who walk.

And when content, you are richer than one who walks

Indeed, poor is everyone who is not content.

The poor is he who is never content

وَإِذا طَلَبتَ فَلا إِلى مُتَضايِقٍ

وَإِذا طَلَبتَ فَلا إِلى مُتَضايِقٍ

مَن ضاقَ عَنكَ فَرِزقُ رَبِّكَ أَوسَعُ

مَن ضاقَ عَنكَ فَرِزقُ رَبِّكَ أَوسَعُ

And when you ask, do not turn to one who is straitened;

And when you seek, seek not the narrow-minded

if someone has no room for you, your Lord's provision is wider.

For one who spurns you, your Lord's provision is vast

إِنَّ المَطامِعَ ما عَلِمتَ مَذَلَّةٌ

إِنَّ المَطامِعَ ما عَلِمتَ مَذَلَّةٌ

لِلطامِعينَ وَأَينَ مَن لا يَطمَعُ

لِلطامِعينَ وَأَينَ مَن لا يَطمَعُ

Indeed, greed, as you know, brings humiliation

Ambitions, I never knew, bring degradation

to the greedy—and where is one who does not covet?

To the ambitious, and where is one who does not covet?

سَلِّم وَلا تُنكِر لِرَبِّكَ قُدرَةً

سَلِّم وَلا تُنكِر لِرَبِّكَ قُدرَةً

فَاللَهُ يَخفِضُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَرفَعُ

فَاللَهُ يَخفِضُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَرفَعُ

Submit, and do not deny your Lord's power.

Submit, and do not deny your Lord's power

For God brings low and raises up whomever He wills.

For God debases whom He will, and elevates

وَلَرُبَّما اِنتَفَعَ الفَتى بِضِرارِ مَن

وَلَرُبَّما اِنتَفَعَ الفَتى بِضِرارِ مَن

يَنوي الضِرارَ وَضَرَّهُ مَن يَنفَعُ

يَنوي الضِرارَ وَضَرَّهُ مَن يَنفَعُ

And often a young man benefits from the harm of one who

And perhaps one benefits from the harm of those

intends harm, while one who helps him does him harm.

Who intend harm, and one is harmed by those who help

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُتَطَبِّعٌ بِطِباعِهِ

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُتَطَبِّعٌ بِطِباعِهِ

لَيسَ اِمرُؤٌ إِلّا عَلى ما يُطبَعُ

لَيسَ اِمرُؤٌ إِلّا عَلى ما يُطبَعُ

Every person is shaped by his own nature;

Each person is stamped with his own nature

no one is other than what he is naturally formed to be.

No person except according to his imprint

لا شَيءَ أَسرَعُ مِن تَقَلُّبِ مَن لَهُ

لا شَيءَ أَسرَعُ مِن تَقَلُّبِ مَن لَهُ

أُذُنٌ تَسَمَّعُهُ الَّذي لا يَسمَعُ

أُذُنٌ تَسَمَّعُهُ الَّذي لا يَسمَعُ

Nothing is swifter than the fickleness of one who has

Nothing is faster than the fickleness of one who

an ear that relays to him what he does not hear himself.

Has an ear that hears what cannot be heard