سَلِ القَصرَ أَودى أَهلُهُ أَينَ أَهلُهُ

سَلِ القَصرَ أَودى أَهلُهُ أَينَ أَهلُهُ

أَكُلُّهُمُ عَنهُ تَبَدَّدَ شَملُهُ

أَكُلُّهُمُ عَنهُ تَبَدَّدَ شَملُهُ

Ask the palace: its people have perished—where are its people?

Ask the palace: its people have perished—where are its people?

Have they all departed from it, their company scattered?

Has every one of them had his company scattered away from it?

أَكُلُّهُمُ حالَت بِهِ الحالُ وَانقَضَت

أَكُلُّهُمُ حالَت بِهِ الحالُ وَانقَضَت

وَزَلَّت بِهِ عَن حَومَةِ العِزِّ نَعلُهُ

وَزَلَّت بِهِ عَن حَومَةِ العِزِّ نَعلُهُ

Has changing fortune overtaken them all and run its course,

Has every one of them seen his fortune change and come to an end,

making each foot slip from the arena of glory?

and his sandal slip, bearing him away from the heart of glory?

أَكُلُّهُمُ فَضَّت يَدُ الدَهرِ جَمعَهُ

أَكُلُّهُمُ فَضَّت يَدُ الدَهرِ جَمعَهُ

وَأَفناهُ نَقضُ الدَهرِ يَوماً وَفَتلُهُ

وَأَفناهُ نَقضُ الدَهرِ يَوماً وَفَتلُهُ

Has Time’s hand dispersed the whole of their gathering,

Has time's hand dispersed the company of every one of them,

until one day Time’s twisting and unraveling destroyed it?

and its unravelling and twisting one day destroyed him?

أَكُلُّهُمُ مُستَبدَلٌ بَعدَهُ بِهِ

أَكُلُّهُمُ مُستَبدَلٌ بَعدَهُ بِهِ

سِواهُ وَمَبتوتٌ مِنَ الناسِ حَبلُهُ

سِواهُ وَمَبتوتٌ مِنَ الناسِ حَبلُهُ

Has every one of them been replaced, after his passing,

Has every one of them, after his passing, been replaced by

by another, his cord to humankind cut through?

someone else, and had his cord to people severed?

أَكُلُّهُمُ لا وَصلَ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

أَكُلُّهُمُ لا وَصلَ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

إِذا ماتَ أَو وَلّى امرُؤٌ بانَ وَصلُهُ

إِذا ماتَ أَو وَلّى امرُؤٌ بانَ وَصلُهُ

Is every one of them now beyond all bond between us,

Is there no bond between me and any one of them?

so that when a man’s loved ones die, his ties are plainly severed?

When a person dies or departs, his bond is severed.

خَليلَيَّ ما الدُنيا بِدارِ فُكاهَةٍ

خَليلَيَّ ما الدُنيا بِدارِ فُكاهَةٍ

وَلا دارِ لَذّاتٍ لِمَن صَحَّ عَقلُهُ

وَلا دارِ لَذّاتٍ لِمَن صَحَّ عَقلُهُ

My two companions, this world is no house of amusement,

My two friends, this world is no abode of merriment,

nor a house of pleasures for one whose reason is sound.

nor an abode of pleasures for anyone of sound mind.

تَزَوَّدتُ تَشميرَ المَشيبِ وَجِدَّهُ

تَزَوَّدتُ تَشميرَ المَشيبِ وَجِدَّهُ

وَفارَقَني زَهوُ الشَبابِ وَهَزلُهُ

وَفارَقَني زَهوُ الشَبابِ وَهَزلُهُ

I have provisioned myself with gray age’s girded resolve and earnestness,

I have taken gray hair's resolve and earnestness as provisions,

while youth’s vainglory and frivolity have left me.

and youth's vanity and playfulness have left me.

وَكَم مِن هَواً لي طالَ ما قَد رَكِبتُهُ

وَكَم مِن هَواً لي طالَ ما قَد رَكِبتُهُ

وَمِن عاذِلٍ لي رُبَّما طالَ عَذلُهُ

وَمِن عاذِلٍ لي رُبَّما طالَ عَذلُهُ

How many passions of mine I rode for so long,

And many a passion of mine I have long pursued,

and how many reprovers of me whose reproach came to nothing.

and many a reprover of mine has often reproached me at length.

وَعَذلُ الفَتى ما فيهِ فَضلٌ لِغَيرِهِ

وَعَذلُ الفَتى ما فيهِ فَضلٌ لِغَيرِهِ

إِذا ما الفَتى عَن نَفسِهِ ضاقَ عَذلُهُ

إِذا ما الفَتى عَن نَفسِهِ ضاقَ عَذلُهُ

Another’s reproach can add nothing to a young man

And a young man's reproach does others no good

if his own self-reproach is too feeble to restrain him.

if his reproach falls short when directed at himself.

لَعَمرُكَ إِنَّ الحَقَّ لِلناسِ واسِعٌ

لَعَمرُكَ إِنَّ الحَقَّ لِلناسِ واسِعٌ

وَلَكِن رَأَيتُ الحَقَّ يُكرَهُ ثِقلُهُ

وَلَكِن رَأَيتُ الحَقَّ يُكرَهُ ثِقلُهُ

By your life, truth is spacious enough for all people,

By your life, truth is broad enough for all people,

yet I have seen that truth is hated for its weight.

but I have seen truth's weight resented.

وَلِلحَقِّ أَهلٌ لَيسَ تَخفى وُجوهُهُم

وَلِلحَقِّ أَهلٌ لَيسَ تَخفى وُجوهُهُم

يَخِفُّ عَلَيهِم حَيثُ ما كانَ حَملُهُ

يَخِفُّ عَلَيهِم حَيثُ ما كانَ حَملُهُ

Truth has people whose faces cannot be hidden;

And truth has its people, whose faces are not hidden;

its burden sits lightly on them wherever they bear it.

its burden is light upon them, wherever it may be.

وَما صَحَّ فَرعٌ أَصلُهُ الدَهرَ فاسِدٌ

وَما صَحَّ فَرعٌ أَصلُهُ الدَهرَ فاسِدٌ

وَلَكِن يَصِحُّ الفَرعُ ما صَحَّ أَصلُهُ

وَلَكِن يَصِحُّ الفَرعُ ما صَحَّ أَصلُهُ

No branch has ever flourished when its root is corrupt,

And no branch is ever sound when its root is rotten,

but a branch flourishes when its root is sound.

but the branch is sound as long as its root is sound.

وَما لِامرِئٍ مِن نَفسِهِ وَتَليدِهِ

وَما لِامرِئٍ مِن نَفسِهِ وَتَليدِهِ

وَطارِفِهِ إِلّا تُقاهُ وَبَذلُهُ

وَطارِفِهِ إِلّا تُقاهُ وَبَذلُهُ

A man has nothing—from himself or his inherited wealth,

And nothing avails a man from himself or his inherited wealth,

or from newly acquired wealth—except his piety and generosity.

or his newly acquired wealth, except his piety and his giving.

وَما نالَ عَبدٌ قَطُّ فَضلاً بِقُوَّةٍ

وَما نالَ عَبدٌ قَطُّ فَضلاً بِقُوَّةٍ

وَلَكِنَّهُ مَنُّ الإِلَهُ وَفَضلُهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ مَنُّ الإِلَهُ وَفَضلُهُ

No servant ever won glory through might;

And no servant has ever gained bounty through strength;

it comes only from God and His bounty.

but it is God's favor and bounty.

لَنا خالِقٌ يُعطي الَّذي هُوَ أَهلُهُ

لَنا خالِقٌ يُعطي الَّذي هُوَ أَهلُهُ

وَيَعفو وَلا يَجزي بِما نَحنُ أَهلُهُ

وَيَعفو وَلا يَجزي بِما نَحنُ أَهلُهُ

We have a Creator who gives what befits Him,

We have a Creator who gives as befits Him,

and pardons, not requiting us for what we deserve.

and pardons, not requiting us as we deserve.

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ زالَ فَاللَهُ بَعدَهُ

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ زالَ فَاللَهُ بَعدَهُ

كَما كُلُّ شَيءٍ كانَ فَاللَهُ قَبلُهُ

كَما كُلُّ شَيءٍ كانَ فَاللَهُ قَبلُهُ

Behold, everything is passing; God remains after it,

Lo, when each thing passes away, God remains after it,

just as God preceded everything that ever came to be.

just as God was before everything that came to be.

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ ما سِوى اللَهِ زائِلٌ

أَلا كُلُّ شَيءٍ ما سِوى اللَهِ زائِلٌ

أَلا كُلُّ ذي نَسلٍ يَموتُ وَنَسلُهُ

أَلا كُلُّ ذي نَسلٍ يَموتُ وَنَسلُهُ

Behold, everything other than God is passing.

Lo, everything other than God shall pass away.

Behold, every bearer of descendants will die, and so will his descendants.

Lo, every being with offspring dies, and its offspring too.

أَلا كُلُّ مَخلوقٍ يَصيرُ إِلى البِلى

أَلا كُلُّ مَخلوقٍ يَصيرُ إِلى البِلى

أَلا إِنَّ يَومَ المَيتِ لِلحَيِّ مِثلُهُ

أَلا إِنَّ يَومَ المَيتِ لِلحَيِّ مِثلُهُ

Behold, every created being will come to decay.

Lo, every created being comes to decay.

Behold, the day of death is every living creature’s match.

Lo, the living will have a day like that of the dead.

أَلا ما عَلاماتُ البِلى بِخَفِيَّةٍ

أَلا ما عَلاماتُ البِلى بِخَفِيَّةٍ

وَلَكِنَّما غَرَّ ابنَ آدَمَ جَهلُهُ

وَلَكِنَّما غَرَّ ابنَ آدَمَ جَهلُهُ

Behold, the signs of decay are not hidden,

Lo, the signs of decay are not hidden,

but the son of Adam has been deluded by his ignorance.

but his ignorance has deceived the son of Adam.

أُخَيَّ أَرى لِلدَهرِ نَبلاً مُصيبَةً

أُخَيَّ أَرى لِلدَهرِ نَبلاً مُصيبَةً

إِذا ما رَمانا الدَهرُ لَم تَخطُ نَبلُهُ

إِذا ما رَمانا الدَهرُ لَم تَخطُ نَبلُهُ

My little brother, I see Time with a curved fang:

My dear brother, I see that time has arrows that strike true;

when Time shoots at us, its arrow never misses.

whenever time shoots at us, its arrows do not miss.

فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ المَرءِ في طولِ سَهوِهِ

فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ المَرءِ في طولِ سَهوِهِ

وَلا مِثلَ رَيبِ الدَهرِ يُؤمَنُ خَتلُهُ

وَلا مِثلَ رَيبِ الدَهرِ يُؤمَنُ خَتلُهُ

I have seen nothing like man in the length of his heedlessness,

So I have seen nothing like man in his long heedlessness,

nor anything like Time’s reversals, whose treachery is trusted as safe.

nor like time's vicissitudes, from whose treachery people feel secure.

وَحَسبُكَ مِمَّن إِن نَوى الخَيرَ قالَهُ

وَحَسبُكَ مِمَّن إِن نَوى الخَيرَ قالَهُ

وَإِن قالَ خَيراً لَم يُكَذِّبهُ فِعلُهُ

وَإِن قالَ خَيراً لَم يُكَذِّبهُ فِعلُهُ

Enough for you is one who, when he intends good, speaks it,

And sufficient for you is one who, if he intends good, speaks it,

and when he speaks good, his deed does not give his word the lie.

and if he speaks good, his deed does not belie him.