أَينَ مَن كانَ قَبلَنا أَينَ أَينا

أَينَ مَن كانَ قَبلَنا أَينَ أَينا

مِن أُناسٍ كانوا جَمالاً وَزَينا

مِن أُناسٍ كانوا جَمالاً وَزَينا

Where are those who were before us? Where—where are we?

Where are those who came before us—where, where—

Those people who were once beauty and adornment?

Those people who were beauty and adornment?

إِنَّ دَهراً أَتى عَلَيهِم فَأَفنى

إِنَّ دَهراً أَتى عَلَيهِم فَأَفنى

مِنهُمُ الجَمعَ سَوفَ يَأتي عَلَينا

مِنهُمُ الجَمعَ سَوفَ يَأتي عَلَينا

Indeed, the age that came upon them and annihilated

Indeed, time, which overtook them and destroyed

their whole company will come upon us.

Their whole company, will overtake us.

خَدَعَتنا الآمالُ حَتّى طَلَبنا

خَدَعَتنا الآمالُ حَتّى طَلَبنا

وَجَمَعنا لِغَيرِنا وَسَعَينا

وَجَمَعنا لِغَيرِنا وَسَعَينا

Hopes deceived us until we went in pursuit;

Hopes deceived us into seeking,

we amassed for others, and we strove.

And amassing for others, and toiling.

وَاِبتَنَينا وَما نُفَكِّرُ في الدَه

وَاِبتَنَينا وَما نُفَكِّرُ في الدَه

رِ وَفي صَرفِهِ غَداةَ اِبتَنَينا

رِ وَفي صَرفِهِ غَداةَ اِبتَنَينا

We built, never giving thought to Time

And we built, giving no thought to time

or to its reversals on the day we built.

Or its reversals on the morning we built.

وَاِبتَغَينا مِنَ المَعاشِ فُضولاً

وَاِبتَغَينا مِنَ المَعاشِ فُضولاً

لَو قَنِعنا بِدونِها لَاِكتَفَينا

لَو قَنِعنا بِدونِها لَاِكتَفَينا

We sought more than our living required;

And we sought a surplus of life's provisions;

had we been content with less, we would have had enough.

Had we been content with less, it would have sufficed.

وَلَعَمري لَنَمضِيَنَّ وَلا نَم

وَلَعَمري لَنَمضِيَنَّ وَلا نَم

ضي بِشَيءٍ مِنها اِذا ما مَضَينا

ضي بِشَيءٍ مِنها اِذا ما مَضَينا

By my life, we shall surely depart, nor shall we take

And by my life, we shall surely depart, and shall not

anything of it with us when we go.

Depart with any of it when we depart.

وَاِفتَرَقنا في المَقدُراتِ وَسَوّى ال

وَاِفتَرَقنا في المَقدُراتِ وَسَوّى ال

لَهُ في المَوتِ بَينَنا فَاِستَوَينا

لَهُ في المَوتِ بَينَنا فَاِستَوَينا

We differed in what was allotted us, but God made us equal

And we differed in our allotted shares, but God made us equal

in death, and so we all became alike.

In death, and so we became alike.

كَم رَأَينا مِن مَيِّتٍ كانَ حَيّاً

كَم رَأَينا مِن مَيِّتٍ كانَ حَيّاً

وَوَشيكاً يُرى بِنا ما رَأَينا

وَوَشيكاً يُرى بِنا ما رَأَينا

How many a dead man have we seen who once was alive;

How many dead have we seen who once were alive!

and soon what we saw will be seen in us.

And soon, what we saw will be seen in us.

ما لَنا نَأمَنُ المَنايا كَأَنّا

ما لَنا نَأمَنُ المَنايا كَأَنّا

لا نَراهُنَّ يَهتَدينَ إِلَينا

لا نَراهُنَّ يَهتَدينَ إِلَينا

Why do we feel safe from the Fates, as though

Why do we feel safe from our deaths, as though

we did not see them finding their way to us?

We did not see them finding their way to us?

عَجَباً لِاِمرِئٍ تَيَقَّنَ أَنَّ ال

عَجَباً لِاِمرِئٍ تَيَقَّنَ أَنَّ ال

مَوتَ حَقٌّ فَقَرَّ بِالعَيشِ عَينا

مَوتَ حَقٌّ فَقَرَّ بِالعَيشِ عَينا

How strange that a man, certain that

How strange that a man, certain that

death is truth, should find contentment in living.

Death is real, should find life a comfort to his eyes!