1. أَلا رُبَّ ذي أَجَلٍ قَد حَضَر

    كَثيرِ التَمَنّي قَليلِ الحَذَر

    Lo, many a man whose appointed end has come

    is full of wishes and short on caution.

  2. إِذا هَزَّ في المَشيِ أَعطافَهُ

    تَعَرَّفتَ في مَنكِبَيهِ البَطَر

    When he sways his sides as he walks,

    you recognize arrogance in his shoulders.

  3. يُؤَمِّلُ أَكثَرَ مِن عُمرِهِ

    وَيَزدادُ يَوماً بِيَومٍ أَشَر

    He hopes for more than his lifetime can hold,

    and grows more wanton day by day.

  4. وَيُمسي وَيُصبِحُ في نَفسِهِ

    كَريمَ المَساعي عَظيمَ الخَطَر

    Evening and morning, he is, in his own eyes,

    noble in his endeavors and great in standing.

  5. تَكونُ لَهُ صَولَةٌ تُتَّقى

    وَأَمرٌ يُطاعُ إِذا ما أَمَر

    He has a power that is feared,

    and a command obeyed whenever he commands.

  6. يَريشُ وَيَبري وَفي يَومِهِ

    لَهُ شُغُلٌ شاغِلٌ لَو شَعَر

    He feathers and sharpens arrows; yet in his day

    he has a pressing concern, if only he knew.

  7. يَعُدُّ الغُرورَ وَيَبني القُصورَ

    وَيَنسى الفَناءَ وَيَنسى القَدَر

    He tallies delusions and builds palaces,

    and forgets death, and forgets fate.

  8. وَيَنسى القُرونَ وَرَيبَ المَنونِ

    وَيَنسى الخُطوبَ وَيَنسى الغِيَر

    And he forgets past generations and the calamities of death,

    and forgets disasters, and forgets reversals.

  9. وَيَنسى شُهوراً تُحيلُ الأُمورَ

    فَإِمّا بِخَيرٍ وَإِمّا بِشَرِّ

    And he forgets months that change affairs,

    whether for good or for ill.

  10. يُجَرِّعُهُ الحِرصُ كَأسَ الفَنا

    وَيَحمِلُهُ فَوقَ ظَهرِ الغَرَر

    Greed forces him to drink the cup of death,

    and carries him upon the back of peril.

  11. وَكَم مِن مُلوكٍ عَهِدناهُمُ

    تَفانوا وَنَحنُ مَعاً بِالأَثَر

    And how many kings we once knew

    have perished, and we together follow in their wake.

  12. أَما تَعجَبونَ لِأَهلِ القُبورِ

    كَأَنَّهُمُ لَم يَكونوا بَشَر

    Do you not marvel at the dwellers of graves?

    It is as though they had never been human.

  13. أَخَيَّ أَضَعتَ أُموراً أَراكَ

    لِنَفسِكَ فيها قَليلُ النَظَر

    My dear brother, you have neglected matters; I see you

    giving little thought to your own welfare in them.

  14. فَحَتّى مَتى أَنتَ ذو صَبوَةٍ

    كَأَن لَيسَ تَزدادُ فيها قِصَر

    How long, then, will you remain infatuated,

    as though your life were not growing shorter in it?

  15. تُؤَمَّلُ في الأَرضِ طولَ الحَياةِ

    وَعُمرُكَ يَزدادُ فيهِ قِصَر

    You are led to hope for long life on earth,

    while your lifetime grows shorter within it.

  16. أَرى لَكَ أَلّا تَمَلَّ الجِهازَ

    لِقُربِ الرَحيلِ وَبُعدِ السَفَر

    I advise you not to tire of making ready,

    for departure is near and the journey long;

  17. وَأَن تَتَدَبَّرَ ماذا تَصيرُ

    إِلَيهِ فَتُعمِلَ فيهِ الفِكَر

    and to ponder what you will come

    to, and set your thoughts to work upon it;

  18. وَأَن تَستَخِفَّ بِدارِ الغُرورِ

    وَأَن تَستَعِدَّ لِإِحدى الكُبَر

    and to make light of the abode of delusion,

    and to prepare for one of the great calamities.

  19. هِيَ الدارُ دارُ الأَذى وَالقَذى

    وَدارُ الفَناءِ وَدارُ الغَرَر

    It is the abode—an abode of hurt and grit,

    and an abode of death, and an abode of peril.

  20. وَلَو نِلتَها بِحَذافيرِها

    لَمُتَّ وَلَم تَقضِ مِنها الوَطَر

    And even if you gained it in its entirety,

    you would die without satisfying your desire through it.

  21. لَعَمري لَقَد دَرَجَت قَبلَنا

    قُرونٌ لَنا فيهِمُ مُعتَبَر

    By my life, there have indeed passed away before us

    generations in whom there is a lesson for us.

  22. فَيا لَيتَ شِعري أَبَعدَ المَشيبِ

    سِوى المَوتِ مِن غائِبٍ يُنتَظَر

    Ah, if only I knew: after gray hair,

    is there any unseen thing to await but death?

  23. كَأَنَّكَ قَد صِرتَ في حُفرَةٍ

    وَصارَ عَلَيكَ الثَرى وَالمَدَر

    It is as though you were already in a pit,

    and soil and clay clods had settled upon you.

  24. فَلا تَنسَ يَوماً تُسَجّى عَلى

    سَريرِكَ فَوقَ رِقابِ البَشَر

    So do not forget the day you are shrouded upon

    your bier, above the necks of people.

  25. وَقَدِّم لِذاكَ فَإِنَّ الفَتى

    لَهُ ما يُقَدِّمُ لا ما يَذَر

    And send ahead for that day, for a man

    has what he sends ahead, not what he leaves behind.

  26. وَمَن يَكُ ذا سِعَةٍ في الغِنى

    يُعَظَّم وَمَن يَفتَقِر يُحتَقَر

    And whoever has an abundance of wealth

    is honored, while whoever becomes poor is despised.

  27. وَمَن يَكُ بِالدَهرِ ذا غِرَّةٍ

    فَإِنّي مِنَ الدَهرِ عِندي خَبَر

    And if anyone is heedless of Time,

    then I, indeed, have experience of Time.

  28. تَرى الدَهرَ يَضرُبُ أَمثالَهُ

    لَنا وَيُرينا صُروفَ العِبَر

    You see Time set forth its examples

    for us, and show us lessons in changing forms.

  29. فَلا تَأمَنَنَّ لَهُ عَثرَةً

    فَكَم مِن كَريمٍ بِهِ قَد عَثَر

    So never think yourself safe from a fall at its hands,

    for many a noble man has stumbled through it.

  30. يَحولُ عَلى المَرءِ حَتّى تَرا

    هُ يَشرَبُ بَعدَ الصَفاءِ الكَدَر

    It turns against a man until you see

    him drink murk after clarity,

  31. وَحَتّى تَراهُ قَصيرَ الخُطى

    بَطيءَ النُهوضِ كَليلَ النَظَر

    and until you see him short of stride,

    slow to rise and dim of sight.

  32. أَيا مَن يُؤَمِّلُ طولَ الحَياةِ

    وَطولُ الحَياةِ عَليهِ ضَرَر

    O you who hope for long life,

    though long life brings you harm:

  33. إِذا ما كَبِرتَ وَبانَ الشَبابُ

    فَلا خَيرَ في العَيشِ بَعدَ الكِبَر

    when you grow old and youth departs,

    then there is no good in living once old age has come.