حياةُ الناسِ تقتيرٌ وحرصُ

حياةُ الناسِ تقتيرٌ وحرصُ

لعمرُ الحقِّ إن العيشَ نغصُ

لعمرُ الحقِّ إن العيشَ نغصُ

Human life is miserliness and greed.

Life is short and fleeting, and living is troublesome

By the life of the Truth, life is misery.

For truly, living is painful and causes distress

فهذا مُتخمٌ شرَهاً وهذا

فهذا مُتخمٌ شرَهاً وهذا

خميصُ البطنِ يهربُ منه قرص

خميصُ البطنِ يهربُ منه قرص

So this one is bloated with gluttony, and that one

Whose stomach is constricted and rejects even breadcrumbs

Is hollow-bellied; a loaf of bread flees him.

A rich man finds comfort in drinking wine

بشربِ الخمرِ يهنأُ ذو يسارٍ

بشربِ الخمرِ يهنأُ ذو يسارٍ

وبالماءِ الفقيرُ غدا يغص

وبالماءِ الفقيرُ غدا يغص

The man of means delights in drinking wine,

While a poor man becomes distraught with only water

While the poor man has come to choke on water.

The essence of our life is just eating and drinking

خُلاصةُ عَيشِنا أكلٌ وشربٌ

خُلاصةُ عَيشِنا أكلٌ وشربٌ

وللجوعانِ والشبعانِ مَغص

وللجوعانِ والشبعانِ مَغص

The sum of our life is eating and drinking,

Both the hungry and the full feel discomfort

And both the hungry and the sated have stomach cramps.

Sustenance comes to beasts and birds without toil

ورزقُ الوحشِ والأطيارِ يأتي

ورزقُ الوحشِ والأطيارِ يأتي

بلا كدٍّ ورزقُ المرءِ قَنص

بلا كدٍّ ورزقُ المرءِ قَنص

And sustenance for wild beasts and birds comes

While man's provision requires effort and labor

Without toil, while man's livelihood is a hunt.

If existence was not meant for this

فلا كان الوجودُ لمثلِ هذا

فلا كان الوجودُ لمثلِ هذا

وللأعراضِ والآدابِ رخص

وللأعراضِ والآدابِ رخص

Then may there be no existence for the likes of this,

Morals and dignity would have been pointless

With honor and morals held cheap.

Is there really justice or perfection in creation?

فهل للخلقِ عدلٌ أو كمالٌ

فهل للخلقِ عدلٌ أو كمالٌ

وفي تكوينهِ ظلمٌ ونقص

وفي تكوينهِ ظلمٌ ونقص

So is there justice or perfection in creation,

When there is clearly injustice and imperfection

When its very making holds injustice and imperfection?

In a high burrow, an eagle makes its home

وفي الوكرِ الرفيع يبيتُ نسرٌ

وفي الوكرِ الرفيع يبيتُ نسرٌ

وفي النَّفقِ الوضيع يغيبُ درص

وفي النَّفقِ الوضيع يغيبُ درص

And in a lofty nest a vulture spends the night,

While a rat hides in a low tunnel

While in a lowly burrow a young mouse hides.

This existence is but confusion upon confusion

وما هذا الوجودُ سوى التِباسٍ

وما هذا الوجودُ سوى التِباسٍ

وهذا اللبسُ لا يجلوهُ محص

وهذا اللبسُ لا يجلوهُ محص

And this existence is nothing but confusion,

And this confusion cannot be unraveled or untied

And no scrutiny dispels this confusion.

We quarrel with each other over trivial things

يهارشُ بعضنا بعضاً لشيءٍ

يهارشُ بعضنا بعضاً لشيءٍ

حقيرٍ والقبورُ بنا ترصُّ

حقيرٍ والقبورُ بنا ترصُّ

We snarl at one another over something

While the graves wait patiently to confine us

Trivial, while the graves are packed with us.

At birth, there is condolence and tears

وعندَ المهدِ تعزيةٌ ودمعٌ

وعندَ المهدِ تعزيةٌ ودمعٌ

وفوقَ اللحدِ تهنئةٌ ورقص

وفوقَ اللحدِ تهنئةٌ ورقص

And at the cradle, condolences and tears,

And at death, there is congratulation and dancing

And over the grave, congratulations and dancing.

So say: how worthless is man in essence and ethics

فقل ما أحقر الإنسانَ خَلقاً

فقل ما أحقر الإنسانَ خَلقاً

وخُلقاً والوَرَى كَلَبٌ وحرص

وخُلقاً والوَرَى كَلَبٌ وحرص

Then say: how contemptible man is in form,

When the best of us is a dog obsessed with food

And in character—mankind is rapacity and greed.

If not for weakness, the strong could not prevail

ولولا الضعفُ لم يظفر قويٌّ

ولولا الضعفُ لم يظفر قويٌّ

يُغذِّيهِ من الضعفاءِ مصٌّ

يُغذِّيهِ من الضعفاءِ مصٌّ

And were it not for weakness, no strong man would prevail;

Feeding on the frail to satisfy their hunger

Sucking from the weak nourishes him.

A flood begins as a mere raindrop

فأولُ ما يكونُ السيلُ قطرٌ

فأولُ ما يكونُ السيلُ قطرٌ

وأولُ ما تكونُ النارُ بصُّ

وأولُ ما تكونُ النارُ بصُّ

For a torrent begins as drops,

And a fire starts with just a spark

And a fire begins as a glimmer.

A man's worth when his money is gone

وقدرُ المرءِ عندَ ضياعِ مالٍ

وقدرُ المرءِ عندَ ضياعِ مالٍ

كقيمةِ حاتمٍ إن ضاعَ فَصُّ

كقيمةِ حاتمٍ إن ضاعَ فَصُّ

And a person's worth when wealth is lost

Is like the value of a bracelet without its gem

Is like Hatim's worth if a ring-stone is lost.

Deprivation comes only from protecting

وما الحرمانُ إلا مِن حفاظٍ

وما الحرمانُ إلا مِن حفاظٍ

على شرفٍ وأغنى الناسِ لصُّ

على شرفٍ وأغنى الناسِ لصُّ

And deprivation comes only from safeguarding

Honor, yet the richest of men is a thief

Honor, while the richest of people is a thief.

How many dogs sleep on cushions,

فكم كلبٍ ينامُ على الحَشايا

فكم كلبٍ ينامُ على الحَشايا

وكم أسدٍ له ربطٌ وقفص

وكم أسدٍ له ربطٌ وقفص

So many a dog sleeps upon mattresses,

While how many lions are leashed and caged

And how many a lion has fetters and a cage!

The outer appearance of this world is righteousness

فهذا الكونُ ظاهرُهُ صلاحٌ

فهذا الكونُ ظاهرُهُ صلاحٌ

وباطنهُ فسادٌ لا يُقَصُّ

وباطنهُ فسادٌ لا يُقَصُّ

So this universe is outwardly good,

But its essence is corruption that cannot be measured

Yet inwardly it is corruption that goes untold.

It is like a doll that appears elegant

فأشبه دميةً ظهرت رخاماً

فأشبه دميةً ظهرت رخاماً

لمن يَرنو إليها وهي جصُّ

لمن يَرنو إليها وهي جصُّ

Thus it resembled a statue that appeared to be marble

But is hollow plaster to one who peers inside

To one who gazes at it, though it is plaster.

Do not be fooled by softness or beauty

فلا يخدَعكَ لينٌ أو جمالٌ

فلا يخدَعكَ لينٌ أو جمالٌ

فإن اللطفَ والتجميلَ شِصُّ

فإن اللطفَ والتجميلَ شِصُّ

So let no softness or beauty deceive you,

For grace and adornment are just a veneer

For gentleness and adornment are a fishhook.

I try to live in seclusion to live alone

أُحاولُ عزلةً لأعيشَ وَحدي

أُحاولُ عزلةً لأعيشَ وَحدي

وكيفَ العيشُ والدنيا مقصُّ

وكيفَ العيشُ والدنيا مقصُّ

I seek seclusion so that I may live alone,

But how to live alone when the world entraps you

And how can one live, when the world is a pair of scissors?