رُبَّ مأمولٍ وراجٍ أَمَلاً

رُبَّ مأمولٍ وراجٍ أَمَلاً

قَد ثَناهُ الدَّهرُ عَن ذاكَ الأَمَل

قَد ثَناهُ الدَّهرُ عَن ذاكَ الأَمَل

Many a man looked to with hope, and many a man cherishing hope,

Many a hopeful, ambitious for hope

Time has turned him away from that hope.

Has time turned away from that hope

وفَتىً مِن دَولَةٍ مُعجِبَةٍ

وفَتىً مِن دَولَةٍ مُعجِبَةٍ

سُلِبَت عَنهُ وللدَّهرِ دُوَل

سُلِبَت عَنهُ وللدَّهرِ دُوَل

And many a youth with a splendid fortune

And a young man of an amazing state

Has had it stripped from him—and Time has its turns.

Which has been stripped from him, and time circulates

كيفَ يَرجُو الَمرءُ قُوتاً للرَّدَى

كيفَ يَرجُو الَمرءُ قُوتاً للرَّدَى

وَهيَ في الأَسبابِ رَهنٌ مُختَبَل

وَهيَ في الأَسبابِ رَهنٌ مُختَبَل

How can a man hope, being food for death,

How can man hope for power for decrepitude

While held hostage, stricken, in fate's cords?

While in reasons it is a hostage bound

كُلَّمَا خَلَّفَ يَوماً فَمَضَى

كُلَّمَا خَلَّفَ يَوماً فَمَضَى

زادَهُ ذَلِكَ قُرباً لِلأَجَل

زادَهُ ذَلِكَ قُرباً لِلأَجَل

Whenever he leaves a day behind and it passes,

Whenever a day passes, it's gone

That brings him closer to his appointed end.

That brings him closer to his end

فَوَّقَ الدَّهرُ إلينا نَبلَهُ

فَوَّقَ الدَّهرُ إلينا نَبلَهُ

عَلَلاً يَقصِدُنا بَعدَ نَهَل

عَلَلاً يَقصِدُنا بَعدَ نَهَل

Time has nocked its arrows against us;

Time has aimed at us its arrows

It targets us for a second draught after the first.

Afflictions that seek us after descending

فَهوَ يَرمينا فلا نُبصِرُهُ

فَهوَ يَرمينا فلا نُبصِرُهُ

فِعلَ رامٍ رامَ صَيداً فَخَتَل

فِعلَ رامٍ رامَ صَيداً فَخَتَل

So it shoots at us, yet we do not see it,

It shoots us yet we see it not

Like an archer who sought game and stalked it stealthily.

The act of a shooter who shot prey and erred

رُزِقَ الصَّيدَ وَلاَقَى غِرَّةً

رُزِقَ الصَّيدَ وَلاَقَى غِرَّةً

فَرَمَى مُستَمكناً ثُمَّ قَتَل

فَرَمَى مُستَمكناً ثُمَّ قَتَل

He was granted game and found it off its guard;

The prey was hit yet encountered betrayal

So he shot from a sure position, then killed.

So it shot confidently then killed

فَلِذاكَ الدَّهرُ مَأمورق بِنا

فَلِذاكَ الدَّهرُ مَأمورق بِنا

فَهوَ لا يَغفَلُ إن شَيءٌ غَفَل

فَهوَ لا يَغفَلُ إن شَيءٌ غَفَل

Thus Time is charged with us,

Thus is time commanded against us

And never grows heedless, though anything else may.

It does not neglect if anything neglected