أيا طالب الدنيا وتارك الاخرى

أيا طالب الدنيا وتارك الاخرى

ستعلم بعد الموت أيهما أحرى

ستعلم بعد الموت أيهما أحرى

O seeker of this world and forsaker of the Hereafter,

O seeker of this world, forsaking the next,

You will know after death which of the two is worthier.

You will learn after death which was more worthy.

ألم يقرعوا بالحق سمعك قل بلى

ألم يقرعوا بالحق سمعك قل بلى

وذكرت بالآيات لو تنفع الذكرى

وذكرت بالآيات لو تنفع الذكرى

Have they not struck your ears with the truth? Say, "Yes."

Did they not strike your hearing with the truth? Say "Yes indeed!"

And you have been reminded by the verses—if only reminders availed.

And remind you with verses - if reminders could benefit.

أما وقر الطيش الذي فيك واعظ

أما وقر الطيش الذي فيك واعظ

كأنك في اذنيك وقر ولا وقرا

كأنك في اذنيك وقر ولا وقرا

Has no admonisher tempered the recklessness within you?

But the foolishness in you has made the preacher hopeless -

As though there were deafness in your ears—though there is none.

As if in your ears there is deafness, no hearing at all.

أمن حجر صلد فؤادك قسوة

أمن حجر صلد فؤادك قسوة

أم الله لم يودعك لبا ولا حجرا

أم الله لم يودعك لبا ولا حجرا

Is your heart, in its hardness, made of solid stone?

Is your heart hardened with stony coldness?

Or has God endowed you with neither intellect nor judgment?

Or did God not endow you with a heart or a rock?

وما زال موت المرء يخرب داره

وما زال موت المرء يخرب داره

وموت فريد العصر قد خرب العصرا

وموت فريد العصر قد خرب العصرا

And a man's death has always laid waste to his home,

And still the death of a man destroys his home.

And the death of the age's peerless one has laid waste to the age.

The death of the unique one of this age has destroyed the age.

وصك بمثل الصخر سمعي نعيه

وصك بمثل الصخر سمعي نعيه

فشبهت بالخنساء إذ فقدت صخرا

فشبهت بالخنساء إذ فقدت صخرا

And news of his death struck my ears like a rock,

And his death news slammed my hearing like a rock -

So I was likened to al-Khansa when she lost Sakhr.

So I resembled Al-Khansa when she lost Sakhr.