إِذا عاشَ الفَتى ستينَ عاماً

إِذا عاشَ الفَتى ستينَ عاماً

فَنِصفُ العُمرِ تَمحَقُهُ اللَيالي

فَنِصفُ العُمرِ تَمحَقُهُ اللَيالي

If a young man lives sixty years,

If a young man lives sixty years,

If a man lives for sixty years,

then the nights consume half his life.

Half his life is swept away by nights,

Half of that life is obliterated by the nights,

وَنِصفُ النِصفِ يَذهَبُ لَيسَ يَدري

وَنِصفُ النِصفِ يَذهَبُ لَيسَ يَدري

لِغَفلَتِهِ يَميناً مِن شِمالِ

لِغَفلَتِهِ يَميناً مِن شِمالِ

And half of that half passes while he cannot tell,

And half the half goes unknowingly,

And half of the half passes while he knows not,

through his heedlessness, right from left.

Right to left, from inattention.

In his unawareness, his right hand from his left,

وَثُلثُ النِصفِ آمالٌ وَحِرصٌ

وَثُلثُ النِصفِ آمالٌ وَحِرصٌ

وَشُغلٌ بِالمَكاسِبِ وَالعيالِ

وَشُغلٌ بِالمَكاسِبِ وَالعيالِ

And a third of that half is hopes and greed,

And a third of the half is wants and greed,

And a third of the half is merely hopes and greed,

and preoccupation with earnings and dependents.

And busyness with livelihood and family.

And toil for earnings and for family,

وَباقي العُمرِ أَسقامٌ وَشَيبٌ

وَباقي العُمرِ أَسقامٌ وَشَيبٌ

وَهَمٌّ بِاِرتِحالٍ وَاِنتِقالِ

وَهَمٌّ بِاِرتِحالٍ وَاِنتِقالِ

And the rest of life is illnesses and gray hair,

The rest of life is sickness and old age,

And the rest of life is sickness and gray hair,

and worry over departure and moving on.

And sorrow for departure and moving on.

And anxiety over the departure and the end,

فَحُبُّ المَرءِ طولَ العُمرِ جَهلٌ

فَحُبُّ المَرءِ طولَ العُمرِ جَهلٌ

وَقِسمَتَهُ عَلى هَذا المِثالِ

وَقِسمَتَهُ عَلى هَذا المِثالِ

So a person's love of long life is folly,

So a person's love of long life is ignorance,

So a person's love for a long life is ignorance,

and its division follows this pattern.

And apportioning it according to this example.

If its division follows such a pattern.