حَيرانُ أَنتَ فَأَيَّ الناسِ تَتَّبِعُ

حَيرانُ أَنتَ فَأَيَّ الناسِ تَتَّبِعُ

تَجري الحُظوظُ وَكُلٌّ جاهِلٌ طَبِعُ

تَجري الحُظوظُ وَكُلٌّ جاهِلٌ طَبِعُ

You are bewildered—so which people do you follow?

You are confused, so which people will you follow?

Fortunes run their course, and everyone is ignorant and base.

Fortunes come and go, and each is ignorant by nature,

وَالأُمُّ بِالسُدسِ عادَت وَهيَ أَرأَفُ

وَالأُمُّ بِالسُدسِ عادَت وَهيَ أَرأَفُ

مِن بِنتٍ لَها النِصفُ أَو عِرسٍ لَها الرُبعُ

مِن بِنتٍ لَها النِصفُ أَو عِرسٍ لَها الرُبعُ

And the mother has come away with a sixth, though she is more compassionate

While a mother gets one-sixth, more compassionate

than a daughter who has half, or a wife who has a quarter.

Than a daughter who gets half, or a bride who gets a quarter,

وَالحَتفُ كَالثائِرِ العادي يُصَرِّعُنا

وَالحَتفُ كَالثائِرِ العادي يُصَرِّعُنا

وَالأَرضُ تَأكُلُ هَلّا تَكتَفي الضَبُعُ

وَالأَرضُ تَأكُلُ هَلّا تَكتَفي الضَبُعُ

And death, like an assailing avenger, strikes us down.

Calamities batter us down like raging camels,

And the earth devours—will the hyena not be satisfied?

While the earth consumes - will the hyena ever have enough?

أَمّا دَعاويكَ فَهِيَ الآنَ مُضحِكَةٌ

أَمّا دَعاويكَ فَهِيَ الآنَ مُضحِكَةٌ

وَما لِنَفسِكَ مِن أَطماعِها شِبَعُ

وَما لِنَفسِكَ مِن أَطماعِها شِبَعُ

As for your claims, they are now laughable.

As for your claims, they are now laughable,

And your soul finds no satiety for its cravings.

And your soul will never be sated with its greed,

يا فاسِقاً يَتَراءى أَنَّهُ مَلَكٌ

يا فاسِقاً يَتَراءى أَنَّهُ مَلَكٌ

وَفارَةً عِندَ قَومٍ أَنَّها سَبُعُ

وَفارَةً عِندَ قَومٍ أَنَّها سَبُعُ

O sinner who makes himself seem an angel,

O wicked one who pretends to be an angel,

and mouse whom some people take for a beast of prey!

And, among a people, a cunning fox who pretends to be a lion,

ما أَشبَهَ الناسَ بِالأَنعامِ ضَمَّهُمُ

ما أَشبَهَ الناسَ بِالأَنعامِ ضَمَّهُمُ

إِلى البَسيطَةِ مُصطافٌ وَمُرتَبَعُ

إِلى البَسيطَةِ مُصطافٌ وَمُرتَبَعُ

How like livestock people are! They are gathered

How people resemble livestock gathered together

upon the earth by a summering ground and a spring pasture.

To the simple open plain by a herder,

إِن لَم تَكُن فَحلَ إِبلٍ كُنتَ مُشبِهَهُ

إِن لَم تَكُن فَحلَ إِبلٍ كُنتَ مُشبِهَهُ

أَعراسُكَ الذَودُ عُدَّت وَاِبنُكَ الرُبعُ

أَعراسُكَ الذَودُ عُدَّت وَاِبنُكَ الرُبعُ

If you are not a camel stallion, you are like one:

If you were not the lead camel of a herd, you would resemble it;

your wives are reckoned a herd of she-camels, and your son a spring-born camel calf.

Your weddings are ewes counted, and your son, a lamb