مَن عاشَ سَبعينَ فَهوَ في نَصَبٍ

مَن عاشَ سَبعينَ فَهوَ في نَصَبٍ

وَلَيسَ لِلعَيشِ بَعدَها خِيَرَه

وَلَيسَ لِلعَيشِ بَعدَها خِيَرَه

Whoever lives seventy years lives in toil,

Whoever lives seventy years is in hardship,

and life beyond that is not to be chosen.

and life beyond that offers no good.

وَالخَيرُ مِن زِئبَقٍ تَشَكُّلُهُ

وَالخَيرُ مِن زِئبَقٍ تَشَكُّلُهُ

وَإِنَّما يَرقُبُ اِمرُؤٌ غِيَرَه

وَإِنَّما يَرقُبُ اِمرُؤٌ غِيَرَه

Goodness is formed of quicksilver;

Goodness takes its shape from quicksilver,

a person can only await its changes.

and a man only watches its changes.

لا يَتَطَيَّر بِناعِبٍ أَحَدٌ

لا يَتَطَيَّر بِناعِبٍ أَحَدٌ

فَكُلُّ ما شاهَدَ الفَتى طِيَرَه

فَكُلُّ ما شاهَدَ الفَتى طِيَرَه

Let no one take a cawing bird as an evil omen,

Let no one take ill omens from a cawing raven,

for all that a young man sees is his omen.

for everything a young man sees is an ill omen.

رُؤيَتُكَ المَيتَ في الكَرى سَبَبٌ

رُؤيَتُكَ المَيتَ في الكَرى سَبَبٌ

يَقولُ مَن يَفقِدِ الحَياةَ يَرَه

يَقولُ مَن يَفقِدِ الحَياةَ يَرَه

Your seeing the dead in sleep gives cause

Your seeing the dead in sleep is a link

to say: whoever loses life shall see him.

that says: whoever loses life will see him.

هَل سارَ في الناسِ أَوَّلٌ بِتُقىً

هَل سارَ في الناسِ أَوَّلٌ بِتُقىً

فَيَتبَعَ الناسُ بَعدَهُ سِيَرَه

فَيَتبَعَ الناسُ بَعدَهُ سِيَرَه

Has any forebear walked among humankind in piety,

Did any predecessor walk among people in piety,

so that the people after him would follow his path?

so that people might follow his ways after him?

مُلوكُنا الصالِحونَ كُلُّهُم

مُلوكُنا الصالِحونَ كُلُّهُم

زيرُ نِساءٍ يَهَشُّ لِلزِيَرَه

زيرُ نِساءٍ يَهَشُّ لِلزِيَرَه

Our kings, the righteous—all of them—

Our righteous kings, every one of them,

each a womanizer who delights in his fellow womanizer.

are womanizers who delight in fellow libertines.