1. أَروى دَمٌ قَلباً وَتِلكَ سَفاهَةٌ

    وَالدهرُ مِن عَجَلٍ وَمِن إِروادِ

    Blood slaked a heart’s thirst—and that is folly.

    And time is made of haste and of unhurriedness.

  2. فَرَوائِحٌ وَبَواكِرٌ وَمَعارِفٌ

    وَمَناكِرٌ وَحَواضِرٌ وَبَوادِ

    So there are evening-goers and early-goers, things familiar,

    and things strange, towns and deserts.

  3. وَجَوادُ قَومٍ عُدَّ مِن بُخَلائِهِم

    وَحَليفُ بُخلٍ عُدَّ في الأَجوادِ

    And a people’s generous man was counted among their misers,

    and an ally of stinginess was counted among the generous.

  4. وَالخَلقُ أَطوارٌ يُزيلُ شُخوصَهُم

    بَعدَ المُثولِ مُثَبِّتُ الأَطوادِ

    And people are of many kinds; their forms are swept away,

    after appearing, by the One who anchors mountains.

  5. شِيَمٌ مِنَ الدُنِّيا يُجازُ بِها المَدى

    سَتُشاكِلُ الأَذواءَ بِالأَذوادِ

    Such are the world’s ways, through which life’s span is crossed;

    it will equate the Dhu-lords with herds of camels.

  6. وادٍ مِنَ المَوتِ الزُؤامِ وَكُلُّنا

    أَشفى لِيُدفَعَ فَوقَ جُرفِ الوادي

    A valley of swift death—and every one of us

    has neared the brink, to be pushed over the valley’s bank.

  7. سَفَرٌ يَطولُ مِنَ الأَنامِ عَلى كَراً

    مِن غَفلَةٍ وَكَراً مِنَ الأَزوادِ

    A journey long for humankind, amid a drowse

    of heedlessness, and a shortage of provisions.

  8. وَأَوادِمُ الزَمَنِ الطَويلِ كَثيرَةٌ

    وَأَوادِمُ الطَعمِ الشَهيِّ أَوادِ

    And the afflictions of the long ages are many,

    and the condiments of delicious food are scourges.

  9. وَأَمَضُّ مِن ثِقَلَِ العِيادَةِ لِلفَتى

    نُوَبٌ تَكونُ عَوادِيَ العُوّادِ

    And more painful to a man than the burden of sick-visits

    are calamities that come to assail the visitors.

  10. لا يُفجِعَنَّكَ وَالخَطوبُ كَثيرَةٌ

    أَنَّ الغَوادِرَ لِلفِراقِ غَوادِ

    Do not let it grieve you—and calamities are many—

    that the faithless set out early toward parting.

  11. عَمَدَت لَنا الأَيّامُ وَهِيَ دَوائِبٌ

    لِتَرُدَّ أَقداماً مَكانَ هَوادِ

    The days have aimed at us, unceasing in their toil,

    to put feet in place of necks.

  12. فَطَوارِقٌ جاءَتهُمُ بِطَوارِدٍ

    وَنَوادِبٌ قامَت لَهُم بِنَوادِ

    So night-visitants came to them with banishing scourges,

    and mourning women stood for them in assemblies.

  13. هَمٌّ بِأَسوِدَةِ القُلوبِ مَناخُهُ

    لِبيضِ حينَ أَنَخنَ بِالأَفوادِ

    A grief whose encampment is in hearts’ dark cores,

    because of white hairs, when they camp at the temples.