إِن لَم نَكُن عائِمي لُجٍّ نُمارِسُهُ

إِن لَم نَكُن عائِمي لُجٍّ نُمارِسُهُ

إِلى الحِمامِ فَإِنّا راكِبوا سُفُنِ

إِلى الحِمامِ فَإِنّا راكِبوا سُفُنِ

If we are not swimmers braving a deep sea

If we are not swimmers of stormy seas,

on our way to death, then we are passengers aboard ships.

Yet we are riders of ships.

لَولا التَجَمُّلُ في تَرَحُّلِنا

لَولا التَجَمُّلُ في تَرَحُّلِنا

كَما وَرَدنا بِلا طيبٍ وَلا كَفَنِ

كَما وَرَدنا بِلا طيبٍ وَلا كَفَنِ

Were it not for finery at our departure,

If not for adorning ourselves on our journey

we would leave as we arrived, without perfume or shroud.

As we came with no perfume or shroud.

إِنَّ اللِباسَ وَعِطراً أَنتَ بائِعُهُ

إِنَّ اللِباسَ وَعِطراً أَنتَ بائِعُهُ

لَيسا لِمَدفونِ مَوتانا بَلِ الدُفُنِ

لَيسا لِمَدفونِ مَوتانا بَلِ الدُفُنِ

Indeed, clothing and the perfume you sell

You are the seller of clothes and fragrance,

are not for our buried dead, but for those who bury them.

Not for our buried, dead bodies, but for the funeral.

جاءَ الوَليدُ مُعَرّىً لا خُيوطَ لَهُ

جاءَ الوَليدُ مُعَرّىً لا خُيوطَ لَهُ

فَما الفَضيلَةُ بَينَ الطِفلِ وَاليَفَنِ

فَما الفَضيلَةُ بَينَ الطِفلِ وَاليَفَنِ

The newborn came naked, without a thread on him;

Al-Walid came naked, with no garments,

so what difference in merit is there between the child and the aged man?

So what virtue is there between the infant and the old man.