وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ السَيفَ جَلَّلَ جَعفَراً

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ السَيفَ جَلَّلَ جَعفَراً

وَنادى مُنادٍ لِلخَليفَةِ في يَحيى

وَنادى مُنادٍ لِلخَليفَةِ في يَحيى

And when I saw the sword shroud Jaʿfar,

When I saw the sword adorn Ja'far

And a herald cried out for the caliph concerning Yahya,

And a caller called out to the caliph about Yahya

بَكَيتُ عَلى الدُنيا وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّما

بَكَيتُ عَلى الدُنيا وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّما

قُصارى الفَتى يَوماً مُفارَقَةُ الدُنيا

قُصارى الفَتى يَوماً مُفارَقَةُ الدُنيا

I wept for the world and knew with certainty that

I wept for this world and knew for certain

A young man's ultimate end is but to leave the world one day.

That the utmost a man can attain is leaving this world one day

وَما هِيَ إِلّا دَولَةٌ بَعدَ دَولَةٍ

وَما هِيَ إِلّا دَولَةٌ بَعدَ دَولَةٍ

تُخَوِّلُ ذا بَغيٍ وَتُعقِبُ ذا بَلوى

تُخَوِّلُ ذا بَغيٍ وَتُعقِبُ ذا بَلوى

And it is nothing but one turn of fortune after another:

It is but a succession of states after states

It favors an oppressor and visits another with affliction.

Which gives this one power and afflicts that one with anguish

إِذا أَنزَلَت هَذا مَنازِلَ رِفعَةٍ

إِذا أَنزَلَت هَذا مَنازِلَ رِفعَةٍ

مِنَ المُلكِ حَطَّت ذا إِلى غايَةٍ سُفلى

مِنَ المُلكِ حَطَّت ذا إِلى غايَةٍ سُفلى

When it places this one in exalted stations

When it raises this one to lofty stations

Of kingship, it casts that one down to the lowest depth.

It debases that one to the lowest of levels