لا عَيْشَ إِلَّا لِلنَّفَادِ

فَاحْبِبْ حَيَاتَكَ أَوْ فَعَادِ

No life but for the lucid,

So love your lives then renew it,

وَابْخِلْ بِنَفْسِكَ أَوْ فَجُدْ

كُلُّ الأُمُورِ إِلَى فَسَادِ

Stingy be with your souls, or strive hard,

All matters come to rot eventually.

أَيْنَ الأُلَى شَقُّوا الْبُحُو

رَ وَشَيَّدُوا ذَاتَ الْعِمَادِ

Where are the elevateds who traversed boon,

And built the columned towering thobe?

مَلَكُوا التَهَائِمَ وَالنَجَا

ئِدَ وَالْحَوَاضِرَ وَالْبَوَادِي

They possessed rambling beasts, blankets and wastelands,

Rather where are the loyal and unfailing ones?

بَلْ أَيْنَ أَصْحَابُ الْوُفُو

دِ وَأَيْنَ أَرْبَابُ الْجِلادِ

Where are the masters of scourging?

The feeders, the jabbers, those claiming on each medium!

الطَّاعِمُونَ الطَّاعِنُو

نَ الْقَائِلُونَ بِكُلِّ نَادِي

Revealers of harm and forgivers of slaves' sins.

Where are the crafters of amplitude gravid,

الْكَاشِفُونَ الضُّرَّ وَالْ

عَافُونَ عَنْ ذَنْبِ الْعِبَادِ

And words unmatched and singular?

Like the straying poet, or

بَلْ أَيْنَ صُنَّاعُ الْقَري

ضِ الْجَزْلِ وَالْكَلِمِ الْفِرَادِ

Quss bin Sa’eda Al Eyadi!

Fate toyed with their gathering,

كَالشَّاعِرِ الضِّلِّيلِ أَوْ

قُسِّ بْنِ سَاعِدَةَ الإِيَادِي

Hurling them in every valley!

As though lingering scantly

لَعِبَ الزَّمَانُ بِجَمْعِهِمْ

وَرَمَى بِهِمْ في كُلِّ وَادِي

As whiteness amid blackness.

فَكَأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا

إِلَّا بَيَاضَاً في سَوادِ