1. إِنّما الدّنيا فَناءٌ

    قَد نَأى عَنها البقاءُ

    The world is nothing but passing away;

    permanence has departed from it.

  2. لَم يَكُن فيها اِرتِياحٌ

    إِنّما فيها العَناءُ

    There has been no ease in it;

    in it there is only toil.

  3. لَم تَكُن تَحفَظُ ودّاً

    لم يُفِد منها الإخاءُ

    It has never preserved affection;

    brotherhood has brought no benefit from it.

  4. طبعُها نقضُ عُهودٍ

    ما لها يوماً وفاءُ

    Its nature is to break covenants;

    it has no fidelity, even for a day.

  5. غدرُها داءٌ عُضالٌ

    ما له فيها دَواءُ

    Its treachery is an incurable disease;

    there is no remedy for it there.

  6. فِعلُها مَكرٌ وخدْعٌ

    ونفاقٌ ورِياءُ

    Its conduct is guile and deceit,

    and hypocrisy and ostentation.

  7. صَفْوُها الأكدار دوماً

    أينَ لي فيها الصّفاءُ

    Its clarity is always murk;

    where is clarity for me within it?

  8. عَيشُها همٌّ وغمٌّ

    وكُروبٌ وبَلاءُ

    Life in it is worry and sorrow,

    and anguish and affliction.

  9. حُلوةٌ تخضرُّ عَيشاً

    طعمُه فيه الأذاءُ

    Sweet, it grows green with life;

    yet its taste contains harm.

  10. كُلَّما فيها ضَحِكنا

    أَعقَبَ الضحكَ البُكاءُ

    Whenever we laughed within it,

    weeping followed laughter.

  11. لم يدُمْ فيها سُرورٌ

    لم يدُم فيها هناءُ

    Joy has not lasted in it;

    happiness has not lasted in it.

  12. لَم يَدُم فيها اِفتِقارٌ

    لم يدم فيها غناءُ

    Poverty has not lasted in it;

    wealth has not lasted in it.

  13. لَم يَدُم فيها اِجتِماعٌ

    لَم يَدُم فيها اِلتِقاءُ

    Gathering has not lasted in it;

    meeting has not lasted in it.

  14. فهيَ لا شكَّ فِراقٌ

    وبِعادٌ وجَفاءُ

    So it is, without doubt, parting,

    and separation and estrangement.

  15. وهي لا شكَّ مَجازٌ

    ما لنا فيه اِستِواءُ

    And it is, without doubt, a passage,

    with no settled footing for us there.

  16. عُمرُنا فيها قصيرٌ

    ما له فيه ثَواءُ

    Our lifetime in it is short;

    it has no lasting stay there.

  17. إِنّهُ لو طالَ فيها

    لَصَباحٌ أو مساءُ

    Indeed, even if it lasted long within it,

    it would be but a morning or an evening.

  18. جَيشُها كانَ المَنايا

    شَأنُهُ فينا الغَزاءُ

    Its army was the fates of death;

    its business among us is warfare.

  19. لا تُضاهيها أسودٌ

    لو بَدا منها اِجتِراءُ

    No lions can rival it,

    should it display its daring.

  20. فَلَها الآسادُ تخشى

    إذ لها فيها السّطاءُ

    So the lions fear it,

    since it wields force among them.

  21. ما نجا منها عَظيمٌ

    أينَ ينجو العظماءُ

    No great man has escaped it;

    where can the great escape?

  22. كم مليكٍ صرَعتهُ

    ما له فيها فِداءُ

    How many a king it has struck down,

    with no ransom for him in it!

  23. كم كريمٍ أخذتهُ

    ظلَّ يبكيه السّخاءُ

    How many a generous man it has taken,

    whom generosity kept mourning!

  24. فَجعَتنا بِكَريمٍ

    فيه تسمو الكُرَماءُ

    It bereaved us of a generous man,

    in whom the generous rise high.

  25. فَجعَتنا بأديبٍ

    عَنهُ تَروي الأُدَباءُ

    It bereaved us of a man of letters,

    whom men of letters quote.

  26. فَجعتنا بِشَريفٍ

    فيهِ تَعلو الشّرفاءُ

    It bereaved us of an honorable man,

    in whom the honorable rise high.

  27. فَجعتنا ببليغٍ

    منه تعيا البُلَغاءُ

    It bereaved us of an eloquent man,

    before whom the eloquent are at a loss.

  28. كانَ في الدّنيا كَشَمسٍ

    عمَّها منه الضياءُ

    He was like a sun in the world;

    radiance from him filled it.

  29. اِبنُ نصّارٍ وأَنعِمْ

    مَنْ بهم طابَ الثّناءُ

    Ibn Nassar—and how excellent

    are those through whom praise grows sweet!

  30. فَهوَ ذو العَلياءِ يَحيا

    مَن به يحيا العلاءُ

    For he is Yahya, a man of eminence,

    he through whom eminence lives.

  31. عَينُ صَيدا وحَلاها

    وَلَها فيهِ اِعتِلاءُ

    Sidon's eye and adornment,

    and in him lies its exaltation.

  32. وَهوَ بَدرٌ فيهِ كانَتْ

    تغبِطُ الأرضَ السماءُ

    And he is a full moon, for whom

    heaven used to envy the earth.

  33. مَنْ له عِزٌّ وفخرٌ

    مَن لَهُ المجدُ رداءُ

    One who has honor and pride,

    one for whom glory is a cloak,

  34. وكَمالٌ وجمالٌ

    وجلالٌ وبهاءُ

    and perfection and beauty,

    and majesty and splendor.

  35. وله حِلمٌ وحزمٌ

    ثُمَّ عَزمٌ ومضاءُ

    And he has forbearance and firmness,

    then resolve and decisiveness,

  36. وسخاءٌ وعطاءٌ

    ووقارٌ وحياءُ

    and generosity and giving,

    and dignity and modesty.

  37. حينَ أَودى وَعَلِمنا

    فَبِنا ضاقَ الفضاءُ

    When he died, and we learned of it,

    then the open expanse closed in upon us.

  38. وَبَكَيناه دُموعاً

    هيَ لا شكّ دماءُ

    And we wept for him with tears

    that were, without doubt, blood.

  39. لَم يَكُن يُجدي بكاءٌ

    ليتَه يُجدي البكاءُ

    No weeping could avail;

    if only weeping could avail!

  40. مَوتُهُ خَطْبٌ عظيمٌ

    عمّنا فيه البلاءُ

    His death is a mighty calamity;

    through it, affliction engulfed us.

  41. لَيتَه قَد كانَ يحيا

    وبه يحيا الهناءُ

    If only he were still alive,

    and happiness lived through him!

  42. لَيتَه قَد كانَ يُفدى

    وَلَهُ الدّنيا فِداءُ

    If only he could have been ransomed,

    and the world were a ransom for him!

  43. هَل لِمَوتٍ مِن شِفاءٍ

    لَيسَ لِلمَوتِ شِفاءُ

    Is there any cure for death?

    There is no cure for death.

  44. رَبِّ صَبراً وَرِضاءً

    بِالّذي يَقضي القضاءُ

    My Lord, grant patience and contentment

    with what destiny decrees.

  45. رَبِّ أَجراً في مُصابٍ

    ما لَنا عَنهُ عَزاءُ

    My Lord, grant reward in an affliction

    for which we have no consolation.

  46. رَبِّ وَاِمْنَحْهُ نَعيماً

    ما لَهُ مِنكَ اِنقِضاءُ

    My Lord, and grant him bliss

    that, from You, shall have no end.

  47. وَعَليهِ مِنكَ فَضلاً

    رَحماتٌ ورِضاءُ

    And let there be upon him, from You, as grace,

    mercies and good pleasure,

  48. كُلّما جاءَ صَباحٌ

    ظَلَّ يَتلوهُ المَساءُ

    whenever morning comes,

    with evening ever following it.