رُبَّ مأمولٍ وراجٍ أَمَلاً

قَد ثَناهُ الدَّهرُ عَن ذاكَ الأَمَل

Many a hopeful, ambitious for hope

Has time turned away from that hope

وفَتىً مِن دَولَةٍ مُعجِبَةٍ

سُلِبَت عَنهُ وللدَّهرِ دُوَل

And a young man of an amazing state

Which has been stripped from him, and time circulates

كيفَ يَرجُو الَمرءُ قُوتاً للرَّدَى

وَهيَ في الأَسبابِ رَهنٌ مُختَبَل

How can man hope for power for decrepitude

While in reasons it is a hostage bound

كُلَّمَا خَلَّفَ يَوماً فَمَضَى

زادَهُ ذَلِكَ قُرباً لِلأَجَل

Whenever a day passes, it's gone

That brings him closer to his end

فَوَّقَ الدَّهرُ إلينا نَبلَهُ

عَلَلاً يَقصِدُنا بَعدَ نَهَل

Time has aimed at us its arrows

Afflictions that seek us after descending

فَهوَ يَرمينا فلا نُبصِرُهُ

فِعلَ رامٍ رامَ صَيداً فَخَتَل

It shoots us yet we see it not

The act of a shooter who shot prey and erred

رُزِقَ الصَّيدَ وَلاَقَى غِرَّةً

فَرَمَى مُستَمكناً ثُمَّ قَتَل

The prey was hit yet encountered betrayal

So it shot confidently then killed

فَلِذاكَ الدَّهرُ مَأمورق بِنا

فَهوَ لا يَغفَلُ إن شَيءٌ غَفَل

Thus is time commanded against us

It does not neglect if anything neglected