أَيا عَجَباً لِلناسِ في طولِ ما سَهَوا
وَفي طولِ ما اغتَرّوا وَفي طولِ ما لَهَوا
Oh, the wonder of people and their heedlessness,
And their long delusion and vain play!
يَقولونَ نَرجو اللَهَ دَعوى مَريضَةً
وَلَو أَنَّهُم يَرجونَ خافوا كَما رَجَوا
They claim to hope in God - a hollow plea,
If they truly hoped, they would fear as they hope.
تَصابى رِجالٌ مِن كُهولٍ وَجِلَّةٍ
إِلى اللَهوِ حَتّى لا يُبالونَ ما أَتَوا
Men of age and dignity flock
To frivolity, heedless of what they came for.
فَيا سَوءَتا لِلشَيبِ إِذ صارَ أَهلُهُ
إِذا هَيَّجَتهُم لِلصِبا صَبوَةٌ صَبَوا
So shameful that grey hair, when its owner
Frolics like a youth when passions stir him.
أَكَبَّ بَنو الدُنيا عَلَيها وَإِنَّهُم
لَتَنهاهُمُ الأَيّامُ عَنها لَوِ انتَهَوا
The sons of this world cling to it though
The days will wean them from it, if they but weaned.
مَضى قَبلَنا قَومٌ قُرونٌ نَعُدُّها
وَنَحنُ وَشيكاً سَوفَ نَمضي كَما مَضَوا
Before us generations passed, epochs we count,
And soon we too shall pass as they have passed.
أَلا في سَبيلِ اللَهِ أَيُّ نَدامَةٍ
نَموتُ كَما ماتَ الأُلى كُلَّما خَلَوا
In God's cause, what remorse not to die
As those before died, whenever they withdrew!
وَلَم نَتَزَوَّد لِلمَعادِ وَهَولِهِ
كَزادِ الَّذينَ استَعصَموا اللَهَ وَاتَّقَوا
Nor for the Resurrection have we provided,
As those who feared God and piety pursued.
أَلا أَينَ أَينَ الجامِعونَ لِغَيرِهِم
وَما غَلَبوا غَشماً عَلَيهِ وَما اِحتَوَوا
Oh where, where are they - the hoarders for others?
Never did abundance make them overbear nor swell.
رَأَيتُ بَني الدُنيا إِذا ما سَمَوا بِها
هَوَت بِهِمِ الدُنيا عَلى قَدرِ ما سَمَوا
The high-climbers of this world, I observed,
Descend according to how high they climb.
وَكُلُّ بَني الدُنيا وَلَو تاهَ تائِهٌ
قَدِ اعتَدَلوا في الضَعفِ وَالنَقصِ وَاستَوَوا
All mortal humankind, though gone astray,
Are leveled in frailty, want and equality.
وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ الصِدقِ أَجلى لِوَحشَةٍ
وَلا مِثلَ إِخوانِ الصَلاحِ إِذا اتَّقَوا
Naught like sincerity have I seen
To warm a stranger's heart, where the righteous bond.
