ما لي رَأَيتُكَ راكِباً لِهَواكا
أَظَنَنتَ أَنَّ اللَهَ لَيسَ يَراكا
I've never seen you riding your whims,
Thinking God does not see you.
اِنظُر لِنَفسِكَ فَالمَنِيَّةُ حَيثُ ما
وَجَّهتَ واقِفَةٌ هُناكَ حِذاكا
Look out for yourself, death wherever you turn
Is standing there waiting for you.
خُذ مِن حَراكِكَ لِلسُكونِ بِحَظِّهِ
مِن قَبلِ أَن لا تَستَطيعَ حَراكا
Take time for tranquility out of your hustle and bustle
Before you can no longer move.
لِلمَوتِ داعٍ مُزعِجٌ وَكَأَنَّهُ
قَد قامَ بَينَ يَدَيكَ ثُمَّ دَعاكا
Death has an insistent caller, as if
He stood before you then called you.
وَلِيَومِ فَقرِكَ عُدَّةٌ ضَيَّعتَها
وَالمَرءُ أَفقَرُ ما يَكونُ هُناكا
And for your day of poverty you had provisions you squandered,
And man is poorest when he gets there.
لَتُجهَزَنَّ جِهازَ مُنقَطِعِ القُوى
وَلَتَشحِطَنَّ عَنِ القَريبِ نَواكا
You will be shrouded in the garb of one impotent,
And your dear ones will shriek over you.
وَلَيُسلِمَنَّكَ كُلُّ ذي ثِقَةٍ وَإِن
ناداكَ بِاِسمِكَ ساعَةً وَبَكاكا
And every confidant will leave you even if
He called you brother just an hour before and wept over you.
وَإِلى مَدىً تَجري وَتِلكَ هِيَ الَّتي
لا تُستَقالُ إِذا بَلَغتَ مَداكا
And to what extent do you run? That one which
Cannot be escaped when you reach your goal.
يا لَيتَني أَدري بِأَيِّ وَثيقَةٍ
تَرجو الخُلودَ وَما خُلِقتَ لِذاكا
Oh would that I know by what pact
You hope for immortality when you weren’t created for that!
يا جاهِلاً بِالمَوتِ مُرتَهَناً بِهِ
أَحَسِبتَ أَنَّ لِمَن يَموتُ فَكاكا
Oh ignorant of death, hostage to it!
Did you reckon that he who dies has any escape?
لا تَكذِبَنَّ فَلَو قَدِ اِحتُفِرَ الحَشا
بَطَلَ اِحتِيالُكَ عِندَهُ وَرُقاكا
Do not lie! If the grave were opened
Your tricks would cease and your leaves fall away.
حاوَلتَ رِزقَكَ دونَ دينِكَ مُلحِفاً
وَالرِزقُ لَو لَم تَبغِهِ لَبَغاكا
You pursued your daily bread neglecting your religion
And your daily bread would have pursued you.
وَجَعَلتَ عِرضَكَ لِلمَطامِعِ بِذلَةً
وَكَفى بِذَلِكَ فِتنَةً وَهَلاكا
You made your honor the cheapest thing for greedy men,
And that is enough as a temptation and perdition.
وَأَراكَ تَلتَمِسُ الغِنى لِتَنالَهُ
وَإِذا قَنِعتَ فَقَد بَلَغتَ غِناكا
And I see you seeking riches to attain it,
And if you were content you would have attained your richness.
وَلَقَد مَضى أَبَواكَ عَمّا خَلَّفا
وَلَتَمضِيَنَّ كَما مَضى أَبَواكا
Your parents have passed away from what they amassed,
And you will pass away just as your parents passed away.
لَو كُنتَ مُعتَبِراً بِعُظمِ مُصيبَةٍ
لَجَعَلتَ أُمَّكَ عِبرَةً وَأَباكا
Had you taken the gravity of calamity as a lesson
You would have made your mother a lesson and your father.
ما زِلتَ توعَظُ كَي تُفيقَ مِنَ الصِبا
وَكَأَنَّما يُعنى بِذاكَ سِواكا
You keep preaching so the youth awakes
As if none cares for that but you!
قَد نِلتَ مِن شَرخِ الشَبابِ وَسُكرِهِ
وَلَقَد رَأَيتَ الشَيبَ كَيفَ نَعاكا
You got your fill of youth’s hotheadedness and drunkenness
And you saw how old age weakened you.
لَن تَستَريحَ مِنَ التَعَبُّدِ لِلمُنى
حَتّى تُقَطِّعَ بِالعَزاءِ مُناكا
You will not rest from worshipping hopes
Until you cut short your hopes with acceptance.
وَبَّختَ عَبدَكَ بِالعَمى فَأَفَدتَهُ
بَصَراً وَأَنتَ مُحَسَّنٌ لِعَماكا
You scolded your servant for blindness but enlightened him
With vision while beautifying your own blindness!
كَفَتيلَةِ المِصباحِ تَحرُقُ نَفسَها
وَتُنيرُ واقِدَها وَأَنتَ كَذاكا
Like the wick of a lamp burning itself
To give light to the one who lit it, so are you!
وَمِنَ السَعادَةِ أَن تَعِفَّ عَنِ الخَنا
وَتُنيلَ خَيرَكَ أَو تَكُفَّ أَذاكا
And of good fortune is that you pardon backbiting
And attain your goodness or restrain your pain.
دَهرٌ يُؤَمِّنُنا الخُطوبَ وَقَد نَرى
في كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ لَهُنَّ شِباكا
Time makes us feel secure from calamities yet we see
For it in every direction traps set.
يا دَهرُ قَد أَعظَمتَ عِبرَتَنا بِمَن
دارَت عَلَيهِ مِنَ القُرونِ رَحاكا
Oh Time! You have increased our lessons with one
Whom the centuries turned in his grave!
