أَلا لِلمَوتِ كَأسٌ أَيُّ كاسِ
وَأَنتَ لِكَأسِهِ لا بُدَّ حاسِ
Alas, what a cup death is!
And you are bound to drink from that cup.
إِلى كَم وَالمَعادُ إِلى قَريبٍ
تُذَكِّرُ بِالمِعادِ وَأَنتَ ناسِ
How long till we meet our end? It is soon.
You are reminded of the afterlife yet remain heedless.
وَكَم مِن عِبرَةٍ أَصبَحتَ فيها
يَلينُ لَها الحَديدُ وَأَنتَ قاسِ
How many lessons have you seen
Where even iron softens, yet you remain hard.
بِأَيِّ قُوىً تَظُنُّكَ لَيسَ تَبلى
وَقَد بَلِيَت عَلى الزَمَنِ الرَواسي
With what power do you think you'll never fade,
When even mountains worn away over time?
وَما كُلُّ الظُنونِ تَكونُ حَقّا
وَلا كُلُّ الصَوابِ عَلى القِياسِ
Not all assumptions prove true,
Nor is everything correct by logic.
وَكُلُّ مَخيلَةٍ رُفِعَت لِعَينٍ
لَها وَجهانِ مِن طَمَعٍ وَياسِ
Each fantasy presented to an eye
Has two faces - of hope and despair.
وَفي حُسنِ السَريرَةِ كُلُّ أُنسٍ
وَفي خُبثِ السَريرَةِ كُلُّ باسِ
In good nature lies all comfort.
In evil nature lies all misery.
وَلَم يَكُ مُضمِرٌ حَسَداً وَبَغياً
لِيَنجُوَ مِنهُما رَأساً بِراسِ
No secret envier and hater escapes
To save his head from their evils.
وَما شَيءٌ بِأَخلَقَ أَن تَراهُ
قَليلاً مِن أَخي ثِقَةٍ مُؤاسِ
Nothing is more moral than to see
A little good in your brother.
وَما تَنفَكُّ مِن دُوَلٍ تَراها
تَنَقَّلُ مِن أُناسٍ في أُناسِ
You never escape from the cycles you see
Moving people from state to state.
