لِمَن طَلَلٌ أُسائِلُهُ
مُعَطَّلَةٌ مَنازِلُهُ
For whom are these abandoned dwellings that I ask of?
Once inhabited, now vacant and still
غَداةَ رَأَيتُهُ تَنعى
أَعاليهُ أَسافِلُهُ
When at dawn I saw it lamenting
Both its heights and its depths
وَكُنتُ أَراهُ مَأهولاً
وَلَكِن بادَ آهِلُهُ
I used to see it bustling with people
But its inhabitants have departed
وَكُلٌّ لِاعتِسافِ الدَه
رِ مُعرِضَةٌ مَقاتِلُهُ
And everything in the path of fate
Meets adversaries and struggles
وَما مِن مَسلَكٍ إِلّا
وَرَيبُ الدَهرِ شامِلُهُ
And there is no path
Untouched by the tricks of fate
فَيَصرَعُ مَن يُصارِعُهُ
وَيَنضُلُ مَن يُناضِلُهُ
It defeats those who fight it
And exhausts those who resist it
يُنازِلُ مَن يَهُمُّ بِهِ
وَأَحياناً يُخاتِلُهُ
It opposes any who dare it
And sometimes toys with them
وَأَحياناً يُؤَخِّرُهُ
وَتاراتٍ يُعاجِلُهُ
Other times, it delays them
And sometimes, hastens them
كَفاكَ بِهِ إِذا نَزَلَت
عَلى قَومٍ كَلاكِلُهُ
It is enough when it descends
Upon a people, to destroy them
وَكَم قَد عَزَّ مِن مَلِكٍ
يَحُفُّ بِهِ قَنابِلُهُ
How many a mighty king
Surrounded by his armies
يَخافُ الناسُ صَولَتَهُ
وَيُرجى مِنهُ نائِلُهُ
People fear his strength
And hope for his bounty
وَيَثني عِطفَهُ مَرَحاً
وَتُعجِبُهُ شَمائِلُهُ
He preens and takes pride
In his character and qualities
فَلَمّا أَن أَتاهُ الحَق
قُ وَلّى عَنهُ باطِلُهُ
But when the truth descends on him
Falsehood turns from him
فَغَمَّضَ عَينَهُ لِلمَو
تِ وَاستَرخَت مَفاصِلُهُ
He closes his eyes to death
And his joints grow limp
فَما لَبِثَ السِياقُ بِهِ
إِلى أَن جاءَ غاسِلُهُ
And fate continues to carry him
To one who will wash him
فَجَهَّزَهُ إِلى جَدَثٍ
سَيَكثُرُ فيهِ خاذِلُهُ
Who prepares him for a grave
Where many will betray him
وَيُصبِحُ شاحِطَ المَثوى
مُفَجَّعَةً ثَواكِلُهُ
And he will wake to find his abode
Narrow, while his women weep
مُخَمَّشَةً نَوادِبُهُ
مُسَلَّبَةً غَلائِلُهُ
With hair disheveled and garments torn
How many hopes have lingered on
وَكَم قَد طالَ مِن أَمَلٍ
فَلَم يُدرِكهُ آمِلُهُ
Never to be attained by the hopeful!
I have seen the truth that cannot be obscured
رَأَيتُ الحَقَّ لا يَخفى
وَلا تَخفى شَواكِلُهُ
Nor can its consequences be obscured
Look to yourself, what provisions do you carry
أَلا فَانظُر لِنَفسِكَ أَي
يَ زادٍ أَنتَ حامِلُهُ
To a solitary grave, where you will descend?
Dug narrow and short, with planks overhead
لِمَنزِلِ وَحدَةٍ بَينَ ال
مَقابِرِ أَنتَ نازِلُهُ
In a place of difficult, distant visitation
O graves! In you are those we dwelt with
قَصيرِ السَمكِ قَد رُصَّت
عَلَيكَ بِهِ جَنادِلُهُ
And those we traded and dealt with
Those we accompanied and associated with
بَعيدِ تَزاوُرِ الجيرا
نِ ضَيِّقَةٍ مَداخِلُهُ
And those we kept intimate company
Those we contended and vied with
أَأَيَّتُها المَقابِرُ في
كِ مَن كُنّا نُنازِلُهُ
And those we overlapped with
Those we drank with
وَمَن كُنّا نُتاجِرُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُعامِلُهُ
And those we shared food with
Those we walked with
وَمَن كُنّا نُعاشِرُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُداخِلُهُ
And those we dwelt with
Those we honored
وَمَن كُنّا نُفاخِرُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُطاوِلُهُ
And those we flattered
Those we rarely parted from
وَمَن كُنّا نُشارِبُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُؤاكِلُهُ
And those we kept strong ties with
Each has settled in a place, with their ropes cut off
وَمَن كُنّا نُرافِقُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُنازِلُهُ
Lo! Death is inevitable, and all shall meet it
The late ones will perish, like the early ones before them
وَمَن كُنّا نُكارِمُهُ
وَمَن كُنّا نُجامِلُهُ
By your life! The scholar and ignorant are not equal
So that all with deeds may know
وَمَن كُنّا لَهُ إِلفاً
قَليلاً ما نُزايِلُهُ
That God will question them
The quickest to good words and deeds prevails.
وَمَن كُنّا بِلا مَينٍ
أَحايِيناً نُواصِلُهُ
فَحَلَّ مَحَلَّةً مَن حَلَّ
ها صُرِمَت حَبائِلُهُ
أَلا إِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ مَن
هَلٌ وَالخَلقُ ناهِلُهُ
أَواخِرُ مَن تَرى تَفنى
كَما فَنِيَت أَوائِلُهُ
لَعَمرُكَ ما استَوى في الأَم
رِ عالِمُهُ وَجاهِلُهُ
لِيَعلَم كُلُّ ذي عَمَلٍ
بِأَنَّ اللَهَ سائِلُهُ
فَأَسرَعُ فائِزٍ بِالخَي
رِ قائِلُهُ وَفاعِلُهُ
