أَبَنَيتَ دونَ المَوتِ حِصنا

فَأَخَذتَ مِنهُ بِذاكَ أَمنا

You built a fortress against death,

Thus gaining from it some safety.

هَيهاتِ كَلّا إِنَّ مَو

تاً لا تَشُكُّ وَإِنَّ دَفنا

Alas! Nay, death is sure

And burial unavoidable.

لَتُبَدِّلَنَّكَ غَمرَةُ الدُ

نيا بِظَهرِ الأَرضِ بَطنا

The darkness of this world

Will turn you over in the earth's belly.

وَلَتَنزِلَنَّ بِمَنزِلٍ

أَغلِق بِرَهنِكَ فيهِ رَهنا

You will come to dwell in a place

Closed on your pledge that was in it a pledge.

فَلَقَد رَأَيتَ مَعاشِراً

طَحَنَتهُمُ الأَيّامُ طَحنا

You saw groups of people

Whom the days ground with grinding.

ما زالَتِ الأَيّامُ تُف

ني أَهلَها قَرناً فَقَرنا

The days did not cease alternating

Their people, generation after generation.

يا ذا الَّذي سَيَرُصُّ وا

رِثُهُ عَلَيهِ ثَراً وَلِبنا

O you whose heir

Will strew dust and clay on you!

لَو قَد دُعيتَ غَداً لَتُس

أَل ذا مُحاسَبَةً وَوَزنا

If tomorrow you were called to account

And weighing, you would be questioned.

وَرَأَيتَ في ميزانِ غَي

رِكَ ما جَمَعتَ رَأَيتَ غَبنا

In scales not your own you would see

What you had gathered and see a loss.