مِسكينُ مَن غَرَّتِ الدُنيا بِآمالِه

كَم قَد تَلاعَبَتِ الدُنيا بِأَمثالِه

Wretched is he whom the life of this world has deceived with its hopes!

How many the like of him has the life of this world toyed with!

يَنسى المُلِحُّ عَلى الدُنيا مَنِيَّتَهُ

بِطولِ إِدبارِهِ فيها وَإِقبالِه

The heedless man forgets the inevitability of his death

in the length of his coming and going in it.

وَما تَزالُ صُروفُ الدَهرِ تَختُلُهُ

حَتّى تَقَنَّصَهُ مِن جَرفِ سِربالِه

The turns of fate do not cease to confuse him,

until it seizes him on the edge of his shovel.

لَيسَ اللَيالي وَلا الأَيّامُ تارِكَةً

شَيئاً يَدومُ مِنَ الدُنيا عَلى حالِه

Neither nights nor days leave

anything lasting in this life as it was.

يا بُؤسَ لِلجاهِلِ المَغرورِ كَيفَ أَبى

أَن يُخطِرَ المَوتَ في الدُنيا عَلى بالِه

How miserable for the deluded ignorant man who refused

to reflect on death in the life of this world!

المَرءُ يُنقِذُهُ ما كانَ قَدَّمَ في ال

دُنيا مِنِ اِحسانِهِ فيها وَإِجمالِه

What saves a man is what good he forwarded in this life

of his benevolence and favors in it.

يا مَن يَموتُ غَداً ماذا اِعتَدَدتَ لِكَر

بِ المَوتِ عِندَ غَواشيهِ وَأَهوالِه

O you who dies tomorrow, what preparations have you made

for the approach of death with its horrors?

يَموتُ ذو البِرِّ وَالتَقوى فَتَغبِطُهُ

وَلا تُنافِسُهُ في بَعضِ أَعمالِه

The righteous and pious man dies and is envied,

and none can compete with him in some of his deeds.

اِستَغنِ بِاللَهِ عَمَّن كُنتَ تَسأَلُهُ

فَاللَهُ أَفضَلُ مَسؤولٍ لِسُؤآلِه

Seek independence with God from those you used to ask.

For God is the best one asked to fulfill requests.