نَعى نَفسي إِلَيَّ مِنَ اللَيالي

تَصَرُّفُهُنَّ حالاً بَعدَ حالِ

My soul mourned for me as the nights went by

Changing from one state to another

فَمالي لَستُ مَشغولاً بِنَفسي

وَمالي لا أَخافُ المَوتَ مالي

Why am I not preoccupied with myself?

Why do I not fear death, what is wrong with me?

لَقَد أَيقَنتُ أَنّي غَيرُ باقٍ

وَلَكِنّي أَراني لا أُبالي

I am certain that I will not last

Yet I see that I do not care

أَما لي عِبرَةٌ في ذِكرِ قَومٍ

تَفانَوا رُبَّما خَطَروا بِبالي

Do I not take heed from the memory of a people

Who perhaps crossed my mind and perished?

كَأَنَّ مُمَرِّضي قَد قامَ يَمشي

بِنَعشي بَينَ أَربَعَةٍ عِجالِ

It is as if my pallbearer started walking

With my coffin between four hurried men

وَخَلفي نُسوَةٌ يَبكينَ شَجواً

كَأَنَّ قُلوبُهُنَّ عَلى مَقالِ

Behind me are women crying bitterly

As if their hearts are distraught

سَأَقنَعُ ما بَقيتُ بِقوتِ يَومٍ

وَلا أَبغي مُكاثَرَةً بِمالِ

I will be content with the sustenance of a day

And not seek to compete in wealth

تَعالى اللَهُ يا سَلمَ اِبنَ عَمرٍ

أَذَلَّ الحِرصُ أَعناقَ الرِجالِ

Exalted is God, O Salama son of Omar

Greed has humiliated the necks of men

هَبِ الدُنيا تُساقُ إِلَيكِ عَفواً

أَلَيسَ مَصيرُ ذاكَ إِلى زَوالِ

Let the world come to you easily

Is that not its ultimate fate, to decline?

فَما تَرجو بِشَيءٍ لَيسَ يَبقى

وَشيكاً ما تُغَيِّرُهُ اللَيالي

So why do you hope for something that does not remain

When soon the nights will change it