أَنَلهو وَأَيّامُنا تَذهَبُ

وَنَلعَبُ وَالمَوتُ لا يَلعَبُ

I play, yet our days pass away,

And death plays not.

عَجِبتُ لِذي لَعِبٍ قَد لَها

عَجِبتُ وَمالِيَ لا أَعجَبُ

Strange that one plays who is destined to die;

Strange that I play not, who nothing surprises.

أَيَلهو وَيَلعَبُ مَن نَفسُهُ

تَموتُ وَمَنزِلُهُ يَخرَبُ

He plays who looks todie and whose home decays,

We see constantly all that saddens us prevail

نَرى كُلَّ ما ساءَنا دائِباً

عَلى كُلِّ ما سَرَّنا يَغلِبُ

Over all that gladdens us.

We see the generations in the shrouds of annihilation

نَرى الخَلقَ في طَبَقاتِ البِلى

إِذا ما هُمُ صَعَّدوا صَوَّبوا

Whenever they ascend they descend.

You see the night seeking us and the day,

تَرى اللَيلَ يَطلُبُنا وَالنَهارَ

وَلَم نَدرِ أَيُّهُما أَطلَبُ

But we know not which of the two is the seeker.

The new moons encompass us, gathering,

أَحاطَ الجَديدانِ جَمعاً بِنا

فَلَيسَ لَنا عَنهُما مَهرَبُ

So we have no escape from them.

Everything has an allotted span,

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ مُدَّةٌ تَنقَضي

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ أَثَرٌ يُكتَبُ

Everything has a record written.

How long will you contend against hoary decrepitude,

إِلى كَم تُدافِعُ نَهيَ المَشيـ

ـبِ يا أَيُّها اللاعِبُ الأَشيَبُ

O you who play, aged with grey hairs?

Events continue to run with you

وَما زِلتَ تَجري بِكَ الحادِثاتُ

فَتَسلَمُ مِنهُنَّ أَو تُنكَبُ

Till you are delivered or overthrown.

You will be given and stripped till your soul

سَتُعطى وَتُسلَبُ حَتّى تَكو

نَ نَفسُكَ آخِرَ ما يُسلَبُ

Is the last thing they strip from you.