أَجَلُ الفَتى مِمّا يُؤَمَّلُ أَسرَعُ

وَأَراهُ يَجمَعُ دائِباً لا يَشبَعُ

The youth's fate comes faster than one hopes

And I see he constantly gathers, never satisfied

قُل لي لِمَن أَصبَحتَ تَجمَعُ ما أَرى

أَلِبَعلِ عِرسِكَ لا أَبا لَكَ تَجمَعُ

Tell me, for whose wedding do you gather what I see

Is it for your own wedding? You have no father gathering for you

لا تَنظُرَنَّ إِلى الهَوى وَاِنظُر إِلى

رَيبِ الزَمانِ بِأَهلِهِ ما يَصنَعُ

Do not look to passion, but look to

The world's wickedness with its people, what it does

المَوتُ حَقٌّ لا مَحالَةَ دونَهُ

وَلِكُلِّ مَوتٍ عِلَّةٌ لا تُدفَعُ

Death is inevitable, it cannot be averted

And for every death there is a cause that cannot be repelled

وَالمَوتُ داءٌ لَيسَ يَدفَعُهُ الدَوا

إِما أَتى وَلِكُلِّ جَنبٍ مَصرَعُ

Death is an illness that cannot be cured by medicine

Whether it comes or not, each side has an appointed time

كَم مِن أَخٍ قَد حيلَ دونَ لِقائِهِ

قَلبي إِلَيهِ مِنَ الجَوانِحِ يَنزِعُ

How many brothers have I been prevented from meeting

Whose hearts tug mine from the ribcage

شَيَّعتُهُ ثُمَّ اِنصَرَفتُ مُوَلِّياً

عَن قَبرِهِ مُستَعبِراً أَستَرجِعُ

I bade him farewell, then turned away

Leaving his grave, stifling my agony

فَعَلى الصِبا مِنّي السَلامُ وَأَهلِهِ

ما بَعدَ ذا في أَن أُخَلَّدَ مَعمَعُ

So farewell to youth and its people

After this, nothing in my singing brings joy

وَإِذا كَبِرتَ فَهَل لِنَفسِكَ لَذَّةً

ما لِلكَبيرِ بِلَذَّةٍ مُستَمتِعُ

And when you are old, is there pleasure left for you?

No pleasure remains for the old to enjoy

وَإِذا قَنِعتَ فَأَنتَ أَغنى مَن مَشى

إِنَّ الفَقيرَ لَكُلُّ مَن لا يَقنَعُ

And when content, you are richer than one who walks

The poor is he who is never content

وَإِذا طَلَبتَ فَلا إِلى مُتَضايِقٍ

مَن ضاقَ عَنكَ فَرِزقُ رَبِّكَ أَوسَعُ

And when you seek, seek not the narrow-minded

For one who spurns you, your Lord's provision is vast

إِنَّ المَطامِعَ ما عَلِمتَ مَذَلَّةٌ

لِلطامِعينَ وَأَينَ مَن لا يَطمَعُ

Ambitions, I never knew, bring degradation

To the ambitious, and where is one who does not covet?

سَلِّم وَلا تُنكِر لِرَبِّكَ قُدرَةً

فَاللَهُ يَخفِضُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَرفَعُ

Submit, and do not deny your Lord's power

For God debases whom He will, and elevates

وَلَرُبَّما اِنتَفَعَ الفَتى بِضِرارِ مَن

يَنوي الضِرارَ وَضَرَّهُ مَن يَنفَعُ

And perhaps one benefits from the harm of those

Who intend harm, and one is harmed by those who help

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُتَطَبِّعٌ بِطِباعِهِ

لَيسَ اِمرُؤٌ إِلّا عَلى ما يُطبَعُ

Each person is stamped with his own nature

No person except according to his imprint

لا شَيءَ أَسرَعُ مِن تَقَلُّبِ مَن لَهُ

أُذُنٌ تَسَمَّعُهُ الَّذي لا يَسمَعُ

Nothing is faster than the fickleness of one who

Has an ear that hears what cannot be heard