سَبَقَ القَضاءُ بِكُلِّ ما هُوَ كائِنُ

وَاللَهُ يا هَذا لِرِزقِكَ ضامِنُ

Destiny has ordained all that will be

And God, O you, guarantees your provision

تُعنى بِمَ تُكفى وَتَترُكُ ما بِهِ

توصى كَأَنَّكَ لِلحَوادِثِ آمِنُ

You busy yourself with what suffices you and leave what

You are enjoined as if you are safe from misfortunes

أَو ما تَرى الدُنيا وَمَصدَرُ أَهلِها

ضَنكٌ وَمَورِدُها كَريهٌ آجِنُ

Or do you not see that the source of the people of this world

Is distress and its waters are foul and muddy

وَاللَهِ ما اِنتَفَعَ العَزيزُ بِعِزِّهِ

فيها وَلا سَلِمَ الصَحيحُ الآمِنُ

By God, the mighty did not benefit from his might herein

Nor did the healthy and safe remain so

وَالمَرءُ يُطِنُها وَيَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

عَنها إِلى وَطَنٍ سِواها ظاعِنُ

And man perceives it and knows that he

Is heading away from it to an abode other than it

يا ساكِنَ الدُنيا أَتَعمُرُ مَسكِناً

لَم يَبقَ فيهِ مَعَ المَنِيَّةِ ساكِنُ

O dweller of the world! Do you build an abode

In which, with death, no dweller remains?

المَوتُ شَيءٌ أَنتَ تَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

حَقٌّ وَأَنتَ بِذِكرِهِ مُتَهاوِنُ

Death is something you know is true

Yet you are heedless in remembering it

إِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ لا تُؤامِرُ مَن أَتَت

في نَفسِهِ يَوماً وَلا تَستَأذِنُ

Death does not conspire against whom it comes

To one day nor does it ask permission

اِعلَم بِأَنَّكَ لا أَبا لَكَ في الَّذي

أَصبَحتَ تَجمَعُهُ لِغَيرِكَ خازِنُ

Know that you have no power over what

You amass except to keep it for others

فَلَقَد رَأَيتَ مَعاشِراً وَعَهِدتَهُم

فَمَضَوا وَأَنتَ مُعايِنٌ ما عايَنوا

You saw many groups and were familiar with them

Then they passed and you witnessed what they witnessed

وَرَأَيتُ سُكّانَ القُصورِ وَما لَهُم

بَعدَ القُصورِ سِوى القُبورِ مَساكِنُ

And I saw the dwellers of palaces, yet they have

After palaces only graves as dwellings

جَمَعوا فَما اِنتَفَعوا بِذاكَ وَأَصبَحوا

وَهُم بِما اِكتَسَبوا هُناكَ رَهائِنُ

They gathered but did not benefit from that and woke up

As hostages there for what they had earned

لَو قَد دُفِنتَ غَداً وَأَقبَلَ نافِضاً

كَفَّيهِ عَنكَ مِنَ التُرابِ الدافِنُ

If tomorrow you were buried and the shrouding dirt

Were emptied over you by the gravedigger

لَتَشاغَلَ الوارِثُ بَعدَكَ بِالَّذي

وَرِثوا وَأَسلَمَكَ الوَلِيُّ الباطِنُ

The heir would be busy after you with what

They inherited and the guardian surrendered you

قارِن قَرينَكَ وَاِستَعِدَّ لِبَينِهِ

إِنَّ القَرينَ مِنَ القَرينِ مُبايِنُ

Compare your companion and prepare to part from him

The companion parts from the companion, being different

وَاِلبَس أَخاكَ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ أَخٍ تَرى

فَلَهُ مَساوٍ مَرَّةً وَمَحاسِنُ

And clothe your brother for each brother you see

Has equality once and virtues