اِمهَد لِنَفسِكَ وَاِذكُر ساعَةَ الأَجَلِ

وَلا تُغَرَّنَّ في دُنياكَ بِالأَمَلِ

Prepare yourself and remember the hour of death

And do not be deceived in your world by hope

سابِق حُتوفَ الرَدى وَاِعمَل عَلى مَهَلٍ

ما دُمتَ في هَذِهِ الدُنيا عَلى مَهَلِ

Hasten to meet the events of fate and act steadily

As long as you are in this world steadily

وَاِعلَم بِأَنَّكَ مَسؤولٌ وَمُفتَحَصٌ

عَمّا عَمِلتَ وَمَعروضٌ عَلى العَمَلِ

And know that you will be held accountable and inspected

For what you have done and presented with the deed

لا تَلعَبَنَّ بِكَ الدُنيا وَزُخرُفُها

فَإِنَّها قُرِنَت بِالظِلِّ في المَثَلِ

Do not let the world and its ornaments play with you

For it is coupled with shade in the example

لا يَحرُزُ النَفسَ إِلّا ذو مُراقَبَةٍ

يُمسي وَيُصبِحُ في الدُنيا عَلى وَجَلِ

No soul is safe except one who is vigilant

Spending the night and morning in this world anxious

ما أَقرَبَ المَوتَ مِن أَهلِ الحَياةِ وَما

أَحجى اللَبيبَ بِحُسنِ القَولِ وَالعَمَلِ

How close is death to the people of life and how

The sensible person is perplexed by good words and deeds

وَالمَوتُ مَدرَجَةٌ لِلناسِ كُلِّهِمُ

قَسراً إِلَيهِ بِكُرهٍ مَجمَعُ السُبُلِ

And death is a path for all people

Forcibly leading to it reluctantly all roads

ما أَحسَنَ الدينَ وَالدُنيا إِذا اِجتَمَعا

وَأَقبَحَ الكُفرَ وَالإِفلاسَ بِالرَجُلِ

How good is religion and the world when they are united

And how ugly are disbelief and bankruptcy in a man