أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ لِلأَيّامِ وَقعا

وَأَنَّ لِوَقعِها عَقراً وَجَدعا

Have you not seen that days have impact?

And that their impact is harsh and severe?

وَأَنَّ الحادِثاتِ إِذا تَوالَت

جَذَبنَ بِقُوَّةٍ وَصَرَعنَ صَرعا

And that when events come in succession

They pull strongly and fell mightily?

أَلَم تَعلَم بِأَنَّكَ يا أَخانا

طُبِعتَ عَلى البَلى وَالنَقصِ طَبعا

Do you not know, my dear friend,

That you were created for decline and diminishment?

وَأَنَّ خُطا الزَمانِ مُواصِلاتٌ

وَأَنَّ لِكُلِّ ما واصَلنَ قَطعا

And that the strokes of time are continuous

And that everything it reached has an end?

إِذا اِنقَلَبَ الزَمانُ أَذَلَّ عِزّا

وَأَخلَقَ جِدَّةً وَأَبادَ جَمعا

When time turns over, it humiliates the mighty

And originates new things and destroys multitudes

أَراكَ تُدافِعُ الأَيّامَ يَوماً

فَيَوماً بِالمُنى دَفعاً فَدَفعا

I see you fending off days, day after day

Repelling calamity again and again

أُخَيَّ إِذا الجَديدانِ اِستَدارا

أَرَتكَ يَداهُما حَصداً وَزَرعا

My brother, when the two executioners show up

You see their hands reaping and sowing

إِذا كَرَّ الزَمانُ بِناطِحَيهِ

فَإِنَّ لِكَرِّهِ خَفضاً وَرَفعا

When time butts with its horns

Its butting involves lowering and raising

وَلَستَ الدَهرَ مُتَّسِعاً لِفَضلِ

إِذا ما ضِقتَ بِالإِنصافِ ذَرعا

You cannot accommodate the days’ grace

When you fall short of justice, even a span

إِذا ما المَرءُ لَم يَنفَعكَ حَيّاً

فَلَو قَد ماتَ كانَ أَقَلَّ نَفعا

If a person did not benefit you alive

He would have benefited you less if dead