قَلَبَ الزَمانُ سَوادَ رَأسِكَ أَبيَضا

وَنَعاكَ جِسمُكَ رِقَّةً وَتَقَبُّضا

Time has turned the blackness of your hair to white

And your body's weakness and frailty grew

نَل أَيَّ شَيءٍ شِئتَ مِن نَوعِ المُنى

فَكَأَنَّ شَيئاً لَم تَنَلهُ إِذا اِنقَضى

You got whatever you wished for in life

Yet it seems you got nothing when it's through

وَإِذا أَتى شَيءٌ أَتى لِمُضِيِّهِ

وَكَأَنَّهُ لَم يَأتِ قَطُّ إِذا مَضى

And when something came, it came to pass

As if it never came, when it's past

نَبغي مِنَ الدُنيا الغِنى فَيَزيدُنا

فَقراً وَنَطلُبُ أَن نَصِحَّ فَنَمرَضا

We seek wealth in life, and it increases our poverty

We seek health, yet we grow sicker

لَن يَصدُقَ اللَهَ المَحَبَّةَ عَبدُهُ

إِلّا أَحَبَّ لَهُ وَمِنهُ وَأَبغَضا

A servant won't prove his love for God

Unless he loves and hates for His sake

وَالنَفسُ في طَلَبِ الخَلاصِ وَمالَها

مِن مَخلَصٍ حَتّى تَصيرَ إِلى الرِضى

The soul seeking salvation and what it wants

Has no savior until it reaches contentment