أَلا إِنَّما الدُنيا عَلَيكَ حِصارُ

يَنالُكَ فيها ذِلَّةٌ وَصَغارُ

Behold, this world besieges you,

In it you will find only humiliation and insignificance.

وَمالَكَ في الدُنيا مِنَ الكَدِّ راحَةٌ

وَلا لَكَ فيها إِن عَقَلتَ قَرارُ

And you have no rest in it, if you are sensible,

Nor will you find stability in it however hard you try.

وَما عَيشُها إِلّا لَيالٍ قَلائِلُ

سِراعٌ وَأَيّامٌ تَمُرُّ قِصارُ

Its living is but a few short nights,

Fleeting days that quickly pass.

وَما زِلتَ مَزموماً تُقادُ إِلى البِلى

يَسوفُكَ لَيلٌ مَرَّةً وَنَهارُ

You have always been driven to decay,

Swept by nights and days.

وَعارِيَةٌ ما في يَدَيكَ وَإِنَّما

تُعارُ لِرَدٍّ ما طَلَبتَ يُعارُ

Empty-handed you came into this world

And empty-handed you will leave it however much you gathered.