الخَلقُ مُختَلِفٌ جَواهِرُهُ
وَلَقَلَّ ما تَزكو سَرائِرُهُ
The creation's jewels differ
And rarely do their secrets foster virtue
وَلَقَلَّ ما تَصفو طَبائِعُهُ
وَيَصِحُّ باطِنُهُ وَظاهِرُهُ
And rarely pure remain their natures
Yet uprise their inward and outward worth, exalted
وَالناسُ في الدُنيا ذَوّ ثِقَةٍ
وَالدَهرُ مُسرِعَةٌ دَوائِرُهُ
And mankind in this world have every faith in what is contrived
Yet Time circles to rapid fall
لا خَيرَ في الدُنيا لِذي بَصَرٍ
نَفِذَت لَهُ فيحا بَصائِرُهُ
No good in this world illumes he of sight
Whose insight fails him now
لَو أَنَّ ذِكرَ المَوتِ لازَمَنا
لَم يَنتَفِع بِالعَيشِ ذاكِرُهُ
Had our recalling of death kept pace
No recaller would living pleasure know
كَم قَد ثَكِلنا مِن ذَوي ثِقَةٍ
وَمُعاشِرٍ كُنّا نُعاشِرُهُ
How oft we're orphaned of trusted kin
And fellows in whose company we dwell
أَينَ المُلوكُ وَأَينَ عِزَّتُهُم
صاروا مَصيراً أَنتَ صائِرُهُ
Where are the kings and where's their pride
Reduced to that fate you will endure
فَسَبيلُنا في المَوتِ مُشتَرَكٌ
يَتلو أَصاغِرَهُ أَكابِرُهُ
Our path to death is shared by all
Great and small come to its reckoning
مَن كانَ عِندَ اللَهِ مُذَّخِراً
فَسَتَستَبينُ غَداً ذَخائِرُهُ
Whoso in God great stores maintains
Shall see his treasures manifest dawn's light divine
أَمِنَ الفَناءِ عَلى ذَخائِرِهِ
وَجَرى لَهُ بِالسَعدِ طائِرُهُ
Saved from demise and his treasure yet his
Flows fortune's joy through him entire
يا مَن يُريدُ المَوتُ مُهجَتَهُ
لا شَكَّ ما لَكَ لا تُبادِرُهُ
Oh you the death angel summons now
No doubt but drop all else and fly to meet
هَل أَنتَ مَعتَبِرٌ بِمَن خَرِبَت
مِنهُ غَداةَ قَضى دَساكِرُهُ
Have you reflected on ruins lately bared
Where but yesterday resided guards atop their steeds so proud
وَبِمَن خَلَت مِنهُ أَسِرَّتُهُ
وَبِمَن خَلَت مِنهُ مَنابِرُهُ
On she the veil of whom is lowered now
And council seats from which is he now barred
وَبِمَن خَلَت مِنهُ مَدائِنُهُ
وَتَفَرَّقَت عَنهُ عَساكِرُهُ
And cities which for him no more allow
Their hosts like armies to parade
وَبِمَن أَذَلَّ الدَهرُ مَصرَعُهُ
فَتَبَرَّأَت مِنهُ عَشائِرُهُ
And whom Time humiliates when breath is ceased
As tribes their bond with him untie
مُستَودَعاً قَبراً قَد اِقَلَهُ
فيها مِنَ الحَصباءِ قابِرُهُ
Entombed, confined till Judgment Day
Wherein his grave the pebbles pry
دَرَسَت مَحاسِنُ وَجهِهِ وَنَفى
عَنهُ النَعيمُ فَتِلكَ ساتِرُهُ
His handsome face decays and pleasure flees him
Only ruin hides him from the light
فَقَريبُهُ الأَدنى مُجانِبُهُ
وَصَديقُهُ مِن بَعدِ هاجِرُهُ
His neighbor shuns him for his plight
His friend from afar forsakes him quite
يا مُؤثِرَ الدُنيا وَطالِبَها
وَالمُستَعِدَّ لِمَن يُفاخِرُهُ
Oh coveter of Dunya profit vain
Oh vying might you shall not maintain
نَل ما بَدا لَكَ أَن تَنالَ مِنَ ال
دُنيا فَإِنَّ المَوتَ آخِرُهُ
Take what appeared that you might gain
For death, the end, shall you attain
