لَعَمرُكَ ما الدُنيا بِدارِ بَقاءِ

كَفاكَ بِدارِ المَوتِ دارَ فَناءِ

By Your life, this world is no abode to stay

Death's abode suffices as the home to decay

فَلا تَعشَقِ الدُنيا أُخَيَّ فَإِنَّما

تَرى عاشِقَ الدُنيا بِجُهدِ بَلاءِ

So love not this world, my brother, for you see

The world's lover tried with utmost suffering

حَلاوَتُها مَمزوجَةٌ بِمَرارَةٍ

وَراحَتُها مَمزوجَةٌ بِعَناءِ

Its sweetness mixed with bitterness

Its comfort mixed with misery

فَلا تَمشِ يَوماً في ثِيابِ مَخيلَةٍ

فَإِنَّكَ مِن طينٍ خُلِقتَ وَماءِ

So walk not a day fancily bedecked

When you were made of clay and water

لَقَلَّ امرُؤٌ تَلقاهُ لِلَّهِ شاكِراً

وَقَلَّ امرُؤٌ يَرضى لَهُ بِقَضاءِ

How few accept from God with gratitude

How few accept His judgement and find peace

وَلِلَّهِ نَعماءٌ عَلَينا عَظيمَةٌ

وَلِلَّهِ إِحسانٌ وَفَضلُ عَطاءِ

Great bounties God on us bestowed

Great kindness, grace, and gifts He did endow

وَما الدَهرُ يَوماً واحِداً في اختِلافِهِ

وَما كُلُّ أَيّامِ الفَتى بِسَواءِ

Nor is time one day unchanging in its course

Nor are the youth's days everquite the same

وَما هُوَ إِلّا يَومُ بُؤسٍ وَشِدَّةٍ

وَيَومُ سُرورٍ مَرَّةً وَرَخاءِ

Now a day of woe and hardship,

Now a day of joy and ease

وَما كُلُّ ما لَم أَرجُ أُحرَمُ نَفعَهُ

وَما كُلُّ ما أَرجوهُ أَهلَ رَجاءِ

Nor do I gain from what I did not hope

Nor attains all I hoped or wished to gain

أَيا عَجَباً لِلدَهرِ لا بَل لِرَيبِهِ

تَخَرَّمَ رَيبُ الدَهرِ كُلَّ إِخاءِ

Wondrous is time's caprice and guile

Time's caprice did all ties of kinship mar

وَمَزَّقَ رَيبُ الدَهرِ كُلَّ جَماعَةٍ

وَكَدَّرَ رَيبُ الدَهرِ كُلَّ صَفاءِ

Time's caprice all bonds did sever

Time's caprice all clarity did blur

إِذا ما خَليلٌ حَلَّ في بَرزَخِ البِلى

فَحَسبي بِهِ نَأياً وَبُعدَ لِقاءِ

When a friend slips to non-existence

His remoteness and distance pain me ever

أَزورُ قُبورَ المُترَفينَ فَلا أَرى

بَهاءً وَكانوا قَبلُ أَهلَ بَهاءِ

Graves of nobles I visit, no glory lies there

Once lords of grace, all honour dies there

وَكُلٌّ رَماهُ واصِلٌ بِصَريمَةٍ

وَكُلٌّ رَماهُ مُلطِفٌ بِجَفاءِ

Each a cousin did befriend, now aloof

Each an intimate, now uncouth

طَلَبتُ فَما أَلفَيتُ لِلمَوتِ حيلَةً

وَيَعيا بِداءِ المَوتِ كُلُّ دَواءِ

I sought, but no escape from death found I

All cures fail against mortality

وَنَفسُ الفَتى مَسرورَةٌ بِنَمائِهَ

وَلِلنَقصِ تُنمي كُلُّ ذاتِ نَماءِ

The youth's soul joys in his growth

But all growth leads to decay

وَكَم مِن مُفَدّاً ماتَ لَم أَرَ أَهلَهُ

حَبَوهُ وَلا جادوا لَهُ بِفِداءِ

Many ransomed were not saved

No kinsman their freedom paid

أَمامَكَ يا نَدمانُ دارُ سَعادَةٍ

يَدومُ النَما فيها وَدارُ شَقاءِ

Before you two abodes, O man of regret

One permanence and bliss, the other sorrow and upset

خُلِقتَ لِإِحدى الغايَتَينِ فَلا تَنَم

وَكُن بَينَ خَوفٍ مِنهُما وَرَجاءِ

You're made for one of two ends, so do not sleep

But between hope and fear your vigil keep

وَفي الناسِ شَرٌّ لَو بَدا ما تَعاشَروا

وَلَكِن كَساهُ اللَهُ ثَوبَ غِطاءِ

Mankind bears evil, else no company they'd share

But God cloaked it in gowns for them to wear