أَيا رُبَّ وَجهٍ في التُرابِ عَتيقِ

وَيا رُبَّ حُسنٍ في التُرابِ رَقيقِ

O Lord of a face in ancient dust interred,

Oh, how many a noble face lies within the dust,

And O Lord of beauty in dust thin and slight,

And how much delicate beauty lies within the dust,

وَيا رُبَّ حَزمٍ في التُرابِ وَنَجدَةٍ

وَيا رُبَّ رَأيٍ في التُرابِ وَثيقِ

O Lord of wisdom in dust buried deep,

And how much resolve and valor lie within the dust,

And O Lord of reason in dust firmly bound tight,

And how much steadfast judgment lies within the dust.

أَرى كُلَّ حَيٍّ هالِكاً وَابنَ هالِكٍ

وَذا نَسَبٍ في الهالِكينَ عَريقِ

I see each living soul doomed to decay,

I see every living soul perishing, the son of one who perished,

Though of glorious ancestry and lineage bright,

Possessing a lineage deep-rooted among the dead.

فَقُل لِقَريبِ الدارِ إِنَّكَ ظاعِنٌ

إِلى مَنزِلٍ نائي المَحَلِّ سَحيقِ

Say to the neighbour in his house drawing near:

So say to the one dwelling near: you are but a traveler,

"You journey to a dwelling far remote from sight."

Bound for a distant abode, a place far-flung and deep.

إِذا امتَحَنَ الدُنيا لَبيبٌ تَكَشَّفَت

لَهُ عَن عَدوٍّ في ثِيابِ صَديقِ

When life was tried, the wise man it revealed

When a man of wisdom tests the world, it unmasks itself,

A foe in the garb of a friend, shining bright.

Revealing a foe to him, clad in the robes of a friend.