أَلَم يَأنِ تَركي لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

وَعَزمي عَلى ما فيهِ إِصلاحُ حالِيا

Has not the time come for me to cease imposing on others and impose on myself

The resolve to improve my state?

وَقَد نالَ مِنّي الشَيبُ وَاِبيَضَّ مَفرِقي

وَغالَت سَوادي شُهبَةٌ في قَذالِيا

Grey hairs have come upon me and my temples whitened

While my black hair became speckled with white.

وَحالَت بِيَ الحالاتُ عَمّا عَهِدتُها

بِكَرِّ اللَيالي وَاللَيالي كَما هِيا

Events have reversed on me from what I had grown accustomed to

In the prime of youth when nights used to be as they were.

أُصَوِّتُ بِالدُنيا وَلَيسَت تُجيبُني

أُحاوِلُ أَن أَبقى وَكَيفَ بَقائِيا

I complain to this world but it does not answer me;

I attempt to remain but how can I remain?

وَما تَبرَحُ الأَيّامُ تَحذِفُ مُدَّتي

بِعَدِّ حِسابٍ لا كَعَدِّ حِسابِيا

The days do not cease casting my days behind me

Without counting, not according to my count.

لِتَمحُوَ آثاري وَتُخلِقَ جِدَّتي

وَتُخلِيَ مِن رَبعي بِكُرهٍ مَكانِيا

To erase my traces and to renew what is new to me

And to empty my quarters with aversion in its place

كَما فَعَلَت قَبلي بِطَسمٍ وَجُرهُمٍ

وَآلِ ثَمودٍ بَعدَ عادِ بنِ عادِيا

Just as it had done before to Thamud and Jurhum

And 'Ad's descendants after 'Ad.

وَأَبقى صَريعاً بَينَ أَهلي جَنازَةً

وَيَحوي ذَوو الميراثِ خالِصَ مالِيا

And I will remain lying dead amongst my family as a corpse

With my inheritance going to those who will inherit indeed.

أَقولُ لِنَفسي حينَ مالَت بِصَغوِها

إِلى خَطَراتٍ قَد نَتَجنَ أَمانِيا

I say to myself when it is inclined by its ears

To dangerous utterances, I had wished safety before.

هَبيني مِنَ الدُنيا ظَفِرتُ بِكُلِّ ما

تَمَنَّيتُ أَو أُعطيتُ فَوقَ أَمانِيا

Deliver me from this world! I have attained everything

I wished for or I was given beyond my wishes.

أَلَيسَ اللَيالي غاصِباتي بِمُهجَتي

كَما غَصَبَت قَبلي القُرونَ الخَوالِيا

Do not the nights snatch away my brain

Just as they had snatched away the eras before me?

وَمُسكِنَتي لَحداً لَدى حُفرَةٍ بِها

يَطولُ إِلى أُخرى اللَيالي ثَوائِيا

And make my dwelling place a grave next to a hole in which

The long nights to another will be my intercessors.

كَما أَسكَنَت ساماً وَحاماً وَيافِثاً

وَنوحاً وَمَن أَضحى بِمَكَّةَ ثاوِيا

Just as it made the dwelling places of Sam, Ham and Japheth

And Nuh, and the one who resided in Makkah now deserted.

فَقَد أَنِسَت بِالمَوتِ نَفسي لِأَنَّني

رَأَيتُ المَنايا يَختَرِمنَ حَياتِيا

Thus my soul has become familiar with death because I have seen

Destinies harvesting my life.

فَيا لَيتَني مِن بَعدِ مَوتي وَمَبعَثي

أَكونُ رُفاتاً لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

If only after my death and resurrection,

I will be mere dust without duty or obligation.

أَخافُ إِلَهي ثُمَّ أَرجو نَوالَهُ

وَلَكِنَّ خَوفي قاهِرٌ لِرَجائِيا

I fear my God then I hope for His gifts

But my fear overcomes my hope.

وَلَولا رَجائي وَاِتِّكالي عَلى الَّذي

تَوَحَّدَ لي بِالصُنعِ كَهلاً وَناشِيا

If it were not for my hope and my dependence on He

Who alone cared for me in my old age and youth,

لَما ساغَ لي عَذبٌ مِنَ الماءِ بارِدٌ

وَلا طابَ لي عَيشٌ وَلا زِلتُ باكِيا

No cool water would have been palatable to me

And I would not taste the sweetness of life or cease crying

عَلى إِثرِ ما قَد كانَ مِنّي صَبابَةً

لَيالِيَ فيها كُنتُ لِلَّهِ عاصِيا

Over what had occurred from me in my youth

Nights in which I was disobedient to God.

فَإِنّي جَديرٌ أَن أَخافَ وَأَتَّقي

وَإِن كُنتُ لَم أُشرِك بِذي العَرشِ ثانِيا

So it is befitting that I should fear and be conscious

And though I did not associate any partner with the Owner of the Throne.

وَأَدَّخِرَ التَقوى بِمَجهودِ طاقَتي

وَأَركَبَ في رُشدي خِلافَ هَوائِيا

And I should store consciousness with the effort of my ability

And mount righteousness contrary to my passions.