أَما وَاللَهُ إِنَّ الظُلمَ شُؤمٌ

وَلا زالَ المُسيءُ هُوَ الظَلومُ

By God, injustice is indeed a dark omen,

And the transgressor remains ever the tyrant.

إِلى الديّانِ يَومُ الدينِ نَمضي

وَعِندَ اللَهِ تَجتَمِعُ الخُصومُ

To the Supreme Judge on the Day of Judgment we proceed,

And in the presence of God shall all adversaries gather.

سَتَعلَمُ في الحِسابِ إِذا الِتَقَينا

غَداً عِندَ المَليكِ مَنِ الغَشومُ

You will surely know at the Reckoning, when we meet

Tomorrow before the Sovereign, who the true oppressor is.

سَتَنقَطِعُ اللِذاذَةُ عَن أُناسٍ

مِن الدُنيا وَتَنقَطِع الهُمومُ

All worldly pleasures shall be cut off from men,

Just as their sorrows, too, shall be cut off.

لِأَمرٍ ما تَصَرَّفَتِ اللَيالي

لِأَمرٍ ما تَحَرَّكَتِ النُجومُ

Not without purpose have the nights revolved,

Not without purpose have the stars moved in their courses.

سَلِ الأَيّامَ عَن أُمَمٍ تَقَضَّت

سَتُخبِرُكَ المَعالِمُ وَالرُسومُ

Ask the days concerning nations long passed;

The standing ruins and faded traces will give you answer.

تَرومُ الخُلدَ في دارِ المَنايا

فَكَم قَد رامَ مِثلَكَ ما تَرومُ

Do you seek immortality in the Abode of Death?

How many before you have sought exactly what you seek!

تَنامُ وَلَم تَنَم عَنكَ المَنايا

تَنبَّه لِلمَنِّيَةِ يا نُؤومُ

You sleep, yet Death does not sleep in seeking you;

Awake to your fate, O heavy sleeper!

لَهَوتَ عَنِ الفَناءِ وَأَنتَ تَفنى

فَما شَيءٌ مِنَ الدُنيا يَدومُ

You distract yourself from the void while you are fading into it,

For there is nothing in this world that endures.

تَموتُ غَداً وَأَنتَ قَريرُ عَينٍ

مِنَ الفَضَلاتِ في لُجَحٍ تَعومُ

You will die tomorrow, yet you remain content of eye,

Swimming in the deep seas of your own excess.