أَما حَياتي فَما لي عِندَها فَرَجٌ

فَلَيتَ شِعرِيَ عَن مَوتي إِذا قَدِما

My life grants me no respite,

I wonder what my death will bring when it comes.

صَحَبتُ عَيشاً أُعانيهِ وَيَغلِبُني

مِثلَ الوَليدِ يَقودُ المُصعَبَ السَدِما

I lived a life full of hardship that overwhelmed me,

Like a newborn camel led on rugged ground.

وَقَد مَلَلتُ زَماناً شَرُّهُ لَهَبٌ

إِذا انا لِخُبُوٍّ عادَ فَاِحتَدَما

I'm tired of an era whose evil is scorching,

Whenever despair returns it rages violently.

مَن باعَني بِحَياتي ميتَةً سُرُحاً

بايَعتُهُ وَأَهانَ اللَهُ مَن نَدِما

One who sold me into a living death untethered,

I pledged to him while God disgraced the remorseful one.

إِذا أَظَلَّت مِنَ الأَهواءِ مَهلَكَةٌ

فَلا تَهابَن رَداها وَاِمضِيَن قُدُما

When calamities from desires shadow you,

Do not fear facing them, go forth steadily.

وَالنَفسُ تَسمو فَإِن تَسغَب فَبُغيَتُها

قوتٌ مَتى أَعطَيتَهُ حاوَلت أُدُما

The soul aspires, so if it is unruly, its defiance

Is a strength, give it what it wants and it aspires for more.

في طَبعِها حُبُّها الدُنيا وَقَد عَلِمَت

أَنَّ المَنِيَّةَ فينا حادِثٌ قُدُما

It's in its nature to love this life, and it knows

That death resides in us, it came before.

وَالخَيرُ أَجمَعُ في غَبراءَ تَأدُمُ بي

هَذا التُرابَ وَيَفري الجِسمَ وَالأُدُما

The best of all lies in the dust that wears me down

And breaks apart my body and bones.

فَالآنَ شارَفتُ جَيشَ الحَتفِ وَاِقتَرَبَت

دارٌ أَكادُ إِلَيها أَرفَعُ القَدَما

So now I'm close to the army of destiny,

And a house which I almost step towards.

حُمَّ القَضاءُ فَما يَرثي لِباكِيَةٍ

وَلَو أَفاضَت عَلى إِثرِ الدُموعِ دَما

Fate has judged, so why would one weep for a wailing woman,

Even if she poured blood after her tears.

مَن يَغنَ يَخدُمهُ أَقوامٌ عَلى طَمَعٍ

وَلا يَرَونَ لِمَن أَخطا الغِنى خَدَما

One who sings is served by people hoping for gain,

And they don't serve one whose wealth has erred.

وَاللَهُ صَوَّرَ أَشباحاً لَها خَبَرٌ

وَالشَخصُ بَعدَ وُجودٍ يَقتَضي عَدَما

God has shaped spirits with wisdom,

While the mortal, after existence, meets his end.

وَشادَ إيوانَ كِسرى مَعشَرٌ طَلَبوا

ثَباتَهُ وَتَمادى الوَقتُ فَاِنهَدَما

A people built the palace of Chosroes, seeking

Its permanence, but time passed and it collapsed.