أَعمارُنا جاءَت كَآيِ كِتابِنا

مِنها طِوالٌ وُفِّيَت وَقِصارُ

Our lives have come like verses in our book

Among them extended and shortened spans

وَالنَفسُ في آمالِها كَطَريدَةٍ

بَينَ الجَوارِحِ ما لَها أَنصارُ

And the soul in its hopes is like a hunted creature

With no protectors among the organs

وَمِنَ الرِجالِ مُحارِفٌ في دينِهِ

وَعَنِ المَقادِرِ غُضَّتِ الأَبصارُ

And among men there are those deviant in religion

Eyes averted from destiny’s decrees

صَلّى فَقَصَّرَ وَهوَ غَيرُ مُسافِرٍ

مُتَيَمِّماً وَمَحَلُّهُ الأَمصارُ

He prayed shortened while not traveling

Doing dry ablution though towns are his abode

دَفَعَ الزَكاةَ إِلى الغَنِيِّ سَفاهَةً

وَغَدا يَحُجُّ فَرَدُّهُ الإِحصارُ

He gave alms to the rich out of idiocy

Then made pilgrimage but barriers turned him away

إِنّي رَقَدتُ فَعُمتُ في لُجَجِ المُنى

ثُمَّ اِنتَبَهتُ فَعادَني إِقصارُ

I slept and drowned in Mina’s deep valleys

Then awoke and my shortcoming returned to me

إِن كُنتَ صاحِبَ جَنَّةٍ في رَبوَةٍ

فَتَوَقَّ أَن يَنتابَها إِعصارُ

If you own an orchard on a hilltop

Beware that violent winds may strike it