حَياةٌ عَناءٌ وَمَوتٌ عَنا

فَلَيتَ بَعيدَ حِمامٍ دَنا

Life is hardship, and death is hardship too,

If only the cooing dove were far away!

يَدٌ صَفَرَت وَلَهاةٌ ذَوَت

وَنفَسٌ تَمَنَّت وَطَرفٌ رَنا

A hand grew yellow, and a blade grew blunt,

A soul desired, and an eye shed tears.

وَمَوقِدُ نيرانِهِ في الدُجى

يَرومُ سَناءً بِرَفعِ السَنا

And the fire of his brazier in the darkness

Seeks to kindle the years with raising smoke.

يُحاوِلُ مَن عاشَ سَترَ القَميصِ

وَمَلءَ الخَميصِ وَبُرءَ الضَنى

Whoever lived tries to mend his shirt

And fill his shirt and cure his grief.

وَمَن ضَمَّهُ جَدَثٌ لَم يُبَل

عَلى ما أَفادَ وَلا ما اِقتَنى

And he whom the grave embraced cannot be blamed

For what he gained or what he hoarded.

يَصيرُ تُراباً سَواءٌ عَلَيهِ

مَسُّ الحَريرِ وَطَعنُ القَنا

He becomes dust equally, whether

Silk or spearhead touches him.

وَشُربُ الفَناءِ بِخَضرِ الفِرنِدِ

كَأَنَّ عَلى أُسِّهِنَّ الفِنا

And drinking the cup of oblivion with green fernid

Is as if upon their wedding nights the brides perished.

وَلا يَزدَهي غَضَبٌ حِلمَهُ

أَلَقَّبَهُ ذاكِرٌ أَم كَنى

Nor does anger diminish his forbearance

If he is titled “remembering” or “forgetting.”

يُهَنَّأُ بِالخَيرِ مَن نالَهُ

وَلَيسَ الهَناءُ عَلى ما هُنا

He is congratulated for good he attained,

But congratulations are not for what he intended.

وَأَقرَب لِمَن كانَ في غَبطَةٍ

بِلُقيا المُنى مِن لِقاءِ المَنا

And it is nearer for him who was in felicity

To meet doom than to meet purpose.

أَعائِبَةٌ جَسَدي روحُهُ

وَما زالَ يَخدُمُ حَتّى وَنى

Wondrous is my body, its spirit

Has continuously served until it weakened.

وَقَد كَلَّفَتهُ أَعاجيبَها

فَطَوراً فُرادى وَطَوراً ثُنا

And it has charged him its marvels

At times singly, at times in pairs.

يُنافي اِبنُ آدَمَ حالَ الغُصونِ

فَهاتيكَ أَجنَت وَهَذا جَنى

The son of Adam contradicts the state of the branches

For those yielded fruit while this reaped.

تُغَيِّرُ صِنّاؤُهُ شيبَهُ

فَهَل غَيَّرَ الظَهرَ لَمّا اِنحَنى

Dyeing changes his gray hair,

But did it change his back when it bent?

إِذا هُوَ لَم يُخنِ دَهرٌ عَلَيهِ

جاءَ الفَرِيَّ وَقالَ الخَنى

When he never betrayed time, it came to him

Deceitfully and said, “Be dimmed!”

وَسَيّانِ مَن أُمُّهُ حُرَّةٌ

حَصانٌ وَمَن أُمُّهُ فَرتَنى

And horses are the equals of the noble

While the sons of the lowly are but ponies.

وَلي مَورِدٌ بِإِناءِ المَنونِ

وَلَكِنَّ ميقاتَهُ ما أَنى

I have an appointment at the cup of death,

But I know not when its time will come.

زَمانٌ يُخاطِبُ أَبناءَهُ

جِهاراً وَقَد جَهَلوا ما عَنى

An age speaks to its sons openly

Though they are ignorant of what it meant.

يُبَدِّلُ بِاليُسرِ إِعدامَهُ

وَتَهدِمُ أَحداثُهُ ما بَنى

It changes its barrenness to ease

And its events demolish what was built.

لَقَد فُزتَ إِن كُنتَ تُعطى الجِنانَ

بِمَكَّةَ إِذ زُرتَها أَو مِنى

You have succeeded if you were given heavens

When you visited Mecca or Mina.