عَمَلٌ كَلا عَمَلٍ وَوَقتٌ فائِتٌ

وَيَدٌ إِذا مَلَكَت رَمَت ماتَملِكُ

Work is no longer work, and time has passed,

When a hand possesses, it casts away what it owns,

وَشُخوصُ أَقوامٍ تَلوحُ فَأَمَّةٌ

قَدِمَت مِجَدَّدَةً وَأُخرى تَهلِكُ

People come and go, one nation perishes,

While another is renewed and reborn,

أَمّا الجُسومُ فَلِلتُرابِ مَآلُها

وَعَيَيتُ بِالأَرواحِ أَنى تَسلُكُ

Bodies return to dust, that is their fate,

But spirits - who knows where they roam and walk?