كَيفَ اِحتَيالُكَ وَالقَضاءُ مُدَبَّرٌ

تَجني الأَذى وَتَقولُ إِنَّكَ مُجبَرُ

How can you scheme when fate is already decided?

You reap harm and say you are compelled.

أَرواحُنا مَعَنا وَلَيسَ لَنا بِها

عِلمٌ فَكَيفَ إِذا حَوَتها الأَقبُرُ

Our spirits are with us yet we have no

Knowledge of them, so what when the graves contain them?

وَمَتَى سَرى عَن أَربَعينَ حَليفُها

فَالشَخصُ يَصغُرُ وَالحَوادِثُ تَكبَرُ

And when its ally of forty years is done with,

The person grows small while events grow large.

نَفسٌ تُحِسُّ بِأَمرِ أُخرى هَذِهِ

جِسرٌ إِلَيها بِالمَخاوِفِ يُعبَرُ

A soul feels the matter of another; this one

Is a bridge to it, crossed by fears.

مَن لِلدَفينِ بِأَن يُفَرَّجَ لَحدُهُ

عَنهُ فَيَنهَضَ وَهوَ أَشعَثُ أَغبَرُ

Who will relieve the buried one by opening his grave

So he can get up, unkempt and dusty?

وَالدَهرُ يَقدُمُ وَالمَعاشِرُ تَنقَضي

وَالعَجزُ تَصديقٌ بِمَينٍ يُخبَرُ

And time advances, friends pass away,

And weakness confirms what we are told.

زَعِمَ الفَلاسِفَةُ الذينَ تَنَطَّسوا

أَنَّ المَنِيَّةَ كَسرُها لا يُجبَرُ

Those philosophers who waded into deep waters

Claimed that the breaking of death cannot be mended.

قالوا وَآدَمُ مِثلُ أَوبَرَ وَالوَرى

كَبَناتِهِ جَهِلَ اِمرُؤٌ ما أَوبَرُ

They talked while Adam was like Upright and mankind

Was ignorant, as a fool is ignorant.

كُلُّ الَّذينَ تَحكَونَ عَن مَولاكُمُ

كَذِبٌ أَتاكُم عَن يَهودَ يُحَبَّرُ

All those who tell you tales about your Master

Are liars; an arrogant Jew transmitted to you lies.

رامَت بِهِ الأَحبارُ نَيلَ مَعيشَةٍ

في الدَهرِ وَالعَمَلُ القَبيحُ يُتَبِّرُ

The arrogant scholars sought livelihood

In this world, though the work was ugly.

عُكِسَ الأَنامُ بِحِكمَةٍ مِن رَبِّهِ

فَتَحَكَّمَ الهَجَرِيُّ فيهِ وَسَنبَرُ

Mankind was inverted by wisdom from its Lord,

So the Hegira era ruled it, and it grew mighty.

كَذِبٌ يُقالُ عَلى المَنابِرِ دائِماً

أَفَلا يَميدُ لِما يُقالُ المِنبَرُ

Lies are always told from the pulpits—

Will the pulpit never sway from what is said?

وَأَجَلُّ طيبِهِمُ دَمٌ مِن ظَبيَةٍ

وَقَذىً مِنَ الحيتانِ وَهوَ العَنبَرُ

The best of their perfumes is blood of gazelles

And ambergris from whales—that is amber.

وَلَعَلَّ دُنيانا كَرِقدَةِ حالِمٍ

بِالعَكسِ مِمّا نَحنُ فيهِ تُعَبَّرُ

Maybe this world of ours is like the dream of a sleeper,

Symbolically opposite to what we are in.

فَالعَينُ تَبكي في المَنامِ فَتَجتَني

فَرَحاً وَتَضحَكُ في الرُقادِ فَتَعبَرُ

So the eye weeps in a dream and thus attains

Joy, while awake it laughs and so expresses grief.

وَالنَفسُ لَيسَ لَها عَلى ما نالَها

صَبرٌ وَلَكِن بِالكَراهَةِ تَصبِرُ

The soul has no patience for what has reached it

But only resigns itself unwillingly.

يَغدو المُدَجَّجُ بازِياً أَو أَجدَلاً

فَيَروحُ مُحتَكِماً عَلَيهِ القُبَّرُ

The pretentious one may leave dressed up as a rebel or villager

Then come home to find his grave waiting for him.