إِلامَ يَهْفُو بِحِلْمِكَ الطَّرَبُ
أَبَعْدَ خَمْسِينَ في الصِّبَا أَرَبُ
How tenderly has time dealt with you
Though fifty years have passed, still so young
هَيْهَاتَ وَلَّى الشَّبابُ واقْتَرَبَتْ
سَاعَةُ وِرْدٍ دَنَا بِها الْقَرَبُ
Alas! Youth has departed, now old age approaches
The hour of fate draws near, destiny fulfilled
فَلَيْسَ دُونَ الْحِمامِ مُبْتَعَدٌ
وَلَيْسَ نَحْوَ الْحَياةِ مُقْتَرَبُ
Neither far from the tomb nor close to life
Each travels to an abode, none can escape death
كُلُّ امْرِئٍ سائِرٌ لِمَنْزِلَةٍ
لَيْسَ لَهُ عَنْ فِنائِها هَرَبُ
Dwelling among strange neighbors, no kin or friend
In a barren wasteland, midst crawling beasts
وسَاكِنٌ بَيْنَ جِيرَةٍ قَذَفٍ
لا نَسَبٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ولا قُرَبُ
Witnessing a scene for which he'll be judged
Woe to the unjust! War is unavoidable
فِي قَفْرَةٍ لِلصِّلالِ مُزْدحَفٌ
فِيها ولِلضّارِياتِ مُضْطَرَبُ
Take a dove or flock of birds, if that would help
Of what use is the dove, the flock or the crow?
وَشَاهِدٌ مَوْقِفاً يُدَانُ بِهِ
فَالْوَيْلُ لِلظَّالِمِينَ والْحَرَبُ
Neither hawk nor dove escapes the hunt
Nor do the dove, the flock or the ruins
فَارْبَأْ يَفاعاً أَوِ اتَّخِذْ سَرَباً
إِنْ كَانَ يُغْنِي الْيَفَاعُ وَالسَّرَبُ
Unleashed upon the world, no foreigner
Remains safe from his havoc, nor Arab
لا الْبَازُ يَنْجُو مِنَ الْحِمَامِ وَلا
يَخْلُصُ مِنْهُ الْحَمَامُ والْخَربُ
How many palaces lie vacant, how many nations
Perished, buried beneath the dust
مُسَلَّطٌ في الْوَرَى فَلا عَجَمٌ
يَبْقَى عَلَى فَتْكِهِ وَلا عَرَبُ
A home flourishes with its dwellers
A home, without its people, lies in ruins
فَكَمْ قُصُورٍ خَلَتْ وَكَمْ أُمَمٍ
بَادَتْ فَغَصَّتْ بِجَمْعِهَا التُّرَبُ
The youth starts his day unconcerned
Oblivious of harm or benefits ahead
فَمَنْزِلٌ عَامِرٌ بِقَاطِنِهِ
وَمَنْزِلٌ بَعْدَ أَهْلِهِ خَربُ
Gaining but a pittance from his labors
Like a gambler whom luck has forsaken
يَغْدُو الْفَتَى لا هِياً بِعِيشَتِهِ
وَلَيْسَ يَدْرِي مَا الصَّابُ والضَرَبُ
O frequent visitor, tire not of your haunts
Beware the poisoned drink brings you ruin
وَيَقْتَنِي نَبْعَةً يَصِيدُ بِهَا
ونَبْعُ مَنْ حَارَبَ الرَّدَى غَرَبُ
Reveling heedlessly in frivolity
In it lies humiliation and ruin
لا يَبْلُغُ الرِّبْحَ أَوْ يُفارِقُهُ
كَمَاتحٍ خَانَ كَفَّهُ الْكَرَبُ
Neglecting virtue expecting no reward
Through virtue gates of hope swing open
يا وارِدَاً لا يَمَلُّ مَوْرِدَهُ
حَذارِ مِنْ أَنْ يُصِيبَكَ الشَّرَبُ
Leave wine houses, for drunk on wine
Comes crashing down and scattered ruins
تَصْبُو إِلَى اللَّهْوِ غَيْرَ مُكْتَرِثٍ
واللَّهْوُ فِيهِ الْبَوارُ والتَّرَبُ
You see him leaning, drunk yet senses lost
While his soul wanders confused, distraught
وَتَتْرُكُ الْبِرَّ غَيْرَ مُحْتَسِبٍ
أَجْرَاً وَبِالْبِرِّ تُفْتَحُ الأُرَبُ
Evil indeed is the deception of wine
Pretending peace, while poisoning the heart
دَعِ الْحُمَيَّا فَلِابْنِ حانَتِها
مِنْ صَدْمَةِ الْكَأْسِ لَهْذَمٌ ذَرِبُ
When it spreads like a plague, it kills
Like mange spreads among cattle
تَرَاهُ نُصْبَ الْعُيُونِ مُتَّكِئاً
وَعَقْلُهُ في الضَّلالِ مُغْتَرِبُ
So repent before regret overwhelms you
Increasing worries and misfortunes
فَبِئْسَتِ الْخَمْرُ مِنْ مُخَادِعَةٍ
لِسَلْمِها فِي الْقُلُوبِ مُحْتَرَبُ
Persist in virtue, success comes to those
Whose resolve is hardened through practice
إِذا تَفَشَّتْ بِمُهْجَةٍ قَتَلَتْ
كَمَا تَفَشَّى فِي الْمَبْرَكِ الْجَرَبُ
Use what your hands possess, useless then
Will be struggle and flight
فَتُبْ إِلى اللهِ قَبْلَ مَنْدَمَةٍ
تَكْثُرُ فِيها الْهُمُومُ والْكُرَبُ
For time, if you but understand it
Has a bow whose arrows are death
واعْتَدْ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ فَالْمُوَفَّقُ مَنْ
هَذَّبَهُ الاعْتِيَادُ والدَّرَبُ
وَجُدْ بِمَا قَدْ حَوَتْ يَدَاكَ فَمَا
يَنْفَعُ ثَمَّ اللُّجَيْنُ والْغَرَبُ
فَإِنَّ لِلدَّهْرِ لَوْ فَطَنْتَ لَهُ
قَوْسَاً مِنَ الْمَوْتِ سَهْمُهَا غَرَبُ
