أَيُّ شَيءٍ يَبْقَى عَلَى الْحَدَثَانِ
وَالْمَنَايَا خَصِيمَةُ الْحَيَوَانِ
What remains for the vicissitudes
And death is the adversary of the living
قَدْ بَلَوْنَا كَيْدَ الزَّمَانِ وَلَكِنْ
شَغَلَتْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرُوبُ الأَمَانِي
We have tested the cunning of time, but
Its delusions have distracted us
فَلَكٌ لا يَزَالُ يَجْرِي عَلَى النَّا
سِ بِضِدَّيْنِ مِنْ عُلاً وَهَوَانِ
A star that continues to run among the people
With two opposites, glory and demise
فَهْوَ طَوْرَاً يَكُونُ كَالْوَالِدِ الْبَرْ
رِ وَطَوْرَاً كَالنَّاقِمِ الْغَضْبَانِ
It is sometimes like a righteous father
And sometimes like a wrathful avenger
لَيْسَ يُبْقِي عَلَى وَلِيدٍ وَلا كَهْ
لٍ وَلا سُوقَةٍ وَلا سُلْطَانِ
It leaves no descendant, ruins or governor, no sultan
How can man hope for eternity in it
كَيْفَ يَرْجُو الإِنْسَانُ فِيهِ خُلُوداً
بَعْدَ مَا قَدْ مَضَى أَبُو الإِنْسَانِ
After the father of man has passed
Where are those who were before us since
أَيْنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَنَا مُنْذُ دَارَتْ
كُرَةُ الأَرْضِ وَهْيَ ذَاتُ دُخَانِ
The sphere of earth rotated, it being smoky
Nations who have lasted eternally for a while
أُمَمٌ أَخْلَدَتْ إِلَى الدَّهْرِ حِيناً
ثُمَّ ضَاعَتْ فِي لُجَّةِ النِّسْيَانِ
Then were lost in the abyss of oblivion
The hand of death reaped them and they became
حَصَدَتْهَا يَدُ الْمَنُونِ فَصَارَتْ
خَبَراً فِي الْوُجُودِ بَعْدَ عِيَانِ
News of existence after sight
So mark the features of the earth and ask
فَتَرَسَّمْ مَعَالِمَ الأَرْضِ وَاسْأَلْ
فَعَسَى أَنْ يُجِيبَكَ الْهَرَمَانِ
Perhaps the pyramids will answer you
A sign whose craftmanship shows that Hermes
أَثَرٌ دَلَّ صُنْعُهُ أَنَّ هُرْمِي
سَ بَنَاهُ مِنْ أَبْدَع الْبُنْيَانِ
Built it from the most wondrous of buildings
He feared the loss of knowledge when
خَافَ ضَيْعَ الْعُلُومِ حِينَ أَتَتْهُ
بَيِّنَاتٌ دَلَّتْ عَلَى الطُّوفَانِ
Clear proofs came to him of the Deluge
So he built it from rocks brought
فَبَنَاهُ مِنَ الصُّخُورِ اللَّوَاتِي
جَلَبَتْهَا الْقُيُونُ مِنْ أُسْوَانِ
By the centuries from Aswan
Layers within which are rooms
طَبَقَاتٌ فِي جَوْفِهَا حُجُرَاتٌ
ضُمِّنَتْ كُلَّ حِكْمَةٍ وَبَيَانِ
That contain all wisdom and clarity
They remained after their makers so they were
بَقِيَتْ بَعْدَ صَانِعِيهَا فَكَانَتْ
أَثَرَاً نَاطِقاً بِغَيْرِ لِسَانِ
Silent witness without a tongue
After a while it will wear out and the
سَوْفَ تَبْلَى مِنْ بَعْدِ حِينٍ وَيُمْحَى
ذِكْرُ هُرْمِيسَ مِنْ سِجِلِّ الزَّمَانِ
Memory of Hermes will be erased from the register of time
This life is but delusion
إِنَّمَا هذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ غُرُورٌ
تَنْقَضِي بِالشَّقَاءِ وَالْحِرْمَانِ
That passes with misery and deprivation
In it is nothing but fantasies and imaginations
لَيْسَ فِيهَا سِوَى خَيَالاتِ وَهْمٍ
تَمْتَرِيهَا قَرَائِحُ الأَذْهَانِ
Feigned by perceptions of the minds
Whims they have included in words
خَطَرَاتٌ قَدْ ضَمَّنُوهَا كَلاماً
فَلْسَفِيّاً لَمْ يَقْتَرِنْ بِمَعَانِي
Philosophic not combined with meanings
Every living being thinks a thing but
كُلُّ حَيّ يَظُنُّ أَمْرَاً وَلَكِنْ
أَيْنَ مِنْهُ مَحَجَّةُ الْبُرْهَانِ
Where is the evidence of proof from it
We have known what was close to us
قَدْ عَرَفْنَا مَا كَانَ مِنَّا قَرِيباً
وَجَهِلْنَا مَا لا تَرَى الْعَيْنَانِ
And ignored what the eyes do not see
So leave philosophical words and submit
فَدَعِ الْقَوْلَ فِي التَّفَلْسُفِ وَاخْضَعْ
لِجَلالِ الْمُهَيْمِنِ الدَّيَّانِ
To the majesty of the Just Judge
O fate, I know my destiny in you
أَنَا يَا دَهْرُ عَالِمٌ بِمَصِيرِي
فِيكَ لَكِنَّنِي جَمُوحُ الْعِنَانِ
But I am unbridled
I have persisted in going astray until
قَدْ تَمَادَيْتُ فِي الْغَوَايَةِ حَتَّى
كَبَحَ الدَّهْرُ شِرَّتِي وَثَنَانِي
Fate has curbed my wickedness and bent me
