لا تَغبِطَنْ أهْلَ بيتٍ سَرّهُمْ زمَنٌ

لا تَغبِطَنْ أهْلَ بيتٍ سَرّهُمْ زمَنٌ

فسوفَ يَطْرُقُهم بالهمِّ والحَزَنِ

فسوفَ يَطْرُقُهم بالهمِّ والحَزَنِ

Do not envy a household whom time has made glad,

Do not envy a household that time has gladdened;

For soon it will visit them with care and sorrow.

for it will soon visit them with worry and sorrow.

يُعيرُهم كلَّ دُنياهم وينْهَبُ ما

يُعيرُهم كلَّ دُنياهم وينْهَبُ ما

أعارَهم بيد الآفاتِ والمِحَنِ

أعارَهم بيد الآفاتِ والمِحَنِ

It lends them their whole world, then plunders what

It lends them all their worldly wealth, and plunders what

It lent them, by the hand of blights and ordeals,

it lent them, by the hand of calamities and trials,

حتى يَروحوا بِلا شيءٍ كما خُلِقوا

حتى يَروحوا بِلا شيءٍ كما خُلِقوا

كأنَّ ما خُوَّلوه أمسِ لم يكنِ

كأنَّ ما خُوَّلوه أمسِ لم يكنِ

Until they depart with nothing, just as they were created,

until they depart with nothing, just as they were created,

As though what they were granted yesterday had never been.

as though what they were granted yesterday had never existed.

لا يصحبُ المرءَ مما كان يملِكُهُ

لا يصحبُ المرءَ مما كان يملِكُهُ

في ظُلمةِ اللَّحدِ إلاّ خِرقَةُ الكَفَنِ

في ظُلمةِ اللَّحدِ إلاّ خِرقَةُ الكَفَنِ

Nothing a person once possessed accompanies him

Nothing of what a man once owned accompanies him

Into the grave’s darkness except a scrap of shroud.

in the darkness of the grave, save the cloth of his shroud.

يُستَنْزَعُ المالُ مِنهُ ثم يُسألُ عن

يُستَنْزَعُ المالُ مِنهُ ثم يُسألُ عن

جميعِهِ يا لها من حسرةِ الغَبَنِ

جميعِهِ يا لها من حسرةِ الغَبَنِ

His wealth is wrested from him, then he is questioned about

His wealth is wrested from him, then he is questioned about

All of it—oh, the bitter regret of such ruinous loss!

all of it—oh, the anguish of being cheated!