المَرءُ دُنيا نَفسِهِ

المَرءُ دُنيا نَفسِهِ

فَإِذا انقَضى فَقَدِ انقَضَت

فَإِذا انقَضى فَقَدِ انقَضَت

A man is his own world;

A man's world is his soul;

So when he comes to an end, it has ended.

When his soul perishes, his world too perishes.

تَغتالُهُ في غَيِّهِ

تَغتالُهُ في غَيِّهِ

وَتَعودُ فيمَن خَلَّفَت

وَتَعودُ فيمَن خَلَّفَت

It slays him unawares in his waywardness,

It lies in wait for him in his heedlessness,

And returns among those it has left behind.

And returns to those he left behind.

ما خَيرُ مُرضِعَةٍ بِكَأ

ما خَيرُ مُرضِعَةٍ بِكَأ

سِ المَوتِ تَفطِمُ مَن غَذَت

سِ المَوتِ تَفطِمُ مَن غَذَت

What good is a wet nurse who, with the cup

Of what use is a wet nurse with a breast

of death, weans those she has nourished?

Of death that weans those it fed?

بَينا تَزينُ صَلاحَهُ

بَينا تَزينُ صَلاحَهُ

إِذ أَفسَدَت ما أَصلَحَت

إِذ أَفسَدَت ما أَصلَحَت

While she adorns his well-being,

While adorning his merits,

Suddenly she ruins what she has set right.

She corrupted what she had set right.