كَأَنَّني بِالدِيارِ قَد خَرِبَت

كَأَنَّني بِالدِيارِ قَد خَرِبَت

وَبِالدُموعِ الغِزارِ قَد سُكِبَت

وَبِالدُموعِ الغِزارِ قَد سُكِبَت

I seem to see the dwellings already fallen into ruin,

It is as if I see the dwellings ruined,

And the copious tears already poured out.

And copious tears being shed.

فَضَحتِ لا بَل جَرَحتِ وَاِجتَحتِ يا

فَضَحتِ لا بَل جَرَحتِ وَاِجتَحتِ يا

دُنيا رِجالاً عَلَيكِ قَد كَلِبَت

دُنيا رِجالاً عَلَيكِ قَد كَلِبَت

You have disgraced—no, wounded and swept away, O

You have exposed - no, wounded - and debased, O world,

world, men who had grown ravenous for you.

Men who attacked you.

المَوتُ حَقٌّ وَالدارُ فانِيَةٌ

المَوتُ حَقٌّ وَالدارُ فانِيَةٌ

وَكُلُّ نَفسٍ تُجزى بِما كَسَبَت

وَكُلُّ نَفسٍ تُجزى بِما كَسَبَت

Death is certain, and the abode is perishing;

Death is a reality, home is transitory,

And every soul is requited for what it has earned.

And every soul gets what it earns.

يا لَكَ مِن جيفَةٍ مُعَفَّنَةٍ

يا لَكَ مِن جيفَةٍ مُعَفَّنَةٍ

أَيُّ اِمتِناعٍ لَها إِذا طُلِبَت

أَيُّ اِمتِناعٍ لَها إِذا طُلِبَت

What a putrid carcass you are!

What a rotten corpse you are!

What resistance can it offer when sought?

How can it resist when called upon?

ظَلَّت عَلَيها الغُواةُ عاكِفَةً

ظَلَّت عَلَيها الغُواةُ عاكِفَةً

وَما تُبالي الغُواةُ ما رَكِبَت

وَما تُبالي الغُواةُ ما رَكِبَت

The wayward remained devoted to it,

Transgressors hover over it,

And the wayward care not what they undertake.

Not caring what they ride.

هِيَ الَّتي لَم تَزَل مُنَغَّصَةً

هِيَ الَّتي لَم تَزَل مُنَغَّصَةً

لا دَرَّ دَرُّ الدُنيا إِذا اِحتُلِبَت

لا دَرَّ دَرُّ الدُنيا إِذا اِحتُلِبَت

It is the one forever marred by vexation;

It was ever aggrieved -

May the world's milk not flow when it is milked!

No good comes of the world when tested.

وَالناسُ في غَفلَةٍ وَقَد حَلَّتِ الـ

وَالناسُ في غَفلَةٍ وَقَد حَلَّتِ الـ

ـآجالُ في وَقتِها وَقَد قَرُبَت

ـآجالُ في وَقتِها وَقَد قَرُبَت

And people are heedless, though there have already come the

People are heedless though

appointed ends, at their time, and they have drawn near.

The appointed times are at hand and drawing near.

ما كُلُّ ذي حاجَةٍ بِمُدرِكِها

ما كُلُّ ذي حاجَةٍ بِمُدرِكِها

كَم مِن يَدٍ لا تَنالُ ما طَلَبَت

كَم مِن يَدٍ لا تَنالُ ما طَلَبَت

Not everyone with a need will attain it;

Not every needy person attains his goal -

How many a hand fails to reach what it sought!

How many a hand reaches not what it sought!

في اناسِ مَن تَسهُلُ المَطالِبُ أَحـ

في اناسِ مَن تَسهُلُ المَطالِبُ أَحـ

ـياناً عَلَيهِ وَرُبَّما صَعُبَت

ـياناً عَلَيهِ وَرُبَّما صَعُبَت

Among people is one whose aims are easy at

Among people are those whose demands

times for him, and sometimes prove hard.

Are sometimes easy, sometimes hard.

وَشِرَّةُ النَفسِ رُبَّما جَمَحَت

وَشِرَّةُ النَفسِ رُبَّما جَمَحَت

وَشَهوَةُ النَفسِ رُبَّما غَلَبَت

وَشَهوَةُ النَفسِ رُبَّما غَلَبَت

And the soul's impetuousness sometimes runs wild;

The soul's wickedness may at times rage,

And the soul's desire sometimes prevails.

And the soul's passions at times prevail.

مَن لَم يَسَعهُ الكَفافُ مُقتَنِعاً

مَن لَم يَسَعهُ الكَفافُ مُقتَنِعاً

ضاقَت عَلَيهِ الدُنيا بِما رَحُبَت

ضاقَت عَلَيهِ الدُنيا بِما رَحُبَت

Whoever is not content with a sufficient livelihood

Whoever is not content with sufficiency -

finds the world too narrow, despite its vastness.

The world is straitened for him however ample.

وَبَينَما المَرءُ تَستَقيمُ لَهُ الـ

وَبَينَما المَرءُ تَستَقيمُ لَهُ الـ

ـدُنيا عَلى ما اِشتَهى إِذِ اِنقَلَبَت

ـدُنيا عَلى ما اِشتَهى إِذِ اِنقَلَبَت

And while all goes smoothly for a man in the

And just when the world suits a person,

world, as he wished, suddenly it turns against him.

Fulfilling his desires, it is overturned.

ما كَذَّبَتني عَينٌ رَأَيتُ بِها الـ

ما كَذَّبَتني عَينٌ رَأَيتُ بِها الـ

ـأَمواتَ وَالعَينُ رُبَّما كَذَبَت

ـأَمواتَ وَالعَينُ رُبَّما كَذَبَت

No eye deceived me when I saw through it the

No eye I saw with has belied me -

dead, though the eye may sometimes lie.

Yet the eye may sometimes belie.

وَأَيُّ عَيشٍ وَالعَيشُ مُنقَطِعٌ

وَأَيُّ عَيشٍ وَالعَيشُ مُنقَطِعٌ

وَأَيُّ طَعمٍ لِلَذَّةٍ ذَهَبَت

وَأَيُّ طَعمٍ لِلَذَّةٍ ذَهَبَت

And what life is there, when life comes to an end?

What life remains when life is severed?

And what savor is there in a pleasure that has passed?

What taste to joy when it goes?

وَيحَ عُقولِ المُستَعصِمينَ بِدا

وَيحَ عُقولِ المُستَعصِمينَ بِدا

رِ الذُلِّ في أَيِّ مَنشَبٍ نَشِبَت

رِ الذُلِّ في أَيِّ مَنشَبٍ نَشِبَت

Woe to the minds of those seeking refuge in the abode

Woe to deluded minds

of humiliation—what a snare they have become caught in!

In what byways have they got stuck!

مَن يَبرِمُ الإِنتِقاضَ مِنها وَمَن

مَن يَبرِمُ الإِنتِقاضَ مِنها وَمَن

يُخمِدُ نيرانَها إِذا اِلتَهَبَت

يُخمِدُ نيرانَها إِذا اِلتَهَبَت

Who can make firm what comes undone through it, and who

Who would check its onslaughts and

can quench its fires when they flare up?

Quench its fires when they flare up?

وَمَن يُعَزّيهِ مِن مَصائِبِها

وَمَن يُعَزّيهِ مِن مَصائِبِها

وَمَن يُقيلُ الدُنيا إِذا نَكَبَت

وَمَن يُقيلُ الدُنيا إِذا نَكَبَت

And who can console him for its calamities?

Who would comfort him for its woes

And who can right the world when it goes awry?

And soothe the world when it recoils?

يا رُبَّ عَينٍ لِلشَرِّ جالِبَةٍ

يا رُبَّ عَينٍ لِلشَرِّ جالِبَةٍ

فَتِلكَ عَينٌ تَشقى بِما جَلَبَت

فَتِلكَ عَينٌ تَشقى بِما جَلَبَت

Ah, many an eye brings evil;

O Lord, a seeing eye that brings harm -

And so that eye suffers from what it has brought.

Such an eye will suffer from what it brought.