أَنَلهو وَأَيّامُنا تَذهَبُ

أَنَلهو وَأَيّامُنا تَذهَبُ

وَنَلعَبُ وَالمَوتُ لا يَلعَبُ

وَنَلعَبُ وَالمَوتُ لا يَلعَبُ

Shall we amuse ourselves while our days pass away,

I play, yet our days pass away,

and play, while death does not play?

And death plays not.

عَجِبتُ لِذي لَعِبٍ قَد لَها

عَجِبتُ لِذي لَعِبٍ قَد لَها

عَجِبتُ وَمالِيَ لا أَعجَبُ

عَجِبتُ وَمالِيَ لا أَعجَبُ

I have marveled at one given to play who has dallied;

Strange that one plays who is destined to die;

I have marveled—and why should I not marvel?

Strange that I play not, who nothing surprises.

أَيَلهو وَيَلعَبُ مَن نَفسُهُ

أَيَلهو وَيَلعَبُ مَن نَفسُهُ

تَموتُ وَمَنزِلُهُ يَخرَبُ

تَموتُ وَمَنزِلُهُ يَخرَبُ

Can one amuse himself and play, whose soul

He plays who looks todie and whose home decays,

will die and whose dwelling will fall to ruin?

We see constantly all that saddens us prevail

نَرى كُلَّ ما ساءَنا دائِباً

نَرى كُلَّ ما ساءَنا دائِباً

عَلى كُلِّ ما سَرَّنا يَغلِبُ

عَلى كُلِّ ما سَرَّنا يَغلِبُ

We see all that grieves us ceaselessly

Over all that gladdens us.

prevailing over all that gladdens us.

We see the generations in the shrouds of annihilation

نَرى الخَلقَ في طَبَقاتِ البِلى

نَرى الخَلقَ في طَبَقاتِ البِلى

إِذا ما هُمُ صَعَّدوا صَوَّبوا

إِذا ما هُمُ صَعَّدوا صَوَّبوا

We see humankind in the layers of decay;

Whenever they ascend they descend.

whenever they ascend, they descend.

You see the night seeking us and the day,

تَرى اللَيلَ يَطلُبُنا وَالنَهارَ

تَرى اللَيلَ يَطلُبُنا وَالنَهارَ

وَلَم نَدرِ أَيُّهُما أَطلَبُ

وَلَم نَدرِ أَيُّهُما أَطلَبُ

You see the night pursuing us, and the day;

But we know not which of the two is the seeker.

and we do not know which is keener in pursuit.

The new moons encompass us, gathering,

أَحاطَ الجَديدانِ جَمعاً بِنا

أَحاطَ الجَديدانِ جَمعاً بِنا

فَلَيسَ لَنا عَنهُما مَهرَبُ

فَلَيسَ لَنا عَنهُما مَهرَبُ

The two ever-renewing ones have together hemmed us in,

So we have no escape from them.

so we have no escape from them.

Everything has an allotted span,

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ مُدَّةٌ تَنقَضي

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ مُدَّةٌ تَنقَضي

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ أَثَرٌ يُكتَبُ

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ أَثَرٌ يُكتَبُ

And each has a span that comes to an end,

Everything has a record written.

and each has a trace that is written down.

How long will you contend against hoary decrepitude,

إِلى كَم تُدافِعُ نَهيَ المَشيـ

إِلى كَم تُدافِعُ نَهيَ المَشيـ

ـبِ يا أَيُّها اللاعِبُ الأَشيَبُ

ـبِ يا أَيُّها اللاعِبُ الأَشيَبُ

How long will you resist the admonition of gray

O you who play, aged with grey hairs?

hair, O gray-haired player?

Events continue to run with you

وَما زِلتَ تَجري بِكَ الحادِثاتُ

وَما زِلتَ تَجري بِكَ الحادِثاتُ

فَتَسلَمُ مِنهُنَّ أَو تُنكَبُ

فَتَسلَمُ مِنهُنَّ أَو تُنكَبُ

And events have kept carrying you along,

Till you are delivered or overthrown.

so you escape them unharmed, or are stricken.

You will be given and stripped till your soul

سَتُعطى وَتُسلَبُ حَتّى تَكو

سَتُعطى وَتُسلَبُ حَتّى تَكو

نَ نَفسُكَ آخِرَ ما يُسلَبُ

نَ نَفسُكَ آخِرَ ما يُسلَبُ

You will be given and stripped, until

Is the last thing they strip from you.

your soul becomes the last thing stripped away.