نُريدُwe desire بَقاءًsurvival وَالخُطوبُand calamities تَكيدُplot
نُريدُ بَقاءً وَالخُطوبُ تَكيدُ
وَلَيسَand are not المُنىwishes لِلمَرءِfor a person كَيفَas يُريدُhe desires
وَلَيسَ المُنى لِلمَرءِ كَيفَ يُريدُ
We desire to endure, while calamities conspire;
We desire survival, though troubles lie in wait,
a person's wishes do not unfold as he desires.
yet no man's wish decides his final fate.
وَمَنand who يَأمَنُtrusts الأَيامَthe days أَمّاas for اتِّساعُهاtheir spaciousness
وَمَن يَأمَنُ الأَيامَ أَمّا اتِّساعُها
فَخَبلٌthen madness وَأَمّاand as for ضيقُهاtheir constriction فَشَديدُthen severe
فَخَبلٌ وَأَمّا ضيقُها فَشَديدُ
And who can trust the days? As for their ease,
He who feels safe from the days, through their breadth, is mad;
it is madness; and as for their hardship, it is severe.
through their narrowness, faces hardship instead.
وَأَيُّand which بَنيchildren of الأَيّامِthe days إِلّاexcept وَعِندَهُand he has
وَأَيُّ بَني الأَيّامِ إِلّا وَعِندَهُ
مِنَfrom الدَهرِtime عِلمٌknowledge طارِفٌnewly acquired وَتَليدُand inherited
مِنَ الدَهرِ عِلمٌ طارِفٌ وَتَليدُ
And which child of the days does not possess
What days won't bring a man news, lessons time has honed?
knowledge from time, both newly acquired and inherited?
He sees increase brings loss - loss comes with all he's grown.
يَرىhe sees ماwhat يَزيدُincreases وَالزِيادَةُand the increase نَقصُهُhis decline
يَرى ما يَزيدُ وَالزِيادَةُ نَقصُهُ
أَلاbehold إِنَّindeed نَقصَthe decrease of الشَيءِthe thing حينَwhen يَزيدُit increases
أَلا إِنَّ نَقصَ الشَيءِ حينَ يَزيدُ
He sees what increases, yet the increase is his decline;
Strange how convinced you are by this world that all ends;
behold, a thing's decline comes when it increases.
yet in it you still seek eternal life, my friend.
وَمِنand among عَجَبِthe wonders of الدُنياthe world يَقينُكَyour certainty بِالفَناof perishing
وَمِن عَجَبِ الدُنيا يَقينُكَ بِالفَنا
وَأَنَّكَand that you فيهاin it لِلبَقاءِfor survival مُريدُdesirous
وَأَنَّكَ فيها لِلبَقاءِ مُريدُ
And among the world's wonders is your certainty of perishing,
See how all tillage and offspring eventually die,
and yet you desire to endure within it.
though some stand, and some are harvested - all fade and dry.
أَلَمdid you not تَرَsee أَنَّthat الحَرثَthe crops وَالنَسلَand offspring كُلَّهُall of it
أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ الحَرثَ وَالنَسلَ كُلَّهُ
يَبيدُperishes وَمِنهُand of it قائِمٌstanding وَحَصيدُand reaped
يَبيدُ وَمِنهُ قائِمٌ وَحَصيدُ
Have you not seen that crops and offspring, all of them,
Many ages, my friend, have withered and collapsed,
perish—some standing, some reaped?
yet you'll fade as those long ages faded in the past.
لَعَمريby my life لَقَدindeed بادَتperished قُرونٌgenerations كَثيرَةٌmany
لَعَمري لَقَد بادَت قُرونٌ كَثيرَةٌ
وَأَنتَand you كَماjust as بادَperished القُرونُthe generations تَبيدُyou will perish
وَأَنتَ كَما بادَ القُرونُ تَبيدُ
By my life, many generations have indeed perished;
Many now lie beneath the earth, who built upon it,
and you will perish as those generations perished.
establishing castles, cities, monuments of grit.
وَكَمand how many صارَcame to be تَحتَbeneath الأَرضِthe earth مِنof خامِدٍone extinguished بِهاin it
وَكَم صارَ تَحتَ الأَرضِ مِن خامِدٍ بِها
وَقَدand indeed كانَhe used to يَبنيbuild فَوقَهاabove it وَيَشيدُand raise buildings
وَقَد كانَ يَبني فَوقَها وَيَشيدُ
And how many have come to lie beneath the earth, extinguished within it,
Erasers of men - time wipes names away,
though once they built above it and raised buildings.
none remain recorded on his page for aye.
وَكَمand how many مِنof عَديدٍa multitude قَدindeed مَحاerased الدَهرُtime ذِكرَهُمmemory of them
وَكَم مِن عَديدٍ قَد مَحا الدَهرُ ذِكرَهُم
كَذاthus الدَهرُtime لايَبقىdoes not remain عَلَيهِthrough it عَديدُa multitude
كَذا الدَهرُ لايَبقى عَلَيهِ عَديدُ
And how many multitudes has time erased from memory!
Death has causes seen and unseen, fleeting, staying;
Such is time: no multitude survives it.
Time makes promises and threats, betraying, delaying.
وَلِلمَوتِand death has عِلّاتٌcauses تَجَلّىreveal themselves وَتَختَفيand hide
وَلِلمَوتِ عِلّاتٌ تَجَلّى وَتَختَفي
وَلِلدَهرِand time has وَعدٌa promise مَرَّةًat one time وَوَعيدُand a threat
وَلِلدَهرِ وَعدٌ مَرَّةً وَوَعيدُ
And death has causes that reveal themselves and hide;
O Lord of decay! All things new are bound to waste;
and time offers promise at one turn, and threat at another.
That which makes all things new is new until replaced.
وَرَبِّand by the Lord of البِلىdecay إِنَّindeed الجَديدَthe new إِلىtoward البِلىdecay
وَرَبِّ البِلى إِنَّ الجَديدَ إِلى البِلى
وَإِنَّand indeed الَّذيthat which يُبليwears out الجَديدَthe new جَديدُnew
وَإِنَّ الَّذي يُبلي الجَديدَ جَديدُ
And by the Lord of decay, the new is surely bound for decay;
and indeed, what wears out the new is itself new.
Partial English translation: 20 of 22 Arabic lines translated.