المَوتُ مِنّا قَريبٌ

المَوتُ مِنّا قَريبٌ

وَلَيسَ عَنّا بِنازِح

وَلَيسَ عَنّا بِنازِح

Death is near us,

Death is near to us

Death is ever drawing near to us,

And is not far from us.

And does not depart from us

And never does it drift far away.

في كُلِّ يَومٍ نَعيٌ

في كُلِّ يَومٍ نَعيٌ

تَصيحُ مِنهُ الصَوائِح

تَصيحُ مِنهُ الصَوائِح

Every day brings news of a death;

Every day there is a funeral

In every day a death is proclaimed,

The wailing women cry out at it.

Whose cries make hearts bleed and weep

From which the wailing voices scream.

تَشجى القُلوبُ وَتَبكي

تَشجى القُلوبُ وَتَبكي

مُوَلوِلاتُ النَوائِح

مُوَلوِلاتُ النَوائِح

Hearts grieve, and tears are shed

Wailing in lament

Hearts are choked with grief as they weep,

By the loudly wailing mourners.

How long will you be heedless

Amidst the lamentations of the mourners.

حَتّى مَتى أَنتَ تَلهو

حَتّى مَتى أَنتَ تَلهو

في غَفلَةٍ وَتُمازِح

في غَفلَةٍ وَتُمازِح

How long will you amuse yourself

And engage in play and jest?

How long will you distract yourself with play,

In heedlessness, and jest?

Death every day

Lost in heedlessness and jesting?

وَالمَوتُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ

وَالمَوتُ في كُلِّ يَومٍ

في زِندِ عَيشِكَ قادِح

في زِندِ عَيشِكَ قادِح

And every day death

Assails your life of comfort

While death, with every passing day,

Strikes sparks from the firestick of your life.

So work for a gloomy day

Strikes fire against the flint of your life.

فَاِعمَل لِيَومٍ عَبوسٍ

فَاِعمَل لِيَومٍ عَبوسٍ

مِن شِدَّةِ الهَولِ كالِح

مِن شِدَّةِ الهَولِ كالِح

So work for a frowning day,

Filled with intense horror

So labor for that frowning Day,

Grim-faced from the intensity of terror.

Let not the world's bliss

Which scowls from the sheer terror of its might.

وَلا يَغُرَّنكَ دُنيا

وَلا يَغُرَّنكَ دُنيا

نَعيمُها عَنكَ نازِح

نَعيمُها عَنكَ نازِح

And let not worldly life deceive you;

That escapes you, deceive you

Let not this lower world deceive you,

Its bliss is far from you.

Hating it is beauty for you

For its pleasures are fleeting far from you.

وَبُغضُها لَكَ زَينٌ

وَبُغضُها لَكَ زَينٌ

وَحُبُّها لَكَ فاضِح

وَحُبُّها لَكَ فاضِح

And hating it is an adornment for you,

Loving it disgraces you

To loathe it is your true adornment,

And loving it disgraces you.

While loving it brings only your disgrace.