Sol 6.1

  1. رُبَّ مأمولٍ وراجٍ أَمَلاً

    قَد ثَناهُ الدَّهرُ عَن ذاكَ الأَمَل

    Many a man looked to with hope, and many a man cherishing hope,

    Time has turned him away from that hope.

  2. وفَتىً مِن دَولَةٍ مُعجِبَةٍ

    سُلِبَت عَنهُ وللدَّهرِ دُوَل

    And many a youth enjoying splendid fortune

    has had it stripped from him—for Time has its turns.

  3. كيفَ يَرجُو الَمرءُ قُوتاً للرَّدَى

    وَهيَ في الأَسبابِ رَهنٌ مُختَبَل

    How can a man hope, being food for death,

    while [his soul] lies hostage, held captive in the cords?

  4. كُلَّمَا خَلَّفَ يَوماً فَمَضَى

    زادَهُ ذَلِكَ قُرباً لِلأَجَل

    Whenever he leaves a day behind and it passes,

    that brings him nearer to his appointed end.

  5. فَوَّقَ الدَّهرُ إلينا نَبلَهُ

    عَلَلاً يَقصِدُنا بَعدَ نَهَل

    Time has nocked its arrows toward us;

    for a second draught, it targets us after the first.

  6. فَهوَ يَرمينا فلا نُبصِرُهُ

    فِعلَ رامٍ رامَ صَيداً فَخَتَل

    It shoots at us, and we do not see it,

    like an archer who sought game and stalked it by stealth.

  7. رُزِقَ الصَّيدَ وَلاَقَى غِرَّةً

    فَرَمَى مُستَمكناً ثُمَّ قَتَل

    He was granted the prey and found it off guard,

    so he shot with it in his power, then killed.

  8. فَلِذاكَ الدَّهرُ مَأمورق بِنا

    فَهوَ لا يَغفَلُ إن شَيءٌ غَفَل

    Thus Time is [apparently] charged with us;

    it is never heedless, even if something else is.