سَيَسأَلُ ناسٌ ما قُرَيشٌ وَمَكَّةٌ

سَيَسأَلُ ناسٌ ما قُرَيشٌ وَمَكَّةٌ

كَما قالَ ناسٌ ما جَديسٌ وَما طَسمُ

كَما قالَ ناسٌ ما جَديسٌ وَما طَسمُ

People will ask, "What were Quraysh and Mecca?"

People will ask what Quraysh and Mecca are

as people asked, "What was Jadis, and what was Tasm?"

As people asked what Jadis and Tasm were

أَرى الوَقتَ يُفني أَنفُساً بِفَنائِهِ

أَرى الوَقتَ يُفني أَنفُساً بِفَنائِهِ

وَيَمحو فَما يَبقى الحَديثُ وَلا الرَسمُ

وَيَمحو فَما يَبقى الحَديثُ وَلا الرَسمُ

I see time destroy souls through its own passing,

I see time destroying souls with its vanishing

and efface them, so neither tale nor trace remains.

And erasing whatever remains of talk and inscription

لَقَد جَدَّ أَهلُ المَلعَبَينِ فَأَثَّلوا

لَقَد جَدَّ أَهلُ المَلعَبَينِ فَأَثَّلوا

بِناءً وَلَم يَثبُت لِرافِعِهِ وَسمُ

بِناءً وَلَم يَثبُت لِرافِعِهِ وَسمُ

The people of al-Malʿabayn labored hard indeed and erected

Indeed the people of the two encampments exerted themselves and then perished

a building, yet no mark of its builder endured.

A building for which no trace of its builder remains

وَفي العالَمِ الغاوي بَخيلٌ مُمَوَّلٌ

وَفي العالَمِ الغاوي بَخيلٌ مُمَوَّلٌ

وَسَمحٌ فَقيرٌ شُدَّ ما اِختَلَفَ القَسمُ

وَسَمحٌ فَقيرٌ شُدَّ ما اِختَلَفَ القَسمُ

And in the wayward world, a miser is wealthy,

And in this deluded world there is a stingy rich man

while a generous man is poor—how unequal the shares!

And a generous poor man, how different is their share!

وَكَونُ الفَتى في رَهطِهِ نَيلُ عِزَّةٍ

وَكَونُ الفَتى في رَهطِهِ نَيلُ عِزَّةٍ

عَلى أَنَّ داءَ الدَهرِ لَيسَ لَهُ حَسمُ

عَلى أَنَّ داءَ الدَهرِ لَيسَ لَهُ حَسمُ

And being among his clan brings a young man honor,

And a young man being with his tribe brings honor

though the malady of time has no final cure.

Though the malady of fate has no remedy

وَيُرزَءُ جِسمُ المَرءِ حَتّى إِذا أَوى

وَيُرزَءُ جِسمُ المَرءِ حَتّى إِذا أَوى

إِلى العُنصُرِ التُربِيِّ لَم يُرزَإِ الجِسمُ

إِلى العُنصُرِ التُربِيِّ لَم يُرزَإِ الجِسمُ

And a man's body suffers harm until, when it takes refuge

And a man's body is mocked until when he goes

in the element of earth, the body suffers harm no more.

To the earthen element, the body is not mocked