المَرءُ في غَفَلاتِه وَسُباتِهِ

المَرءُ في غَفَلاتِه وَسُباتِهِ

وَالدَهرُ كَالرِئبالِ في وَثَباتِهِ

وَالدَهرُ كَالرِئبالِ في وَثَباتِهِ

Man remains in his heedlessness and slumber,

Man in his heedlessness and slumber

Man lies deep in his heedlessness and slumber,

And time is like a lion in its leaps.

While time races on in leaps and bounds

While Time is like a lion in its pouncing.

وَالعُمر وَالزَمانُ يَجِدُّ في

وَالعُمر وَالزَمانُ يَجِدُّ في

إِخفائِه وَالمَرءُ في إِثباتِهِ

إِخفائِه وَالمَرءُ في إِثباتِهِ

And life—time strives to

Life and age conceal themselves

Life passes, and Time strives earnestly to

Efface it, while man strives to sustain it.

While man asserts himself

Conceal it, while man persists in asserting his presence.

وَالحَربُ لا تَنفَكُّ بَينَهُما وَلا

وَالحَربُ لا تَنفَكُّ بَينَهُما وَلا

يَنفَكُّ هَذا المَرءُ في حَسَراتِهِ

يَنفَكُّ هَذا المَرءُ في حَسَراتِهِ

And war never ceases between the two, nor

The war between them is endless

The war between them never ceases, nor

Does this man cease to dwell in his regrets.

And so is man's remorse

Does this man ever cease to dwell in his regrets.

لا تَعجَبوا مِن جَهلِه وَغُرورِهِ

لا تَعجَبوا مِن جَهلِه وَغُرورِهِ

وَتَعَجَّبوا إِن حالَ عَن حالاتِهِ

وَتَعَجَّبوا إِن حالَ عَن حالاتِهِ

Do not marvel at his ignorance and conceit;

Do not wonder at his ignorance and conceit

Do not marvel at his ignorance and delusion,

But marvel if he changes his ways.

But wonder if he changes his ways

But marvel indeed if he ever changes his ways.

يَسعى وَلا يَدري إِلى حَيثُ الرَدى

يَسعى وَلا يَدري إِلى حَيثُ الرَدى

وَكَذا الفَراشُ يَحومُ حَولَ مَماتِهِ

وَكَذا الفَراشُ يَحومُ حَولَ مَماتِهِ

He hastens, unaware, to where death lies,

He strives though he knows not his end

He rushes blindly toward the place of his ruin,

And so the moth hovers around its death.

Like the moth circling the flame that kills it

Just as the moth hovers around its own demise.

وَتُحَبِّبُ الدُنيا إِلَيهِ نَفسَهُ

وَتُحَبِّبُ الدُنيا إِلَيهِ نَفسَهُ

فَيُطيعُها وَالنَفسُ مِن آفاتِهِ

فَيُطيعُها وَالنَفسُ مِن آفاتِهِ

And the world makes his own self dear to him,

His own soul makes the world pleasing to him

The world endears his own soul to him,

So he obeys it, though the self is among his afflictions.

So he follows it though it leads him astray

So he obeys it, though the soul is among his deadly afflictions.

وَيُضيرُها إِفلاتُهُ مِن قَيدِها

وَيُضيرُها إِفلاتُهُ مِن قَيدِها

وَسَعادَةُ الإِنسانِ في إِفلاتِهِ

وَسَعادَةُ الإِنسانِ في إِفلاتِهِ

And his escape from its bondage harms it,

To be free of its chains brings him bliss

It harms the soul for him to escape its shackles,

While man's happiness lies in his escape.

For man's joy lies in this freedom

Yet the happiness of man lies in that very escape.

يَلقى الضَراغِمَ غَيرَ مُكتَرِثٍ بِها

يَلقى الضَراغِمَ غَيرَ مُكتَرِثٍ بِها

فَإِذا سَطَت ضَرَبَت عَلى سَطَواتِهِ

فَإِذا سَطَت ضَرَبَت عَلى سَطَواتِهِ

He faces lions, untroubled by them,

He faces misfortunes uncaring

He meets the lions without a care for them,

Then, when they attack, they beat back his assaults.

Till they grow strong and assault his power

But when they strike, they crush his might.

وَما قاتَلَ البَطَلَ النَجيدَ غَضَنفَرٌ

وَما قاتَلَ البَطَلَ النَجيدَ غَضَنفَرٌ

إِنَّ الغَضَنفَرَ مَن عَصى شَهَواتِهِ

إِنَّ الغَضَنفَرَ مَن عَصى شَهَواتِهِ

And no lion has fought the valiant hero;

The hero fights no more fierce a foe

No lion has ever truly challenged the valiant hero;

Indeed, the lion is he who defies his desires.

Than his own desires that disobey him

The true lion is he who disobeys his own desires.