أتَلهو بَينَ باطِيةٍ وَزيرِ

أتَلهو بَينَ باطِيةٍ وَزيرِ

وأنتَ مِنَ الهلاكِ على شفيرِ

وأنتَ مِنَ الهلاكِ على شفيرِ

Do you make merry between a wine bowl and a lute string,

You frolic between hopelessness and ease

while you are on the brink of destruction?

While you are on the brink of demise

فيا مَنْ غَرَّهُ أَمَلٌ طويلٌ

فيا مَنْ غَرَّهُ أَمَلٌ طويلٌ

يُؤَدِّيهِ إلى أجَلٍ قَصيرِ

يُؤَدِّيهِ إلى أجَلٍ قَصيرِ

So, O one whom long hope has deceived,

O you who is deceived by prolonged hope

leading him to an end all too near!

That leads you to a short life

أَتَفْرحُ والمَنِيَّةُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ

أَتَفْرحُ والمَنِيَّةُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ

تُريكَ مَكانَ قَبرِكَ في القُبورِ

تُريكَ مَكانَ قَبرِكَ في القُبورِ

Do you rejoice, while death each day

Do you rejoice while death every day

shows you the place of your grave among the graves?

Shows you your grave among the graves

هِيَ الدُّنيا وَإنْ سَرَّتْكَ يَوْماً

هِيَ الدُّنيا وَإنْ سَرَّتْكَ يَوْماً

فَإنَّ الحُزْنَ عَاقِبَةُ الغُّرورِ

فَإنَّ الحُزْنَ عَاقِبَةُ الغُّرورِ

Such is the world: even if it delights you for a day,

Such is this life, even if it pleases you one day

sorrow is surely the outcome of delusion.

For grief is the end of delusions

سَتُسْلبُ كُل ما جَمَّعْتَ مِنْها

سَتُسْلبُ كُل ما جَمَّعْتَ مِنْها

بِعارِيةٍ تُرَدُّ إلى المُعيرِ

بِعارِيةٍ تُرَدُّ إلى المُعيرِ

You will be stripped of all you gathered from it,

All you have gathered from it will be stripped

held on loan, to be returned to the lender.

Barehanded you will return to the lender

وتَعتاضُ اليقينَ مِنَ التَّظَنِّي

وتَعتاضُ اليقينَ مِنَ التَّظَنِّي

ودارَ الحقِّ مِنْ دارِ الغرورِ

ودارَ الحقِّ مِنْ دارِ الغرورِ

And you will gain certainty in place of conjecture,

And you will replace certainty with guessing

and the abode of truth in place of the abode of delusion.

And the abode of truth with the abode of delusions