يَجِدُّ أَخو الحِرصِ في سَعيِهِ

يَجِدُّ أَخو الحِرصِ في سَعيِهِ

وصرفُ الزَّمانِ بهِ عَابِثُ

وصرفُ الزَّمانِ بهِ عَابِثُ

The greedy man strives hard in his pursuit,

The greedy one finds in his quest,

And time’s vicissitudes toy with him.

While time makes sport of him,

وَينسى الذي مرَّ من عيشِهِ

وَينسى الذي مرَّ من عيشِهِ

ويُغنيه مِن شَأنِه الحادِثُ

ويُغنيه مِن شَأنِه الحادِثُ

He forgets what has passed of his life,

He forgets what has passed of his life,

And the latest event in his affairs suffices him.

And he is made content by what has newly occurred,

وما الدَّهرُ الاَّ كَذَرْوِ الهَبَا

وما الدَّهرُ الاَّ كَذَرْوِ الهَبَا

ءِ يُضْبِثُ من عِرضه الضَّابِثُ

ءِ يُضْبِثُ من عِرضه الضَّابِثُ

Time is nothing but the scattering of dust,

For time is but wisps of cloud

From whose midst the grasper snatches a handful.

Scudding across the horizon.

أَذَمُّ لسابورَ والأَرْدَشِيْرَ

أَذَمُّ لسابورَ والأَرْدَشِيْرَ

وقد عَلِمَا أَنَّه ناكِثُ

وقد عَلِمَا أَنَّه ناكِثُ

I reproach it for Shapur and Ardashir,

I blame Xapur and Ardashir,

Though both knew it was faithless.

Though they knew he would break faith.

ولم ينجُ من وقعةٍ تُبَّعٌ

ولم ينجُ من وقعةٍ تُبَّعٌ

ولا المنذرانٍ ولا الحَارِثُ

ولا المنذرانٍ ولا الحَارِثُ

Nor did Tubba‘ escape its onslaught,

No follower escaped being pursued,

Nor the two Mundhirs, nor al-Harith.

Not even Munzir or Al-Harith.

وغُمدانُ والصَّرحُ من تَدَمُرٍ

وغُمدانُ والصَّرحُ من تَدَمُرٍ

بديعانِ ما لهما ثَالِثُ

بديعانِ ما لهما ثَالِثُ

And Ghumdan and the palace of Tadmor

And the towers of Palmyra and its citadels,

Are two marvels, with no third to match them.

None equaled their beauty.

مَحا الموتُ طينةَ زَيتهمَا

مَحا الموتُ طينةَ زَيتهمَا

وسحرِهُما في الوَرى نافِثُ

وسحرِهُما في الوَرى نافِثُ

Death effaced the clay of their oil [wording unclear],

Death erased their clay

And their sorcery breathes its spells among humankind.

And magic in the land spews forth.

ولله ما لبثا أَو يكو

ولله ما لبثا أَو يكو

ن فوق جديدِ الثَّرى لابِثُ

ن فوق جديدِ الثَّرى لابِثُ

By God, they did not linger—nor does

They did not last long before

Any dweller remain upon the earth’s face.

Their remains settled into the ground.

فتلكَ جُسومُهُم تريةٌ

فتلكَ جُسومُهُم تريةٌ

من الأَرضِ يَنْدُبُها النَّابِثُ

من الأَرضِ يَنْدُبُها النَّابِثُ

So those bodies of theirs are [earthy],

Thus their corpses are but relics

Of the earth; the digger laments them,

Lamented by the grieving mourner.

مَسيح الجميمِ بها والهَشيمِ

مَسيح الجميمِ بها والهَشيمِ

فكلُّ مَسيمٍ بها عابِثُ

فكلُّ مَسيمٍ بها عابِثُ

Sweeping the lush grass and dry stalks there,

The owls nest in them and the bats,

While every herdsman there trifles heedlessly.

While all who dwell there violate them.

أَرى المالَ يُقسَمُ في الوارثي

أَرى المالَ يُقسَمُ في الوارثي

نَ والمجدُ ليسَ لهُ وارثُ

نَ والمجدُ ليسَ لهُ وارثُ

I see wealth divided among the heirs,

I see wealth divided among heirs,

But glory has no heir.

But glory has no heir.

فما يَسطُرُ رُسْططاليسُ

فما يَسطُرُ رُسْططاليسُ

وقد زعموا أَنَّهُ باحثُ

وقد زعموا أَنَّهُ باحثُ

What, then, does Aristotle write,

What has Rustum composed,

Though they have claimed he is an inquirer?

Though they claimed him a searcher,

يَرى أَنَّ كون الوَرى بائدٌ

يَرى أَنَّ كون الوَرى بائدٌ

وأَنَّ كيان الذرى ماكثُ

وأَنَّ كيان الذرى ماكثُ

He holds that humankind’s existence perishes,

Who saw the being of the world transient

And that the existence of the heights endures.

And that the entity of life remains?

وما ذاكَ الا كَجرى الجمو

وما ذاكَ الا كَجرى الجمو

حِ يتبعه المُزْحَفُ الرائِثُ

حِ يتبعه المُزْحَفُ الرائِثُ

Yet that is only like a bolting horse’s run,

That is but the course of a cloud

Followed by the exhausted, lagging beast.

Followed by the creeping mist.

مَشِيَّةُ طَبٍ بنا عالِمٍ

مَشِيَّةُ طَبٍ بنا عالِمٍ

الى غَوِثِهِ يلهث اللاهِثُ

الى غَوِثِهِ يلهث اللاهِثُ

The will of a physician who knows us well,

It is the decree of the Compassionate, the All-Knowing,

Toward whose aid the panting one gasps.

To whom the desperate turn for help.