نفوس المنايا بالمنايا تشعب

نفوس المنايا بالمنايا تشعب

وكل له من مذهب الموت مذهب

وكل له من مذهب الموت مذهب

The souls of death are scattered by death;

The souls yearn for death with yearning

And each has a path along death’s path.

And each has a way to death from doctrine

نُراعُ لذكرِ الموتِ ساعةَ ذِكرِهِ

نُراعُ لذكرِ الموتِ ساعةَ ذِكرِهِ

وتعترضُ الدنيا فلنهُو ونلعبُ

وتعترضُ الدنيا فلنهُو ونلعبُ

We are alarmed at death’s mention, the moment it is mentioned,

We heed the remembrance of death an hour of remembrance

And the world intrudes, so we amuse ourselves and play.

And the life distracts, so let's ignore it and play

وآجالُنا في كلِ يومٍ وليلةٍ

وآجالُنا في كلِ يومٍ وليلةٍ

الينا على غِرّاتِنا تتقَرَّبُ

الينا على غِرّاتِنا تتقَرَّبُ

And our appointed ends, every day and night,

And our terms approach us day after day

Draw nearer to us in our moments of heedlessness.

On our ignorance they come closer

أأيقنَ أنَّ الشيبَ ينعى حياتَه

أأيقنَ أنَّ الشيبَ ينعى حياتَه

مُدِرٌّ لأخلافِ الحطيئةِ مُذنِبُ

مُدِرٌّ لأخلافِ الحطيئةِ مُذنِبُ

Has he become certain that gray hair heralds his life’s end—

Did the gray hair perceive that it elegizes its life

A sinner who makes al-Hutay’ah’s teats flow with milk?

Regretful of the sins of the guilty, sinful

يقينٌ كأنَّ الشكَّ أغلبُ أمرِهِ

يقينٌ كأنَّ الشكَّ أغلبُ أمرِهِ

عليه وعرفانٌ الى الجهلِ يُنسَبُ

عليه وعرفانٌ الى الجهلِ يُنسَبُ

A certainty, as though doubt were its prevailing character

A certainty as if doubt has overcome its matter

For him, and knowledge ascribed to ignorance.

Upon it, and a knowledge to ignorance is attributed

وقد ذَمّتِ الدنيا اليّ نعيمَها

وقد ذَمّتِ الدنيا اليّ نعيمَها

وخاطبني أعجامُها وهو مُعرِبُ

وخاطبني أعجامُها وهو مُعرِبُ

And the world has spoken ill of its delights to me,

The life has blamed me for its luxuries

And its wordlessness addressed me, eloquent all the while.

And its foreignness has addressed me and it is arabized

ولكنَّني منها خُلِقت لغَيرها

ولكنَّني منها خُلِقت لغَيرها

وما كنتُ منه فهو عندي مُحَبّبُ

وما كنتُ منه فهو عندي مُحَبّبُ

But I was created from it for something other than it,

But I was created for other than it

And that from which I came is dear to me.

And what was not for it, is beloved to me