لَعَمرُكَ ما يَدري الفَتى كَيفَ يَتَّقي

لَعَمرُكَ ما يَدري الفَتى كَيفَ يَتَّقي

نَوائِبَ هَذا الدَهرِ أَم كَيفَ يحذرُ

نَوائِبَ هَذا الدَهرِ أَم كَيفَ يحذرُ

By your life, a young man does not know how to ward off

By your life! The youth knows not how he may guard himself

the calamities of this age, or how to beware.

Against the strokes of time, nor what he should beware;

يَرى الشَيءَ مِمّا يَتَّقي فَيَخافُهُ

يَرى الشَيءَ مِمّا يَتَّقي فَيَخافُهُ

وَما لا يَرى مِمّا يَقي اللَهُ أَكبَرُ

وَما لا يَرى مِمّا يَقي اللَهُ أَكبَرُ

He sees some of what he guards against, and so fears it;

He sees a thing that he should fear, and fears it,

but what he does not see, which God wards off, is greater.

Yet that which God should guard him from is greater.

أَراني مَعَ الأَحياءِ حَيّاً وَأَكثَري

أَراني مَعَ الأَحياءِ حَيّاً وَأَكثَري

عَلى الدَهرِ مَيتٌ قَد تَخَوَّنَهُ الدَهرُ

عَلى الدَهرِ مَيتٌ قَد تَخَوَّنَهُ الدَهرُ

I see myself alive among the living, yet most of me

I see myself alive among the living, yet

is dead with the passing of time, worn away by time.

To time I’m but a dead man whom time has betrayed;

فَما لَم يَمُت مِنّي لِما ماتَ مَيِّتٌ

فَما لَم يَمُت مِنّي لِما ماتَ مَيِّتٌ

وَبَعضٌ لِبَعضٍ قَبلَ قَبرِ البِلى قَبرُ

وَبَعضٌ لِبَعضٍ قَبلَ قَبرِ البِلى قَبرُ

So what has not died in me is dead because of what has died;

So what of me is dead when part of me still lives?

and one part is a grave for another, before the grave of decay.

And part to part is as the grave to what decays.

فَيا رَبِّ قَد أَحسَنتَ بَدءاً وَعودَةً

فَيا رَبِّ قَد أَحسَنتَ بَدءاً وَعودَةً

إِلَيَّ فَلَم يَنهَض بِإِحسانِكَ الشُكرُ

إِلَيَّ فَلَم يَنهَض بِإِحسانِكَ الشُكرُ

So, my Lord, You have shown kindness, at first and anew,

O Lord, well did you begin with me, and call me back,

to me; yet gratitude has not measured up to Your kindness.

Yet thanks rise not for your great beneficence;

فَمَن كانَ ذا عُذرٍ لَدَيكَ وَحُجَّةٍ

فَمَن كانَ ذا عُذرٍ لَدَيكَ وَحُجَّةٍ

فَعُذرِيَ إِقراري بِأَن لَيسَ لي عُذرُ

فَعُذرِيَ إِقراري بِأَن لَيسَ لي عُذرُ

So if anyone has an excuse and a plea before You,

If one has cause with you, and argument,

then my excuse is my admission that I have no excuse.

My cause is but confession that I have no cause.