مَن يَطلِبِ الدَهرُ تُدرِكهُ مَخالِبُهُ

مَن يَطلِبِ الدَهرُ تُدرِكهُ مَخالِبُهُ

وَالدَهرُ بِالوِترِ ناجٍ غَيرُ مَطلوبِ

وَالدَهرُ بِالوِترِ ناجٍ غَيرُ مَطلوبِ

Whomever Time pursues, its claws overtake.

Whoever seeks glory, its claws will catch him,

And Time escapes with its blood-debt, pursued by none.

And time lies in wait though unpursued.

ما مِن أُناسٍ ذَوي مَجدٍ وَمَكرُمةٍ

ما مِن أُناسٍ ذَوي مَجدٍ وَمَكرُمةٍ

إِلّا يَشُدُّ عَلَيهِم شِدَّةَ الذيبِ

إِلّا يَشُدُّ عَلَيهِم شِدَّةَ الذيبِ

There are no people endowed with glory and nobility

No people of repute and honor exist,

but it charges upon them as a wolf charges,

Whom severity of fate does not subdue,

حَتّى يُبيدَ عَلى عَمدٍ سَراتَهُمُ

حَتّى يُبيدَ عَلى عَمدٍ سَراتَهُمُ

بِالنافِذاتِ مِنَ النَبلِ المَصايِيبِ

بِالنافِذاتِ مِنَ النَبلِ المَصايِيبِ

until it deliberately annihilates their chiefs

Till it destroys their glories deliberately,

with piercing arrows that strike true.

With arrows of death unerring their aim.

إِنّي وَجَدتُ سِهامَ المَوتِ مُعرِضَةً

إِنّي وَجَدتُ سِهامَ المَوتِ مُعرِضَةً

بِكُلِّ حَتفٍ مِنَ الآجالِ مَكتوبِ

بِكُلِّ حَتفٍ مِنَ الآجالِ مَكتوبِ

I have found Death's arrows poised

Verily I found death's arrows everywhere,

for every fatal end decreed among the appointed terms.

On each forehead of life the name inscribed.