تحتَ الثَّرَى سيصيرُ مَن فوقَ الثَّرَى

تحتَ الثَّرَى سيصيرُ مَن فوقَ الثَّرَى

وسينتهي كلُّ الجديدِ إلى البِلَى

وسينتهي كلُّ الجديدِ إلى البِلَى

Beneath the soil shall lie whoever is above the soil,

Under the soil will be those above the soil

And all that is new will end in decay.

And every new thing will end in decay

يمضي الفتى كالشَّيخِ عندَ وفاتِهِ

يمضي الفتى كالشَّيخِ عندَ وفاتِهِ

والشَّيخُ يمضي مثلما يمضي الفَتى

والشَّيخُ يمضي مثلما يمضي الفَتى

The youth passes away like the old man at his death,

The youth passes like the old man in his death

And the old man passes away just as the youth does.

And the old man passes just as the youth passes

كُنَّا نَظُنُّ العَيشَ يقظةَ ساهرٍ

كُنَّا نَظُنُّ العَيشَ يقظةَ ساهرٍ

فإذا بهِ حُلْمٌ تَراءَى في الكَرَى

فإذا بهِ حُلْمٌ تَراءَى في الكَرَى

We thought life the wakefulness of one keeping vigil,

We thought that life was the wakefulness of an awakened one

But behold, it is a dream that appeared in slumber.

Yet it is a dream that appears in the tombs

يومٌ وليلٌ يذهبانِ كلاهُما

يومٌ وليلٌ يذهبانِ كلاهُما

والنَّاسُ بينهُما تمرُّ كما تَرَى

والنَّاسُ بينهُما تمرُّ كما تَرَى

Day and night both go by,

A day and a night both pass away

And people pass between them, as you see.

And people between them pass as you see

تحتَ الحَصَى مِمَّن طوَتهُ أرضُنا

تحتَ الحَصَى مِمَّن طوَتهُ أرضُنا

عَدَدٌ يكادُ يزيدُ عن عَدَدِ الحَصَى

عَدَدٌ يكادُ يزيدُ عن عَدَدِ الحَصَى

Beneath the pebbles lie those our earth has enfolded—

Under the pebbles are many whom our land has folded

A number almost exceeding the number of pebbles.

Their number almost exceeds the number of pebbles

لو قامتِ الأمواتُ من أرماسِها

لو قامتِ الأمواتُ من أرماسِها

لم يبقَ مَوْضِعُ وقفةٍ مَعَها لَنا

لم يبقَ مَوْضِعُ وقفةٍ مَعَها لَنا

If the dead rose from their graves,

If the dead rose from their resting places

No room would remain for us to stand alongside them.

No place would remain for us to stand with them

نبني ونَغرِسُ في الدِّيارِ لنازِلٍ

نبني ونَغرِسُ في الدِّيارِ لنازِلٍ

من بعدِها وكذاكَ أسلَفَ من مَضَى

من بعدِها وكذاكَ أسلَفَ من مَضَى

We build and plant in the dwellings for one who will settle

We build and plant in our homes for dwellers

Afterward, as those who passed away did before.

After them and so did those past

ما كانَ أحسَنَ دارَنا لو لم تكُنْ

ما كانَ أحسَنَ دارَنا لو لم تكُنْ

سيموتُ بانيها ويخرَبُ ما بَنَى

سيموتُ بانيها ويخرَبُ ما بَنَى

How lovely our abode would be, were it not that

How good would our house be had it not been

Its builder will die, and what he built will fall to ruin.

That its builder dies and what he built decays

نِعمَ الفَتى من ماتَ وا أسفَا وما

نِعمَ الفَتى من ماتَ وا أسفَا وما

مات النُّواحُ على صِباهُ والبُكا

مات النُّواحُ على صِباهُ والبُكا

A fine youth was he who died—alas! And neither

Best is the youth who died causing grief while not

The wailing for his youth nor the weeping has died.

Lamenters died over his youth and crying

ولَّى وأبقَى حَسرةً لفراقهِ

ولَّى وأبقَى حَسرةً لفراقهِ

كادت تُذيبُ بحرِّها شحمَ الكُلَى

كادت تُذيبُ بحرِّها شحمَ الكُلَى

He departed and left anguish over his parting;

He left and remained a grief for his parting

It almost melted the fat of the kidneys with its heat.

Almost melting the fat of kidneys in its sea

أسفاً على ذاكَ الشَّبابِ فإنَّهُ

أسفاً على ذاكَ الشَّبابِ فإنَّهُ

بدرٌ على أثَر التَّمامِ قد اختفَى

بدرٌ على أثَر التَّمامِ قد اختفَى

Alas for that youth, for it was

Grieving over that youth, for it is

A full moon that vanished just after reaching fullness.

A full moon after perfection that disappeared

ولَّى فكانَ كأنَّهُ في الأرضِ لم

ولَّى فكانَ كأنَّهُ في الأرضِ لم

يُولَد ولكن عاشَ مولودَ السَّما

يُولَد ولكن عاشَ مولودَ السَّما

He departed, and it was as though on earth he had never

He left and it was as if in the earth he

Been born, but had lived as a child of heaven.

Was not born, but lived a heavenly birth

والموتُ ليسَ بغافلٍ في النَّاسِ عَن

والموتُ ليسَ بغافلٍ في النَّاسِ عَن

طِفلٍ ولا شيخٍ يَدِبُّ على العصا

طِفلٍ ولا شيخٍ يَدِبُّ على العصا

And death is not unmindful, among people, of

And death does not neglect among people

A child or an old man hobbling with a staff.

A child or old man creeping on a stick

كلٌّ كصاحِبهِ يموتُ وإنَّما

كلٌّ كصاحِبهِ يموتُ وإنَّما

شَتَّانَ ما بينَ الثُّرَيَّا والثَّرَى

شَتَّانَ ما بينَ الثُّرَيَّا والثَّرَى

Each dies like his fellow, yet

Each is like his companion dying, except

How far apart are the Pleiades and the soil!

Far between are shroud and soil

هذا الذي خُلِقَ الأَنامُ لأجلِهِ

هذا الذي خُلِقَ الأَنامُ لأجلِهِ

ولذاكَ تُدعَى دارُنا دارَ الفَنَا

ولذاكَ تُدعَى دارُنا دارَ الفَنَا

This is what humankind was created for,

This for which people were created

And thus our abode is called the abode of perishing.

And for that our home is called home of extinction

النَّاسُ مَوْتَى في الحياةِ فإنَّ ما

النَّاسُ مَوْتَى في الحياةِ فإنَّ ما

لا بُدَّ أن يأتي يُعَدُّ كما أتى

لا بُدَّ أن يأتي يُعَدُّ كما أتى

People are dead in life, for whatever

People are dead in life, for what

Must come is reckoned as though it has already come.

Must come is counted as it came

من فاتهُ شَرُّ الصَّباحِ فإنَّهُ

من فاتهُ شَرُّ الصَّباحِ فإنَّهُ

لا شَكَّ ليسَ يفوتُهُ شَرُّ المَسا

لا شَكَّ ليسَ يفوتُهُ شَرُّ المَسا

If the morning's evil passes someone by, then

Who missed the evil of morn, no doubt

The evening's evil surely will not pass him by.

Will not miss the evil of eve

أقصَى الجُنونِ إذا تَبصَّرنا بهِ

أقصَى الجُنونِ إذا تَبصَّرنا بهِ

عُمرٌ قصيرٌ غاصَ في طول المُنَى

عُمرٌ قصيرٌ غاصَ في طول المُنَى

The height of madness, if we look closely at it,

Maddest when we reflect, is

Is a short life sunk in long hopes.

Short life diving into the deep of demise

ومن المَساخرِ أنْ تقولَ مُعزِّياً

ومن المَساخرِ أنْ تقولَ مُعزِّياً

عمَّن يموتُ لأهلهِ لكمُ البَقا

عمَّن يموتُ لأهلهِ لكمُ البَقا

And one absurdity is to say, offering condolences,

And of the jests is that you say consoling

To the family of one who dies: 'May you live on.'

For one who dies to his family, "To you is eternity."