يا ويلَ مَن أَغفَلَ ذِكرَ المَنُون

يا ويلَ مَن أَغفَلَ ذِكرَ المَنُون

واغترَّ بالكائنِ عَمَّا يَكُون

واغترَّ بالكائنِ عَمَّا يَكُون

Woe to whoever neglects the remembrance of death

Oh woe to those who neglect death's memory

and is beguiled by what is, heedless of what will be.

And are deluded by the present from what is to come

الموتُ حَقٌّ ما لهُ جاحدٌ

الموتُ حَقٌّ ما لهُ جاحدٌ

فانتبِهوا يا أَيُّها الغافلون

فانتبِهوا يا أَيُّها الغافلون

Death is certain; no one denies it.

Death is the truth, it has no denier

So awaken, O heedless ones!

So be alert, O you who are heedless

كما يَمُرُّ اليومُ ياتي غَدٌ

كما يَمُرُّ اليومُ ياتي غَدٌ

كذلكَ الأَشهُرُ ثُمَّ السِنُون

كذلكَ الأَشهُرُ ثُمَّ السِنُون

As today passes, tomorrow comes;

As the day passes another comes

likewise the months, then the years.

And so the months, then the years

والمَرءُ في الدُنيا كحرفِ الهِجا

والمَرءُ في الدُنيا كحرفِ الهِجا

ما بينَ تحريكٍ لهُ أو سُكُون

ما بينَ تحريكٍ لهُ أو سُكُون

And a person in this world is like a letter of the alphabet,

And man in life is like a letter

either set in motion by a vowel or left still.

Between being vocalized or still

ما فازَ بالأُخرَى سِوَى زاهدٍ

ما فازَ بالأُخرَى سِوَى زاهدٍ

مَصاعبُ الموتِ لديهِ تَهُون

مَصاعبُ الموتِ لديهِ تَهُون

None wins the hereafter but an ascetic,

None has succeeded in the hereafter except the ascetic

for whom death's hardships grow light.

For him death's difficulties are easy

ما مَضَّهُ يومَ المَنا لَذَّةٌ

ما مَضَّهُ يومَ المَنا لَذَّةٌ

يَعدَمُها او ثَروةٌ او بَنُون

يَعدَمُها او ثَروةٌ او بَنُون

On the day of death, he is pained by no pleasure

No pleasure he had on death's day

he loses, nor by riches or sons.

Be it wealth, sons or delight

يَذُمُّ ذي الدُنيا أَحِبَّاؤُها

يَذُمُّ ذي الدُنيا أَحِبَّاؤُها

لكنَّهم ليسَ لها يَترُكُون

لكنَّهم ليسَ لها يَترُكُون

Its lovers revile this world,

Those who love this life curse it

yet they do not forsake it.

But they cannot leave it

وقلَّ مَن أَبعَدَ عنها وما

وقلَّ مَن أَبعَدَ عنها وما

تَحرَّكَت منهُ اليها الشُجُون

تَحرَّكَت منهُ اليها الشُجُون

And few withdraw from it without

And few have shunned it though desires

their yearnings stirring toward it.

For it stirred not their passions

يَرُوقُهم غَضُّ جَناها وكَم

يَرُوقُهم غَضُّ جَناها وكَم

جَنَوا جِناياتٍ بما يَجتَنُون

جَنَوا جِناياتٍ بما يَجتَنُون

Its tender fruit delights them; and how many

Its forbidden fruit tempts them, and how much

crimes they have committed through what they harvest!

Evil they harvest from what they covet

يَخالُها عُشَّاقُها طِفلةً

يَخالُها عُشَّاقُها طِفلةً

وإِنَّني عاينتُها حَيزَبُون

وإِنَّني عاينتُها حَيزَبُون

Her lovers imagine her a young girl,

Its lovers think it an infant

yet I have seen her as an old crone.

Yet I have seen it as a hag

يا أَيُّها القَومُ الذينَ امتَطَوا

يا أَيُّها القَومُ الذينَ امتَطَوا

خيلَ المَساوِي وهُمُ راكضون

خيلَ المَساوِي وهُمُ راكضون

O people who have mounted

O people who rode the steeds of plains

the steeds of vice and ride at a gallop,

While they galloped

هَلَّا اعتبرتُم بالقُرُونِ الأُولى

هَلَّا اعتبرتُم بالقُرُونِ الأُولى

مَرَّت وها نحنُ لها ذاكرون

مَرَّت وها نحنُ لها ذاكرون

why have you not taken heed of the generations of old?

Why not take heed from past generations

They have passed, and here we are, remembering them.

Long gone, though we recall them

لم يَعشَقِ الدُنيا سِوَى مُومِسٍ

لم يَعشَقِ الدُنيا سِوَى مُومِسٍ

مُشتَّتِ المعقولِ فيهِ جُنون

مُشتَّتِ المعقولِ فيهِ جُنون

None has loved this world but a debauchee,

None loved the world save the immoral

his reason scattered, madness within him.

Insanity in reason makes havoc

يَرَونَ ما فيها ويَهوَونَها

يَرَونَ ما فيها ويَهوَونَها

كأَنَّهم من حُبِّها في دُجون

كأَنَّهم من حُبِّها في دُجون

They see what is in it and love it,

They see the evil in it yet desire it

as though their love of it leaves them in darkness.

As if imprisoned by love of it

لم يَعلَموا ما الخيرُ جهلاً بهِ

لم يَعلَموا ما الخيرُ جهلاً بهِ

لكنَّهم للشرّ فيهم فُنون

لكنَّهم للشرّ فيهم فُنون

They do not know what goodness is, ignorant of it,

They knew not good through ignorance of it

yet within them are many arts of evil.

But in evil they are well-versed

ان يَصمُتوا فالخُبثُ في طَيِّهم

ان يَصمُتوا فالخُبثُ في طَيِّهم

وان رَوَوا يوماً فهم آفِكُون

وان رَوَوا يوماً فهم آفِكُون

If they keep silent, malice lies concealed within them,

If silent, malice cloaks their core

and if they ever tell a tale, they are liars.

And when they speak, they spread pollution

قد يُنكِرونَ الشِركَ لكنهم

قد يُنكِرونَ الشِركَ لكنهم

في حُبِّ دُنياهم هُمُ المُشرِكُون

في حُبِّ دُنياهم هُمُ المُشرِكُون

They may condemn idolatry, yet

They may deny polytheism, but they

in their love of their world they are themselves idolaters.

Are idolaters in love of their world

وليسَ يَخشَونَ قَضا رَبِّهِم

وليسَ يَخشَونَ قَضا رَبِّهِم

وأَمرُهُ ما بينَ كافٍ ونُون

وأَمرُهُ ما بينَ كافٍ ونُون

And they do not fear their Lord's decree,

Fearing not their Lord's decree

and His command lies between the letters kāf and nūn.

His command between kaf and noon

يَرُدُّ عبدٌ طاعَ رَبَّ العُلَى

يَرُدُّ عبدٌ طاعَ رَبَّ العُلَى

قَرنَ الضُحَى مثل يشوعَ بنِ نُون

قَرنَ الضُحَى مثل يشوعَ بنِ نُون

A servant who obeys the Lord on high turns back

A servant who obeyed the Lord Most High

the morning sun's horn, like Joshua son of Nun.

Like Yusha ibn Noon at dawn

لم تُؤلَفِ التقوَى بربِّ الهَوَى

لم تُؤلَفِ التقوَى بربِّ الهَوَى

بينهما بَونٌ كضَبٍّ ونُون

بينهما بَونٌ كضَبٍّ ونُون

Piety has never been joined to a devotee of desire;

Righteousness is not found in love of lust

between them lies a gulf, as between a desert lizard and a fish.

Between them a gulf like dab and noon