لِكُل شَيء إِذا ما تَمَّ نُقصانُ

لِكُل شَيء إِذا ما تَمَّ نُقصانُ

وَكُل قَول مِن العذال بُهتانُ

وَكُل قَول مِن العذال بُهتانُ

For everything, once complete, there is decline.

For all things, when complete, some flaw will show,

And every word from the reproachers is slander.

And every word from the ashamed is false.

فَالعَبد يَشكو إِذا ضَنّ الزَمان وَما

فَالعَبد يَشكو إِذا ضَنّ الزَمان وَما

يَدري حَقيقاً بِأَن اللَه رحمن

يَدري حَقيقاً بِأَن اللَه رحمن

So the servant complains when Time is miserly, and does not

The servant complains when time treats harshly, not

truly know that God is the All-Merciful.

Knowing truly that Allah is Beneficent.

فَالدَهر طوراً تَراه بِالسُرور وَفى

فَالدَهر طوراً تَراه بِالسُرور وَفى

وَلَيسَ فيهِ إِلى الإِنسان أَحزان

وَلَيسَ فيهِ إِلى الإِنسان أَحزان

So, at times, you see Time keeping faith by bringing joy,

Time seems happy for a while,

and in it there are no sorrows for humankind.

In it, no sorrows for man.

وَفي لَيال تَشيم الدَهر ذا حزن

وَفي لَيال تَشيم الدَهر ذا حزن

سُبحان من ذا لَهُ في خَلقه شان

سُبحان من ذا لَهُ في خَلقه شان

And on some nights you behold Time full of grief.

Yet nights make time seem sad,

Glory be to Him who has such dealings with His creation!

Praise Him whose creation has glory.

وَرب خَير أَتاه في رِياض هنا

وَرب خَير أَتاه في رِياض هنا

فَالرَوض بِالغَم وَالأَحزان مَلآن

فَالرَوض بِالغَم وَالأَحزان مَلآن

And many a good man it has visited in gardens of bliss—

A lord's bounty came to him in meadows of bliss,

then the garden is filled with gloom and sorrows.

Yet the meadow filled with gloom and sorrows.

هُوَ الزَمان وَلَكن كَم يَرى ترحاً

هُوَ الزَمان وَلَكن كَم يَرى ترحاً

كَأَنَّهُ لِجَميع السُوء وَزّان

كَأَنَّهُ لِجَميع السُوء وَزّان

It is Time, yet how much sorrow it sees,

It is time, but see how often it seems joyous,

as though it were the weigher of all evil.

As if for all evil it is the weigher.

هَوُ الزَمان إِذا ما رمت تَسأله

هَوُ الزَمان إِذا ما رمت تَسأله

عَن نسبة قال جدي اليَوم مُطران

عَن نسبة قال جدي اليَوم مُطران

It is Time: whenever you wish to ask it

When you ask time for tidings,

about its lineage, it says, 'My grandfather today is a bishop.'

It says, “My grandfather today is made wet by rain.”

يا صاح بَعد إِلى الأَزمان لا تركن

يا صاح بَعد إِلى الأَزمان لا تركن

قَد صَح مَن قالَ إِن الدَهر خوّان

قَد صَح مَن قالَ إِن الدَهر خوّان

O friend, henceforth do not rely on the ages;

Oh you who calls out to time, do not trust it,

he who said that Time is treacherous was indeed right.

True is he who said time is treacherous.

يَجور دَوماً عَلى أَهل الوَفا عَمداً

يَجور دَوماً عَلى أَهل الوَفا عَمداً

وَفيهِ كَم ذا لقي الأَرزاء إِنسان

وَفيهِ كَم ذا لقي الأَرزاء إِنسان

It always wrongs the loyal deliberately,

It wrongs the loyal intentionally,

and in it, how often has a person met calamities!

And in it many met calamities, people.