وَقَالَ (عليه السلام):
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said:
إِنَّمَا الْمَرْءُ فِى الدُّنْيَا غَرَضٌ تَنْتَضِلُ فِيهِ الْمَنَايَا
In this world man is the target towards which the arrows of death fly,
وَ نَهْبٌ تُبَادِرُهُ الْمَصَائِبُ
and is like that wealth whose destruction is quickened by hard ships.
وَ مَعَ كُلِّ جُرْعَةٍ شَرَقٌ
(In this world) with every drink there is suffocation
وَ فِى كُلِّ أَكْلَةٍ غَصَصٌ
and with every morsel there is choking.
وَ لَا يَنَالُ الْعَبْدُ نِعْمَةً
Here no one gets anything
إِلَّا بِفِرَاقِ أُخْرَى
unless he loses something else,
وَ لَا يَسْتَقْبِلُ يَوْماً مِنْ عُمُرِهِ
and not a day of his age advances
إِلَّا بِفِرَاقِ آخَرَ مِنْ أَجَلِهِ
till a day passes out from his life.
فَنَحْنُ أَعْوَانُ الْمَنُونِ
Thus, we are helpers of death
وَ أَنْفُسُنَا نَصْبُ الْحُتُوفِ
and our lives are the targets of mortality.
فَمِنْ أَيْنَ نَرْجُو الْبَقَاءَ
How then can we expect everlasting life
وَ هَذَا اللَّيْلُ وَ النَّهَارُ
since the night and day
لَمْ يَرْفَعَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ شَرَفاً
do not raise anything high
إِلَّا أَسْرَعَا الْكَرَّةَ فِى هَدْمِ مَا بَنَيَا
without quickly arranging for the destruction of whatever they have built
وَ تَفْرِيقِ مَا جَمَعَا .
and for the splitting asunder of whatever they have joined together.
