Durr-e-Sameen

O you who sleep! Wake up—springtime is at hand;
Behold, at the threshold of my existence, Our Friend does here now stand

Worthless was the life that remained devoid of Him!
Accursed the living which diverged from Him

Witnessing Him—through His wonders—is the real goal;
And Paradise—to find Him through an enriched soul

O lovers of this world's life! Tis' not the abode of forever;
Generation after generation—those before you—death from this world did sever

Go, cast a glance at your ancestors' graves;
And ponder, where your ancestors all went, in waves

That day will arrive when you, too, will return to dust;
One day, the morning of life will turn to dusk

That day will come when a funeral—yours—will be readied, to proceed;
And your well wishers—having buried your body—to their homes they'll recede

O people! The allures of this life will one day, coolly, leave your side;
Do you never ponder that, in this world, you won't forever reside?

Ever wondered whereto your father and forefathers went away?
Who summoned them all, why didn't in this world they stay?

Such a day will soon fall to your lot;
Merriment of this life ceases quickly, unraveling life's knot

Seek, then, the way whereby your soul is unburdened—arise, purified;
Yield, hereto, laying down arms of vain desires—stand, unfortified