[359] 13.
The rain pours down upon what is covered;
it does not pour down upon what is open.
Therefore open up what is covered:
thus the rain will not pour down upon it.
The world is smitten by death,
hemmed in by aging,
pierced by the dart of craving (taṇhā),
ever smoldering with desire.
The world is smitten by death
and encircled by aging;
shelterless, it is constantly struck,
like a thief who has received the rod of punishment.
They come on like advancing masses of fire —
these three: death, disease, and aging;
there is no strength to confront them,
no speed by which to flee.
One should make the day not fruitless,
whether by little or by much;
for however much the night bears away,
by just so much is one's life diminished.
Whether one is walking or standing,
sitting or lying down,
the final night draws near:
you have no time to be negligent.
Sirimaṇḍa the Thera.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.