1. O swimmer who dives boldly into the deep
Where is the brave horseman and warrior?

2. Fate gave him in life what he sought
Then came upon him a firm decree

3. Can the whale feel safe from the spears
That the hunter will seize him in his net?

4. Or the camel feel secure in the sky
That the lurking foe won't make him his prey?

5. If Mars had any wit he would know
That in the end he is bound to fade

6. The youth takes the advice of elders
As though it came from one of his own

7. The guide deceives me by his claim
And ruin comes if the guide's untrue

8. Goodness is never lost so let the Muslim
The Sabian and the lapsed do what is right

9. The gifts of days are joys to be cherished
He who lacks them is deprived of delight

10. Cast off your worldly goods for nothing lasts
Neither faulty possessions nor surplus store

11. On the path of destruction no distinction
Between the mighty and the common folk

12. Only the courageous dare the chaos of war
As the warrior faces the coward's retreat

13. Desires are pruned by destiny's shears
As this branch I lop off is pruned of excess

14. If the deceased but knew what news we hold
No reproached would be aimed at the dead

15. The mansion is built for those who dwell there
Not for one who comes to tear it down