لَتَجدَعَنَّ المَنايا كُلَّ عِرنينِ

لَتَجدَعَنَّ المَنايا كُلَّ عِرنينِ

وَالسَلقُ يَفنى بِتَحريكٍ وَتَسكينِ

وَالسَلقُ يَفنى بِتَحريكٍ وَتَسكينِ

Death will surely cut off every proud nose.

Death will surely cut off every nose.

And the sharp-tongued one will perish, whether speaking or silent.

And chard perishes through movement and stillness.

إِن كانَ عِلمُ اِمرِئٍ في طولِ تَجرِبَةٍ

إِن كانَ عِلمُ اِمرِئٍ في طولِ تَجرِبَةٍ

فَإِنَّ دونَ الَّذي جَرَّبتُ يَكفيني

فَإِنَّ دونَ الَّذي جَرَّبتُ يَكفيني

If a person’s knowledge comes from long experience,

If a person's knowledge lies in long experience,

then less than all I have experienced should suffice me.

then less than what I have experienced suffices for me.

إِنّي لَأَقبَلُ مِن نَفسي المُنى طَمَعاً

إِنّي لَأَقبَلُ مِن نَفسي المُنى طَمَعاً

وَالنَفسُ تَكذِبُني فيما تُمَنّيني

وَالنَفسُ تَكذِبُني فيما تُمَنّيني

Yet, out of longing, I accept the hopes my own soul offers me,

Indeed, I accept hopes from my soul out of greed,

though the soul lies to me in what it makes me hope for.

and the soul lies to me in the hopes it holds out to me.

وَمِن عَلامَةِ تَضيِيعي لِآخِرَتي

وَمِن عَلامَةِ تَضيِيعي لِآخِرَتي

أَن صِرتُ تُغضِبُني الدُنيا وَتُرضيني

أَن صِرتُ تُغضِبُني الدُنيا وَتُرضيني

One sign that I am squandering my Hereafter

And one sign of my neglect of my hereafter

is that I have become one whom the world angers and pleases.

is that I have come to be angered and pleased by this world.

يا مَن تَشَرَّفَ بِالدُنيا وَطينَتِها

يا مَن تَشَرَّفَ بِالدُنيا وَطينَتِها

لَيسَ التَشَرُّفُ رَفعَ الطينِ بِالطينِ

لَيسَ التَشَرُّفُ رَفعَ الطينِ بِالطينِ

O you who take pride in the world and its clay,

O you who have gained honor through this world and its clay,

true distinction is not clay’s raising clay.

honor is not raising clay with clay.

إِذا أَرَدتَ شَريفَ الناسِ كُلَّهُمُ

إِذا أَرَدتَ شَريفَ الناسِ كُلَّهُمُ

فَاِنظُر إِلى مَلِكٍ في زِيِّ مَسكينِ

فَاِنظُر إِلى مَلِكٍ في زِيِّ مَسكينِ

If you wish to behold the noblest of all people,

If you seek the noble one among all people,

look upon a king dressed as a pauper.

then look at a king in a poor man's garb.

ذاكَ الَّذي عَظُمَت في اللَهِ حُرمَتُهُ

ذاكَ الَّذي عَظُمَت في اللَهِ حُرمَتُهُ

وَذاكَ يَصلِحُ لِلدُنيا وَلِلدينِ

وَذاكَ يَصلِحُ لِلدُنيا وَلِلدينِ

That is the one whose inviolable dignity is great in God’s sight,

That is the one whose honor is great in God's sight,

and that is the one fit for both worldly affairs and religion.

and that one is fit for this world and for religion.