الجودُ لا يَنفَكُّ حامِدُهُ

الجودُ لا يَنفَكُّ حامِدُهُ

وَالبُخلُ لا يَنفَكُّ لائِمُهُ

وَالبُخلُ لا يَنفَكُّ لائِمُهُ

Generosity never lacks one to praise it,

Generosity never lacks one who praises it;

and miserliness never lacks one to blame it.

And miserliness never lacks one who blames it.

وَالعِلمُ حَيثُ يَصِحُّ عالِمُهُ

وَالعِلمُ حَيثُ يَصِحُّ عالِمُهُ

وَالحِلمُ حَيثُ يَعِفُّ حالِمُهُ

وَالحِلمُ حَيثُ يَعِفُّ حالِمُهُ

Knowledge inevitably accompanies the one who possesses it,

And knowledge lies where its possessor is sound;

and forbearance is found wherever its possessor refrains.

And forbearance lies where its possessor shows restraint.

وَإِذا اِمرُؤٌ كَمَلَت لَهُ شُعَبُ ال

وَإِذا اِمرُؤٌ كَمَلَت لَهُ شُعَبُ ال

تَقوى فَقَد كَمَلَت مَكارِمُهُ

تَقوى فَقَد كَمَلَت مَكارِمُهُ

And when, in a man, all the branches of

And when a man has all the branches of

God-consciousness are perfected, all his noble virtues are perfected.

Piety, his noble qualities are complete.

وَالصِدقُ حِصنٌ دونَ صاحِبِهِ

وَالصِدقُ حِصنٌ دونَ صاحِبِهِ

بُنِيَت عَلى رُشدٍ دَعائِمُهُ

بُنِيَت عَلى رُشدٍ دَعائِمُهُ

Truthfulness is a fortress protecting its keeper;

And truthfulness is a fortress shielding its possessor;

its pillars are built upon right guidance.

Its pillars are built upon right guidance.

وَالمَرءُ لا يَصفو هَواهُ وَلا

وَالمَرءُ لا يَصفو هَواهُ وَلا

يَقوى عَلى خُلُقٍ يُداوِمُهُ

يَقوى عَلى خُلُقٍ يُداوِمُهُ

A man’s passion is never pure, nor can he

And a man's desire is never pure, nor

sustain a single disposition continually.

Can he keep steadily to one disposition.

وَالنَفسُ ذاتُ تَخَلُّقٍ وَبِها

وَالنَفسُ ذاتُ تَخَلُّقٍ وَبِها

عَن نُصحِها داءٌ تُكاتِمُهُ

عَن نُصحِها داءٌ تُكاتِمُهُ

The soul, for all its grace and splendor,

And the soul is given to affectation, and within it

has an illness it conceals from sincere counsel.

Lurks a sickness it conceals, keeping it from sound counsel.

وَاِبنُ التَمائِمِ مِن حَوادِثِ رَي

وَاِبنُ التَمائِمِ مِن حَوادِثِ رَي

بِ الدَهرِ لا تُغني تَمائِمُهُ

بِ الدَهرِ لا تُغني تَمائِمُهُ

And the child hung with amulets against the calamities

And the child hung with amulets—against the blows

of fate—his amulets avail him nothing.

Of fickle Time, his amulets are of no avail.

وَالدَهرُ يُسلِمُ مَن يَكونَ لَهُ

وَالدَهرُ يُسلِمُ مَن يَكونَ لَهُ

سَلِماً وَيُرغِمُ مَن يُراغِمُهُ

سَلِماً وَيُرغِمُ مَن يُراغِمُهُ

Time leaves unharmed whoever is at peace with it,

And Time abandons whoever is

and brings low whoever contends against it.

At peace with it, and humbles whoever defies it.

وَلَقَد بَليتُ وَكُنتُ مُطَّرِفاً

وَلَقَد بَليتُ وَكُنتُ مُطَّرِفاً

وَالشَيءُ يُخلِقُهُ تَقادُمُهُ

وَالشَيءُ يُخلِقُهُ تَقادُمُهُ

I indeed have grown worn, though once I lived in luxury;

And I have indeed grown worn, though once I was fresh;

a thing is worn out by the long passage of its years.

And a thing's advancing age wears it out.

وَكَأَنَّ طَعمَ العَيشِ حينَ مَضى

وَكَأَنَّ طَعمَ العَيشِ حينَ مَضى

حُلُمٌ يُحَدِّثُ عَنهُ حالِمُهُ

حُلُمٌ يُحَدِّثُ عَنهُ حالِمُهُ

And once it has passed, the taste of life is as though

And the savor of life, once gone, is like

a dream recounted by the one who dreamed it.

A dream its dreamer recounts.

يا رُبَّ جيلٍ قَد سَمِعتُ بِهِ

يا رُبَّ جيلٍ قَد سَمِعتُ بِهِ

وَرَأَيتُ قَد هَمَدَت خَضارِمُهُ

وَرَأَيتُ قَد هَمَدَت خَضارِمُهُ

Many a generation have I heard of,

Ah, how many a generation I have heard of

and seen its mighty men fall still.

And seen how its mighty men have fallen still!

وَجَميعُ ما نَلهو بِهِ مَرَحاً

وَجَميعُ ما نَلهو بِهِ مَرَحاً

مِن لَذَّةٍ فَالمَوتُ هادِمُهُ

مِن لَذَّةٍ فَالمَوتُ هادِمُهُ

And all the pleasure in which we revel, exulting—

And all that we revel in with joy

death is its destroyer.

By way of pleasure—death destroys it.

وَالناسُ في رَتعِ الغُرورِ كَما

وَالناسُ في رَتعِ الغُرورِ كَما

رَتَعَت حِمى المَرعى بَهائِمُهُ

رَتَعَت حِمى المَرعى بَهائِمُهُ

People graze freely in the pastures of delusion, just as

And people graze in delusion, just as

beasts graze freely in the pasture’s protected range.

The pasture's beasts graze its protected grounds.

كُلٌّ لَهُ أَجَلٌ يُراوِغُهُ

كُلٌّ لَهُ أَجَلٌ يُراوِغُهُ

وَيَحيدُ عَنهُ وَهوَ لازِمُهُ

وَيَحيدُ عَنهُ وَهوَ لازِمُهُ

Each person has an appointed term he tries to evade,

Each has an appointed end he tries to evade,

and swerves away from it, though it clings to him.

And turns aside from it, though it clings to him.

يا ذا النَدامَةِ عِندَ ميتَتِهِ

يا ذا النَدامَةِ عِندَ ميتَتِهِ

وَالمَوتُ لَيسَ يُقالُ نادِمُهُ

وَالمَوتُ لَيسَ يُقالُ نادِمُهُ

O you who feel regret at the hour of your death—

O you who will feel remorse at your death—

death is not stayed by saying, “He regrets it.”

Yet death grants no reprieve to one who regrets it.

أَمّا المُقِلُّ فَأَنتَ تَحقِرُهُ

أَمّا المُقِلُّ فَأَنتَ تَحقِرُهُ

فَإِذا اِستَراشَ فَأَنتَ خادِمُهُ

فَإِذا اِستَراشَ فَأَنتَ خادِمُهُ

As for the poor man, you despise him;

As for the man of little means, you despise him;

but once he grows feathers, you become his servant.

But once he gains wealth, you become his servant.

ما بالُ يَومِكَ لا تُعِدُّ لَهُ

ما بالُ يَومِكَ لا تُعِدُّ لَهُ

فَلَيَقدَمَنَّ عَلَيكَ قادِمُهُ

فَلَيَقدَمَنَّ عَلَيكَ قادِمُهُ

What of your Day, that you make no provision for it?

What of your day—why do you not prepare for it?

For what is coming of it will surely come upon you.

For that day's arrival will surely be upon you.

رَقَدَت عُيونُ الظالِمينَ وَلَم

رَقَدَت عُيونُ الظالِمينَ وَلَم

تَرقُد لِمَظلومٍ مَظالِمُهُ

تَرقُد لِمَظلومٍ مَظالِمُهُ

The eyes of the oppressors slept, but

The eyes of the oppressors have slept, yet

the wrongs suffered by the oppressed did not sleep.

The wrongs suffered by the oppressed have not slept.

وَالصُبحُ يُغبَنُ فيهِ لاعِبُهُ

وَالصُبحُ يُغبَنُ فيهِ لاعِبُهُ

وَاللَيلُ يُغبَنُ فيهِ نائِمُهُ

وَاللَيلُ يُغبَنُ فيهِ نائِمُهُ

At dawn, whoever played through it is the loser;

And whoever plays away the morning loses out,

at night, whoever slept through it is the loser.

And whoever sleeps away the night loses out.

وَمَنِ اِعتَدى فَاللَهُ خاذِلُهُ

وَمَنِ اِعتَدى فَاللَهُ خاذِلُهُ

وَمَنِ اِتَّقى فَاللَهُ عاصِمُهُ

وَمَنِ اِتَّقى فَاللَهُ عاصِمُهُ

Whoever transgresses, God will forsake him;

And whoever transgresses, God forsakes him;

whoever fears God, God will protect him.

And whoever is God-fearing, God protects him.