1. زيادَةُ المَرء في دُنياهُ نقصانُ

    وربْحُهُ غَيرَ محض الخَير خُسرانُ

    A man's increase in worldly wealth is but a loss,

    and profit not alloyed with pure goodness is ruin.

  2. وكُل وِجدانِ حَظٍّ لاثَباتَ لَهُ

    فإنَّ مَعناهُ في التَّحقيق فِقْدانُ

    Every share of fortune that cannot endure

    means, in truth, deprivation.

  3. يا عامِراً لخَرابِ الدَّهرِ مُجتهِداً

    تاللهِ هل لخَرابِ الدَّهرِ عُمرانُ

    O diligent restorer of the ruin wrought by time—

    by God, can what time has ruined ever be rebuilt?

  4. ويا حَريصاً على الأموالِ يَجمَعُنا

    أنْسِيتَ أنَّ سُرورَ المالِ أحْزانُ

    O you so eager to amass riches,

    have you forgotten that wealth's delights are sorrows?

  5. زَعِ الفؤادَ عنِ الدُّنيا وزُخْرُفِها

    فصَفْوُها كَدَرٌ والوَصلُ هِجْرانُ

    Turn your heart from this world and its adornment:

    its seeming purity is turbid, and its fellowship estrangement.

  6. وأَرعِ سَمعَكَ أمثالاً أُفَصِّلُها

    كما يُفَصَّلُ يَاقوتٌ ومَرْجانُ

    Lend your ear to proverbs I shall set forth distinctly,

    as rubies and coral are set apart.

  7. أحسِنْ إلى النّاسِ تَستَعبِدْ قُلوبَهُمُ

    فطالَما استبَعدَ الإنسانَ إحسانُ

    Do good to people and you will enslave their hearts;

    how often kindness has enslaved humankind.

  8. وإنْ أساءَ مُسيءٌ فلْيَكنْ لكَ في

    عُروضِ زَلَّتِهِ صَفْحٌ وغُفرانُ

    If a wrongdoer wrongs you, let your response,

    when his foot slips, be pardon and forgiveness.

  9. وكُنْ على الدَّهر مِعواناً لذي أمَلٍ

    يَرجو نَداكَ فإنَّ الحُرَّ مِعْوانُ

    Throughout all time, be a helper to the hopeful

    who seeks your bounty—for the noble are helpers.

  10. واشدُدْ يَدْيكَ بحَبلِ الدِّينِ مُعتَصِماً

    فإنَّهُ الرُّكْنُ إنْ خانَتْكَ أركانُ

    Grasp with both hands the cord of faith, holding fast,

    for it is the pillar when all your pillars betray you.

  11. مَنْ يَتَّقِ الله يُحْمَدُ في عَواقِبِه

    وَيكفِهِ شَرَّ مَنْ عزُّوا ومَنْ هانُوا

    Whoever fears God will be praised in his final outcomes,

    and He will spare him the evil of the mighty and the lowly.

  12. مَنِ استعانَ بغَيرِ اللهِ في طَلَبٍ

    فإنَّ ناصِرَهُ عَجزٌ وخِذْلانُ

    Whoever seeks another's aid instead of God's in some pursuit—

    his helpers will prove helplessness and abandonment.

  13. مَنْ كانَ للخَيرِ مَنّاعاً فليسَ لَهُ

    على الحَقِيقَةِ إخوانٌ وأخْدانُ

    Whoever habitually withholds goodness will truly have

    neither brothers nor intimate friends.

  14. مَنْ جادَ بالمالِ مالَ النَّاسُ قاطِبَةٌ

    إلَيهِ والمالُ للإنسان فَتّالُ

    Whoever gives wealth freely wins all people over;

    toward him they incline, for wealth sorely tempts mankind.

  15. مَنْ سالَمَ النّاسَ يسلَمْ من غوائِلِهمْ

    وعاشَ وَهْوَ قَريرُ العَينِ جَذْلانُ

    Whoever lives peaceably with people is safe from their snares

    and lives delighted, serene of eye.

  16. مَنْ كانَ للعَقلِ سُلطانٌ عَلَيهِ غَدا

    وما على نَفسِهِ للحِرْصِ سُلطانُ

    Whoever makes reason a ruler over himself will become rightly guided,

    while greed will hold no dominion over his soul.

  17. مَنْ مّدَّ طَرْفاً بفَرطِ الجَهلِن نحو هَوىً

    أغضى على الحَقِّ يَوماً وهْوَ خَزْيانُ

    Whoever, through sheer ignorance, turns his gaze toward desire

    will one day close his eyes to truth and stand disgraced.

  18. مَنْ عاشَرَ النّاسَ لاقى مِنهُمُ نَصبَاً

    لأنَّ سوسَهُمُ بَغْيٌ وعُدْوانُ

    Whoever associates with people meets hardship from them,

    for their ingrained nature is oppression and aggression.

  19. ومَنْ يُفَتِّشْ عنِ الإخوانِ يقلِهِمْ

    فَجُلُّ إخْوانِ هَذا العَصرِ خَوّانُ

    Whoever searches closely among brothers will find them few:

    most brothers of this age are traitors.

  20. منِ استشارَ صُروفَ الدَّهرِ قامَ لهُ

    على حقيقةِ طَبعِ بُرهانُ

    Whoever studies the vicissitudes of time will find arising for him

    a proof of time's true nature.

  21. مَنْ يَزْرَعِ الشَّرَّ يَحصُدْ في عواقبِهِ

    نَدامَةً ولِحَصدِ الزَّرْعِ إبّانُ

    Whoever sows evil will reap in its aftermath

    regret—for every harvest has its appointed season.

  22. مَنِ استَنامَ إلى الأشرار نامَ وفي

    قَميصِهِ مِنهُمُ صِلُّ وثُعْبانُ

    Whoever sleeps trustingly among the wicked sleeps while

    inside his shirt are a viper and a serpent.

  23. كُنْ رَيَّقَ البِشْرِ إنْ الحُرَّ هِمَّتُهُ

    صَحيفَةٌ وعَلَيها البِشْرُ عُنْوانُ

    Be radiant of countenance; the noble person's aspiration

    is a page whose heading is cheerfulness.

  24. ورافِقِ الرَّفْقَ في كُلَّ الأمورِ فلَمْ

    يندّمْ رَفيقٌ ولم يذمُمْهُ إنسانُ

    Keep gentleness as your companion in every affair:

    a companion of gentleness never regrets it, nor does anyone condemn him.

  25. ولا يَغُرُّكَ حَظُّ جَرَّهْ خرقٌ

    فالخُرْقُ هَدمٌ ورِفقُ المَرءِ بُنْيانُ

    Do not be deceived by a stroke of fortune brought by recklessness:

    recklessness destroys, while a person's gentleness builds.

  26. أحسِنْ إذا كانَ إمكانٌ ومَقدِرهٌ

    فلن يَدومَ على الإنسانِ إمكانُ

    Do good whenever means and power permit,

    for no person's means endure forever.

  27. والرَّوضُ يَزدانُ بالنُّوَّارِ فاغِمةً

    والحُرُّ بالأصلِ والإحسانِ يَزْدانُ

    The garden is adorned with blossoms—seize the hour;

    the noble are adorned by lineage and beneficence.

  28. صُنْ حُرَّ وَجهِكَ لا تهتِكْ غْلائلَهُ

    فكُلُّ حُرٍّ لُحرَّ الوَجهِ صَوّانُ

    Guard the inviolable honor of your face; do not tear its veils,

    for every noble person guards another's honor.

  29. وإنْ لقِتَ عدُوّاً فَالْقَهُ أبَداً

    والوَجهُ بالبِشْرِ والإشراقِ غَضّانُ

    When you meet an enemy, always meet him

    with a face fresh in cheerfulness and radiance.

  30. دَعِ التكاسُلَ في الخَيراتِ تطلُبها

    فليسَ يسعَدُ بالخَيراتِ كَسْلانُ

    Cast off indolence while seeking good deeds,

    for the indolent never prospers through good.

  31. لا ظِلَّ للمَرءِ يعرى من تُقىً ونُهىً

    وإن أظلَّتْهُ أوراقٌ وأغصانُ

    A man stripped of piety and wisdom has no shade,

    even if leaves and branches cast shade upon him.

  32. فالنّاسُ أعوانُ مَنْ وَالتْهُ دولَتُهُ

    وهُمْ علَيهِ إذا عادَتْهُ أعوانُ

    People support the man whom fortune befriends,

    and they turn against him when fortune turns hostile.

  33. سَحْبانُ من غَيرِ مالٍ باقِلٌ حَصراً

    وباقِلٌ في ثَراءِ المالِ سَحْبانُ

    Without abundant wealth, eloquent Saḥbān becomes tongue-tied Bāqil;

    amid abundant wealth, Bāqil becomes Saḥbān.

  34. لا تُودِعِ السَّرَّ وَشّاءً يبوحُ بهِ

    فما رعى غَنَماً في الدَّوِّ سِرْحانُ

    Do not entrust a secret to a slanderer who will divulge it:

    no wolf ever tended sheep in the wilderness.

  35. لا تَحسِبِ النَّاسَ طَبْعاً واحِداً فَلهُمْ

    غرائزٌ لسْتَ تُحصِيها وَأكْنانٌ

    Do not suppose that people share one nature; they possess

    dispositions beyond your counting and hidden traits.

  36. ما كُلُّ ماءٍ كصَدّاءٍ لوارِدِه

    نَعَمْ ولا كُلُّ نَبْتٍ فهو سَعْدانُ

    Not every water is the famed spring Ṣadāʾ to a thirsty visitor;

    indeed, not every plant is sweet Saʿdān.

  37. لا تَخدِشَنَّ بِمَطْلٍٍ وَجْهَ عارِفَةٍ

    فالبِرُّ يَخدِشُهُ مَطْلٌ ولَيّانُ

    Do not mar with delay the face of a favor freely given:

    kindness is disfigured by delay and procrastination.

  38. لا تَستشِرْ غيرَ نَدْبٍ حازِمٍ يَقِظٍ

    قدِ اسْتَوى مِنهُ إسْرارٌ وإعْلانُ

    Consult none but an able, resolute, vigilant man

    whose private and public selves are alike.

  39. فللِتدابيرِ فُرْسانٌ إذا ركَضوا

    فيها أبَرُّوا كما للِحَربِ فُرْسانُ

    Strategy has its horsemen who, when they charge into it,

    excel just as the battlefield has its horsemen.

  40. وللامُورِ مَواقيتٌ مُقَدَّرَةٌ

    وكُلُّ أمرٍ لهُ حَدُّ ومِيزانُ

    Affairs have appointed times, predetermined,

    and every matter has a limit and a measure.

  41. فلا تكُنْ عَجِلاً في الأمرِ تطلُبُهُ

    فليسَ يُحمَدُ قبل النُّضْجِ بُحْرانُ

    Do not rush headlong into the matter you seek,

    for unripe dates are not praised before they mature.

  42. كفى مِنَ العيشِ ما قدْ سَدَّ من عَوَزٍ

    وفيهِ للحُرِّقُنْيانٌ وغُنيانُ

    Enough of life is whatever truly meets one's need;

    in that, the free-born find contentment and sufficiency.

  43. وذو القَناعَةِ ؤاضٍ في مَعيشَتِهِ

    وصاحبُ الحِرْصِ إن أثرى فَغَضبْانُ

    The contented man is pleased with his livelihood,

    while the greedy man, even when enriched, is angry.

  44. حَسْبُ الفتى عقلُهُ خِلاًّ يُعاشِرُهُ

    إذا تحاماهُ إخوانٌ وخُلاّنُ

    A young man's reason suffices as a friend to keep him company

    when brothers and intimate companions shun him.

  45. هُما رضيعا لِبانٍ حِكَمةٌ وتُقىً

    وساكِنا وَطَنٍ مالٌ وطُغْيانُ

    Wisdom and piety are two nurslings of the same milk;

    wealth and tyranny are two dwellers in a single homeland.

  46. إذا نَبا بكريمٍ موطِنٌ فلَهُ

    وراءهُ في سَنَةٍ فالدّهرُ يَقظانُ

    When a homeland rejects a noble man, there remain for him

    beyond it, throughout time, other homelands.

  47. ما استَمْرأ الظُّلْمَ لو أنصْتَ آكِلُهُ

    وهلْ يلَذُّ مَذاقٌ وهْوَ خُطْبانُ

    No devourer of injustice could savor it, if only he listened;

    how can a taste be sweet when it is grievous?

  48. يا أيُّها العَالِمُ المَرضِيُّ سيرَتُهُ

    أبشِرْ فأنتَ بغَيرِ الماءِ رَيانُ

    O learned man whose conduct wins approval,

    rejoice: without water, you are fully quenched.

  49. ويا أخَا الجَهلِ قد أصبَحْتَ في لُجَجٍ

    وأنتَ ما بينَها لاشَكَّ عَطْشانُ

    O brother of ignorance, you have entered surging depths,

    yet amid them—make no mistake—you are thirsty.

  50. لا تحسِبَنَّ سُروراً دائماً أبَداً

    مَنْ سَرَّهُ زمَنٌ ساءتْهُ أزمانُ

    Never suppose that happiness lasts forever:

    whomever one age delights, other ages will grieve.

  51. يا رافِلاً في الشَّبابِ الوَحْفِ مُنتشِياً

    مِنْ كأسِهِ هلْ أصابَ الُّشْدَ نَشْوانُ

    O you strutting amid lush youth, drunk

    from its cup—has a drunkard ever attained right guidance?

  52. لا تَغتَرِرْ بشَبابٍ وارِفٍ خَضِلٍ

    فكَمْ تَقدَّمَ قَبَ الشّيْبِ شُبّانُ

    Do not be beguiled by luxuriant, flourishing, dewy youth:

    how many young men departed before their hair turned gray.

  53. ويا أخَا الشَّيبِ لو ناصَحتَ نفسَكَ لم

    يكُنْ لمثِلكَ في الإسرافِِ إمعانُ

    O gray-haired man, had you counseled yourself sincerely,

    one like you would not persist in excess.

  54. هبِ الشَّبيبَةَ تُبْلي عُذرَ صاحبها

    ما عُذْرُ أشَيبَ يَستهويهِ شَيْطانُ

    Grant that youth's decay may excuse its possessor—

    what excuse has a graybeard whom Satan leads astray?

  55. كُلُّ الذُّنوبِ فإنَّ الله يغفِرها

    إن شَيَّعَ المَرءَ إخلاصٌ وإيمانُ

    Every sin God may forgive,

    if sincerity and faith accompany the sinner.

  56. وكُلُّ كَسْرٍ فإنَّ الله يَجبُرُهُ

    وما لِكَسرِ قَناةِ الدِّينِ جُبْرانُ

    Every fracture God may mend,

    but a broken pillar of faith admits no mending.

  57. إذا جَفاكَ خليلٌ كنتَ تألفُهُ

    فاطلُبْ سِواهُ فَكُلُّ النَّاسِ إخوانُ

    If a friend you once cherished treats you coldly,

    seek another: all people may become brothers.

  58. وإن نّبَتْ بِكَ أوطانٌ نَشَأُتَ بها

    فارحَلْ فكلُّ بِلادِ اللهِ أوطانُ

    If the homelands where you grew up reject you,

    depart—for every land of God may be a homeland.

  59. والصّداِقُ البرُّ في الدُّنيا مُسَيْلمَةٌ

    والأحَمَقُ الغُرُّ في النَّعْماءِ لُقمانُ

    Truth and righteousness in this world are deemed Musaylima;

    while a foolish naïf amid prosperity is deemed Luqman.

  60. فأكْيَسُ النّاسِ مَنْ في كيسِهِ كِسَرٌ

    لا مَنْ يُمَدُّ له في الفَضلِ مَيْدانُ

    The shrewdest man is he whose purse contains even a small coin,

    not merely one for whom a vast field of virtue is laid out.

  61. النّاسُ هَضْبُ شِمامٍ حَيْثُ مَيْسَرَةٌ

    لَكِنَّهُمْ حَيْثُ مالَ المالُ أإصانُ

    People are lofty Mount Shamām wherever ease prevails,

    but wherever wealth inclines, they become rancorous.

  62. كُنّا نرى إنّما الإحسانُ مَكْرُمَةٌ

    فاليَوْمَ مَنْ لا يَضُرُّ النَّاسَ مِحْسانُ

    We once believed that beneficence itself was an honor;

    today, whoever merely does not harm people is called benevolent.

  63. خُذْها سوائِرَ أمثالٍ مُهَذَّبَةٍ

    فيها لِمَنْ يَبْتَغي التِّبيانَ تِبيانُ

    Take these circulating, polished proverbs:

    within them is clarification for whoever seeks clarity.

  64. ما ضَرّ حَسّاَنها والطَّبعُ صائَغُها

    إنْ يقُلْها قَريعُ الشَّعرِ حَسّانُ

    What could diminish their beauty, when natural genius and poetic craft fashioned them—

    if Ḥassān, the champion of poetry, should utter them?