وصاحبُ الحاجاتِ مَن يجفو الكرى

وصاحبُ الحاجاتِ مَن يجفو الكرى

ويركبُ الهولَ إذا الجِبسُ التَوَى

ويركبُ الهولَ إذا الجِبسُ التَوَى

And the man of purpose is he who shuns slumber,

The one with needs spurns kinship

And braves terror when the coward shrinks back.

And dares ruin when despair twists him

أَرَى الفتى تغرُّهُ صِحّته

أَرَى الفتى تغرُّهُ صِحّته

وإنما الصحةُ رهنٌ بالضنا

وإنما الصحةُ رهنٌ بالضنا

I see the young man beguiled by his health,

I see youth fooled by health

Yet health is only a hostage to wasting illness.

Yet health is hostage to thrift

يرجو ليانَ العيشِ وهو داؤُهُ

يرجو ليانَ العيشِ وهو داؤُهُ

ورُبَّ راج خافَ من حيثُ رَجَا

ورُبَّ راج خافَ من حيثُ رَجَا

He hopes for ease of living, yet it is his disease,

He hopes for an easy life, though it ruins him

And many a hopeful man has found fear where he hoped.

And many hopeful fear where they hoped

قد فَضَلَت آمالُهُ عن عُمرِهِ

قد فَضَلَت آمالُهُ عن عُمرِهِ

فهُنَّ لا تفنى ويُفنِينَ الفَتَى

فهُنَّ لا تفنى ويُفنِينَ الفَتَى

His hopes have already outstripped his lifespan;

His hopes exceeded his life

So they do not perish, yet they destroy the young man.

So they do not perish, yet slay the youth

بنى الحصونَ حذراً من العِدَى

بنى الحصونَ حذراً من العِدَى

وجِسمُهُ مشتمِلٌ على العِدَى

وجِسمُهُ مشتمِلٌ على العِدَى

He built fortresses in fear of enemies,

He built fortresses fearing harm

Yet his body harbors enemies.

While his body contains that harm

في هذه الآمالِ ما أعجبَهَا

في هذه الآمالِ ما أعجبَهَا

عمارةُ الدنيا وآفاتُ الوَرَى

عمارةُ الدنيا وآفاتُ الوَرَى

In these hopes—how astonishing they are!—

How strange are these hopes

Lie the building of the world and the afflictions of mankind.

Adorning the world and corrupting souls

يدفعُ أسبابَ الأذى عن نفسه

يدفعُ أسبابَ الأذى عن نفسه

ورُبما جر الأذى دفعُ الأذى

ورُبما جر الأذى دفعُ الأذى

He keeps the causes of harm away from himself,

He defends himself from causes of woe

And sometimes warding off harm has brought harm.

Yet defending brings woe's cause

يفرحُ بالأيامِ يمرُرن به

يفرحُ بالأيامِ يمرُرن به

وإنّما هُنَّ سلاليمُ الرَدَى

وإنّما هُنَّ سلاليمُ الرَدَى

He rejoices in the days as they pass him by,

He rejoices in passing days

Yet they are only stairways to death.

Which are only steps to decline

يَغمِسُ في العصيانِ كفّاً مُلِئَت

يَغمِسُ في العصيانِ كفّاً مُلِئَت

من نِعَمٍ تكثرُ أعدادَ الحَصَى

من نِعَمٍ تكثرُ أعدادَ الحَصَى

He plunges into sin a hand that was filled

He plunges sin-steeped hands

With blessings exceeding the pebbles in number.

In blessings too many to count

يُعجِبُهُ نَماءُ ما يملِكُهُ

يُعجِبُهُ نَماءُ ما يملِكُهُ

وهو بنقصانِ الحياةِ ما نَمَى

وهو بنقصانِ الحياةِ ما نَمَى

The growth of what he owns delights him,

He admires the growth of his wealth

Yet all its growth comes at the cost of life.

While through losing life he grew

ويندبُ الموتى وينسى نفسَهُ

ويندبُ الموتى وينسى نفسَهُ

كأنّه مما أتوهُ في حِمَى

كأنّه مما أتوهُ في حِمَى

And he mourns the dead and forgets himself,

He mourns the dead, forgetting himself

As though he were sheltered from what they have met.

As if he were immune to death

لا يُبطِرَنكَ ما ترى من نِعَمٍ

لا يُبطِرَنكَ ما ترى من نِعَمٍ

فعن قليلٍ لا ترى ما قد ترى

فعن قليلٍ لا ترى ما قد ترى

Do not let the blessings you see make you arrogant,

Let not the blessings you see deceive you

For soon you will no longer see what you now see.

For soon you will see them no more

كأن ما يمضي من الدنيا مضى

كأن ما يمضي من الدنيا مضى

وأن ما يأتي من الموت أتى

وأن ما يأتي من الموت أتى

As though all that will pass in this world had already passed,

It is as if the past is passed

And the death that is to come had already come.

And the future death has come

فارحل إلى الأخرى بزادٍ من تُقى

فارحل إلى الأخرى بزادٍ من تُقى

فإنما الزادُ إلى الأخرى التُقَى

فإنما الزادُ إلى الأخرى التُقَى

So journey to the hereafter with provisions of piety,

So depart with provision of piety

For the only provision for the hereafter is piety.

For piety is provision for the final journey

هل ينفعُ العيشُ بغيرِ صحَّةٍ

هل ينفعُ العيشُ بغيرِ صحَّةٍ

أو تكمُلُ الصِحّةُ إلا بالغِنَى

أو تكمُلُ الصِحّةُ إلا بالغِنَى

Is life of any use without health,

Is life of use without health?

Or can health be complete except with wealth?

Or health complete without wealth?