وصاحبُ الحاجاتِ مَن يجفو الكرى

وصاحبُ الحاجاتِ مَن يجفو الكرى

ويركبُ الهولَ إذا الجِبسُ التَوَى

ويركبُ الهولَ إذا الجِبسُ التَوَى

The man of needs is one who shuns sleep,

And he who has needs to fulfill is one who shuns sleep,

And braves terror when the coward turns away.

and rides into terror when the coward recoils.

أَرَى الفتى تغرُّهُ صِحّته

أَرَى الفتى تغرُّهُ صِحّته

وإنما الصحةُ رهنٌ بالضنا

وإنما الصحةُ رهنٌ بالضنا

I see a young man beguiled by his health,

I see the young man beguiled by his health,

Though health is ever hostage to disease.

and health is but a hostage to wasting illness.

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 a life of ease, though ease is his malady;

He hopes for ease of living, though it is his malady,

Many a hopeful man has found fear where he placed his hope.

and many a hopeful man has feared where he had hoped.

قد فَضَلَت آمالُهُ عن عُمرِهِ

قد فَضَلَت آمالُهُ عن عُمرِهِ

فهُنَّ لا تفنى ويُفنِينَ الفَتَى

فهُنَّ لا تفنى ويُفنِينَ الفَتَى

His hopes have outstripped his lifespan:

His hopes have extended beyond his lifetime;

They never perish, yet they wear the young man away.

so they do not perish, yet they consume the young man.

بنى الحصونَ حذراً من العِدَى

بنى الحصونَ حذراً من العِدَى

وجِسمُهُ مشتمِلٌ على العِدَى

وجِسمُهُ مشتمِلٌ على العِدَى

He built fortresses for fear of his foes,

He built fortresses for fear of enemies,

While his own body encompasses foes within.

yet his own body harbors enemies.

في هذه الآمالِ ما أعجبَهَا

في هذه الآمالِ ما أعجبَهَا

عمارةُ الدنيا وآفاتُ الوَرَى

عمارةُ الدنيا وآفاتُ الوَرَى

How wondrous are these hopes—

In these hopes—how wondrous they are!—

They build up the world, yet are the scourges of mankind.

lie the world's flourishing and humankind's afflictions.

يدفعُ أسبابَ الأذى عن نفسه

يدفعُ أسبابَ الأذى عن نفسه

ورُبما جر الأذى دفعُ الأذى

ورُبما جر الأذى دفعُ الأذى

He wards off the causes of harm from himself,

He wards the causes of harm away from himself,

Yet warding off harm may itself bring harm.

and sometimes repelling harm brings harm.

يفرحُ بالأيامِ يمرُرن به

يفرحُ بالأيامِ يمرُرن به

وإنّما هُنَّ سلاليمُ الرَدَى

وإنّما هُنَّ سلاليمُ الرَدَى

He rejoices in the days that pass him by,

He rejoices in the days as they pass him by,

Though they are but stairways down to death.

yet they are only ladders to death.

يَغمِسُ في العصيانِ كفّاً مُلِئَت

يَغمِسُ في العصيانِ كفّاً مُلِئَت

من نِعَمٍ تكثرُ أعدادَ الحَصَى

من نِعَمٍ تكثرُ أعدادَ الحَصَى

He plunges into disobedience a hand filled

He dips into disobedience a hand filled

With blessings more numerous than pebbles.

with blessings exceeding the number of pebbles.

يُعجِبُهُ نَماءُ ما يملِكُهُ

يُعجِبُهُ نَماءُ ما يملِكُهُ

وهو بنقصانِ الحياةِ ما نَمَى

وهو بنقصانِ الحياةِ ما نَمَى

He delights in the growth of his possessions,

The growth of what he owns delights him,

Though whatever grows does so as his life diminishes.

yet, as it grows, it does so at the cost of dwindling life.

ويندبُ الموتى وينسى نفسَهُ

ويندبُ الموتى وينسى نفسَهُ

كأنّه مما أتوهُ في حِمَى

كأنّه مما أتوهُ في حِمَى

He mourns the dead and forgets himself,

He laments the dead and forgets himself,

As though safeguarded from the fate that befell them.

as though he were in a refuge from what they encountered.

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 insolent;

Do not let the blessings you see make you arrogant,

Before long, you will no longer see what now you see.

for soon you will not see what you now see.

كأن ما يمضي من الدنيا مضى

كأن ما يمضي من الدنيا مضى

وأن ما يأتي من الموت أتى

وأن ما يأتي من الموت أتى

Regard whatever of this world is passing as already past,

It is as though this world's passing things had already passed,

And whatever death is coming as already come.

and the death still to come had already 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 for the hereafter with provisions of piety,

For the only provision for the Hereafter is piety.

for the only provision for the hereafter is piety.

هل ينفعُ العيشُ بغيرِ صحَّةٍ

هل ينفعُ العيشُ بغيرِ صحَّةٍ

أو تكمُلُ الصِحّةُ إلا بالغِنَى

أو تكمُلُ الصِحّةُ إلا بالغِنَى

Can life avail without health,

Is life of any use without health,

Or can health be complete without wealth?

or can health be complete except with wealth?