علمت بأن الحطام انصرف

علمت بأن الحطام انصرف

وأدبر ما كان إلا الشرف

وأدبر ما كان إلا الشرف

I learned that worldly riches had departed,

I learned that the wreckage had gone away

And all was gone, save honor;

And what was left was nothing but honor

وأنك بعت المنى واشتريـ

وأنك بعت المنى واشتريـ

ـت فخانك في ذاك سوق الصُدف

ـت فخانك في ذاك سوق الصُدف

And that you sold your hopes and pur-

And that you had sold wishes and bought

-chased; then the market of chance betrayed you in that.

Shells, so the market deceived you in that

وأسرفت تبغى عريض الغنى

وأسرفت تبغى عريض الغنى

أقبلك من ناله بالسرف

أقبلك من ناله بالسرف

And you were extravagant, seeking vast wealth:

And you were excessive seeking wide riches

Had anyone before you attained it through extravagance?

I welcome whoever attained them with moderation

وما هو إلا انقباض اليدين

وما هو إلا انقباض اليدين

رجاء الصيان وخوف التلف

رجاء الصيان وخوف التلف

And it is nothing but keeping both hands closed,

It is nothing but the clenching of hands

In hope of preservation and fear of loss.

Hoping to preserve and fearing harm

وحبك مالِك حب الحياة

وحبك مالِك حب الحياة

وحفظك مالك حفظ التحف

وحفظك مالك حفظ التحف

And your love of your wealth is love of life,

Your love is the love of life

And your guarding of your wealth is the guarding of treasures.

Keeping you is keeping antiques

فقلت لعل الأديب انتهى

فقلت لعل الأديب انتهى

وكان له عظة ما سلف

وكان له عظة ما سلف

So I said: perhaps the writer has desisted,

So I said perhaps the poet has ended

And the past has served him as a lesson.

And for him a lesson from what is past

أتدركه حرفة جازها

أتدركه حرفة جازها

قديما إلى غيرها في الحرف

قديما إلى غيرها في الحرف

Can a trade's ill fortune overtake him, though he left it

Does an occupation occur to him

Long ago for another among the trades?

That he transitioned from long ago to another craft

وقد هجر النظم نظم الجمان

وقد هجر النظم نظم الجمان

وقد هجر النثر نثر الطرف

وقد هجر النثر نثر الطرف

And he had abandoned verse—the stringing of pearls,

He has abandoned the rhymes of poems

And he had abandoned prose—the scattering of rarities.

And abandoned the prose of charm

ومن كان ثروته عقله

ومن كان ثروته عقله

يبيع الجواهر بيع الخزف

يبيع الجواهر بيع الخزف

And he whose wealth is his intellect

And whoever's wealth is his mind

Sells jewels as if they were earthenware.

Sells gems in the sale of pottery