أَقلّي عَليَّ اللَومَ يا أُمَّ مالِك

أَقلّي عَليَّ اللَومَ يا أُمَّ مالِك

فَلَم يُؤتَ من حرص عَلى المال طالِبُه

فَلَم يُؤتَ من حرص عَلى المال طالِبُه

Lessen your blame of me, O Umm Malik.

Ease your blame upon me, O Umm Malik,

For no seeker of wealth has been granted it through eagerness.

For wealth is not granted to the seeker simply for his greed.

فَواللَهِ ما قصّرتُ في وَجه مطلب

فَواللَهِ ما قصّرتُ في وَجه مطلب

أَرى أَنَّ فيهِ مَطلباً فأُطالِبُه

أَرى أَنَّ فيهِ مَطلباً فأُطالِبُه

By God, I have spared no effort in any pursuit

By God, I have never fallen short in any worthy pursuit,

Where I see something worth seeking, and so pursue it.

Wherein I saw a rightful goal to seek.

وَلَكِن لِهَذا الرِزقَ وَقتٌ مُوقتٌ

وَلَكِن لِهَذا الرِزقَ وَقتٌ مُوقتٌ

يقسّمه بَينَ البَريَّةِ واهبه

يقسّمه بَينَ البَريَّةِ واهبه

But this provision has an appointed time;

Yet for this sustenance, there is an appointed time,

Its Giver apportions it among humankind.

Its Bestower divides it among all creation.

وأسهرني طول التفكّر أَنَّني

وأسهرني طول التفكّر أَنَّني

عَجِبتُ لأمر ما تُقضّى عَجائِبُه

عَجِبتُ لأمر ما تُقضّى عَجائِبُه

Long reflection has kept me sleepless, for I

Long contemplation has kept me sleepless, for I

Have marveled at a matter whose wonders never end:

Have marveled at a world whose wonders never cease.

أَرى فاجِراً يُعى جَليداً لظلمه

أَرى فاجِراً يُعى جَليداً لظلمه

وَلَو كُلّف التَقوى لكلّت مَضاربه

وَلَو كُلّف التَقوى لكلّت مَضاربه

I see a wicked man called strong for his wrongdoing,

I see a scoundrel deemed strong because of his tyranny,

Yet, if charged with piety, his sword-edges would grow dull.

Yet were he tasked with piety, his sword would be dull.

وَعفّا يُسمّى عاجِزاً لِعفافه

وَعفّا يُسمّى عاجِزاً لِعفافه

وَلَولا التَقى ما أَعجزته مَذاهِبُه

وَلَولا التَقى ما أَعجزته مَذاهِبُه

And an upright man called incapable for his uprightness;

And a virtuous man called weak because of his restraint,

But for piety, his paths would not have defeated him.

Though were it not for piety, his path would not be blocked.

وَأَحمقَ مَصنوعاً له في أُموره

وَأَحمقَ مَصنوعاً له في أُموره

يُسوِّده إِخوانه وَأَقاربه

يُسوِّده إِخوانه وَأَقاربه

And a fool, favored in his affairs,

And I see a fool, favored by fortune in all his affairs,

Whom his brothers and kinsmen make their chief,

Whom his brethren and kinfolk elevate as chief.

عَلى خَير حزم في الأُمور وَلا تقىً

عَلى خَير حزم في الأُمور وَلا تقىً

وَلا نائلٍ جزل تُعدّ مَواهبه

وَلا نائلٍ جزل تُعدّ مَواهبه

With [no] sound judgment in affairs, and no piety,

With neither prudence in matters nor piety to his name,

Nor lavish bounty whose gifts can be counted.

Nor generous gifts that are worthy of account.

فَلَيسَ لعجز المرء أَخطأه الغِنى

فَلَيسَ لعجز المرء أَخطأه الغِنى

وَلا باحتيالٍ أدرك المالَ كاسبه

وَلا باحتيالٍ أدرك المالَ كاسبه

It is not through a man's incapacity that wealth eludes him,

So it is not through weakness that wealth eludes a man,

Nor through cunning that its earner gains wealth.

Nor by cunning does the earner grasp his gold.

وَلَكِنَّه قبضُ الإِله وَبسطه

وَلَكِنَّه قبضُ الإِله وَبسطه

فمن ذا يُجاريه ومن ذا يُغالبه

فمن ذا يُجاريه ومن ذا يُغالبه

Rather, it is God's withholding and His bestowal:

Rather, it is the withholding and bestowing of God;

Who can keep pace with Him, and who can overcome Him?

So who can challenge Him, and who can overrule Him?

هَل الدهر إِلّا صَرفُه وَنَوائِبُه

هَل الدهر إِلّا صَرفُه وَنَوائِبُه

وَسرّاءُ عيش زائِلٍ وَمَصائِبُه

وَسرّاءُ عيش زائِلٍ وَمَصائِبُه

What is time but its changes and calamities,

Is Time anything but its vicissitudes and calamities,

And the joys of fleeting life and its afflictions?

And the joys of a fleeting life mixed with its disasters?

يَقول الفَتى ثَمّرتُ مالي وَإِنَّما

يَقول الفَتى ثَمّرتُ مالي وَإِنَّما

لِوارثه ما ثمّر المالَ كاسبه

لِوارثه ما ثمّر المالَ كاسبه

A man says, 'I have increased my wealth,' yet only

The young man says, "I have grown my wealth," but in truth,

For his heir has its earner made that wealth grow.

The earner has but grown it for his heir.

يُحاسِب فيهِ نفسه عَن حَياتِهِ

يُحاسِب فيهِ نفسه عَن حَياتِهِ

وَيتركه نَهباً لمن لا يُحاسِبه

وَيتركه نَهباً لمن لا يُحاسِبه

He calls himself to account over it throughout his life,

He burdens his soul accounting for it during his life,

And leaves it as plunder to someone he does not call to account.

Then leaves it as plunder for one who bore no such burden.

فكِلهُ وَأَطعِمه وَخالسه وارِثاً

فكِلهُ وَأَطعِمه وَخالسه وارِثاً

شَحيحاً وَدَهراً تَعتَريكَ نَوائبه

شَحيحاً وَدَهراً تَعتَريكَ نَوائبه

So eat it and feed others with it, snatching it from an heir—

So consume it, give it freely, and snatch it from a greedy heir,

A miser—and from time, whose calamities beset you.

Before stinginess prevails or Time's calamities afflict you.

أَرى المال وَالإِنسان للدهر نهبةً

أَرى المال وَالإِنسان للدهر نهبةً

فَلا البخل مبقيهِ وَلا الجود خاربه

فَلا البخل مبقيهِ وَلا الجود خاربه

I see wealth and man alike as plunder for time:

I see that wealth and man are but plunder for Time;

Neither miserliness preserves it nor generosity destroys it.

Miserliness preserves neither, nor does generosity destroy.

لكل امرىء رزق وَللرزق جالِبٌ

لكل امرىء رزق وَللرزق جالِبٌ

وَلَيسَ يَفوت المَرءَ ما خَطّ كاتبه

وَلَيسَ يَفوت المَرءَ ما خَطّ كاتبه

Each man has provision, and provision has one who brings it;

For every man is a sustenance, and that sustenance has a Bringer;

What his scribe has written will not elude a man.

And what his Scribe has written shall never pass him by.

يَخيبُ الفَتى من حَيثُ يَرزق غيره

يَخيبُ الفَتى من حَيثُ يَرزق غيره

وَيُعطى الفَتى من حَيثُ يحرم صاحبه

وَيُعطى الفَتى من حَيثُ يحرم صاحبه

A man goes without where another is provided for,

A man may fail in the very place another finds fortune,

And a man receives where his companion is denied.

And be gifted from the very source his companion is denied.

يُساق إِلى ذا رِزقة وَهوَ وادِع

يُساق إِلى ذا رِزقة وَهوَ وادِع

وَيُحرم هَذا الرِزقَ وَهوَ يُغالِبه

وَيُحرم هَذا الرِزقَ وَهوَ يُغالِبه

Provision is brought to one man while he rests at ease,

Sustenance is driven to one while he rests at ease,

While this man is denied it as he struggles to obtain it.

While another is denied though he strives for it bitterly.

وَإِنَّكَ لا تَدري أَرزقُك في الَّذي

وَإِنَّكَ لا تَدري أَرزقُك في الَّذي

تُطالِبه أَم في الَّذي لا تُطالِبُه

تُطالِبه أَم في الَّذي لا تُطالِبُه

You do not know whether your provision lies in what

And you know not whether your provision lies in that which

You seek, or in what you do not seek.

You actively pursue, or in that which you do not seek.

تناسَ ذنوبَ الأَقرَبين فانّه

تناسَ ذنوبَ الأَقرَبين فانّه

لِكُلِّ حَميم راكِب هوَ راكبه

لِكُلِّ حَميم راكِب هوَ راكبه

Overlook the faults of your nearest kin, for

Overlook the faults of your kin, for indeed,

Every close friend has a rider who rides him [wording unclear].

Every close companion travels a path of his own nature.

لَهُ هَفواتٌ في الرَخاءِ يشوبها

لَهُ هَفواتٌ في الرَخاءِ يشوبها

بنصرة يوم لا توارى كَواكبه

بنصرة يوم لا توارى كَواكبه

He has lapses in times of ease, which he mingles

He has slips in times of ease, yet redeems them

With help on a day whose stars are not hidden.

With aid on a perilous day when the stars are unveiled.

تَراهُ غُدوّاً ما أَمنت وَتَتّقي

تَراهُ غُدوّاً ما أَمنت وَتَتّقي

بِجَبهَتِهِ يوم الوَغى مَن يُحارِبه

بِجَبهَتِهِ يوم الوَغى مَن يُحارِبه

You see him [as an enemy] while safe, yet shield yourself

You may view him with caution when all is safe,

With his brow, on the day of battle, from whoever fights him.

But shield yourself with his brow against the enemy in war.

لِكُلِّ امرىء إِخوانُ بؤسٍ وَنعمة

لِكُلِّ امرىء إِخوانُ بؤسٍ وَنعمة

وَأعظمهم في النائِبات أَقاربه

وَأعظمهم في النائِبات أَقاربه

Every man has brothers in hardship and prosperity;

Every man has brethren for misery and for blessing,

And in calamity his kinsmen are the greatest of them.

But the greatest support in calamities are his kin.

وَإِنّي لأرثي لِلكَريم إِذا غَدا

وَإِنّي لأرثي لِلكَريم إِذا غَدا

عَلى طمع عندَ اللَئيم يُطالِبُه

عَلى طمع عندَ اللَئيم يُطالِبُه

And I surely pity the noble man when he sets out,

Truly, I pity the noble soul when he is forced

Hoping for something from a base man, asking him for it.

To seek out the base man, asking for his due.

وَأُرثي لَهُ مِن وَقفة عِندَ بابه

وَأُرثي لَهُ مِن وَقفة عِندَ بابه

كمرثيتي للطِرف وَالعلجُ راكبه

كمرثيتي للطِرف وَالعلجُ راكبه

And I pity him for standing at that man's door,

I pity him for the shame of standing at that door,

As I pity a thoroughbred ridden by a boor.

Just as I pity a thoroughbred steed ridden by a lout.