1. أحسنُ ما سارتْ به الأمثالُ

    حَمْدُ إلهٍ مالَه مثالُ

    The finest thing that proverbs have carried abroad

    Is praise of God, who has no equal.

  2. فالحمدُ لِله على إسْدائِهِ

    فضلاً يكِلُّ النُّطْقُ عن إحْصائِهِ

    So praise be to God for His bestowal

    Of bounty that speech is too feeble to enumerate.

  3. ثم الصلاةُ للنبيِّ المُحْتَرمْ

    مَنْبَعِ أسْرارِ العلومِ والحِكَمْ

    Then blessings upon the revered Prophet,

    The source of the secrets of the sciences and wisdom,

  4. وآله وصحبِه الكرامِ

    مَن فهِموا مَزِيَّةَ الكلامِ

    And upon his family and his noble companions,

    Who understood the excellence of speech,

  5. ما تُلِيتْ مَحاسنُ الألْفاظِ

    فشَنَّفتْ مسامِعَ الحُفَّاظِ

    Whenever the beauties of words are recited

    And thus adorn the ears of those who memorize them.

  6. وهذه تَحائفٌ أُهْدِيها

    من حِكَمٍ لمن وَعَى أُبْدِيهَا

    And these are gifts I offer,

    From wise sayings I reveal to those who understand.

  7. سَمَّيْتُهَا برَاحةِ الأرْواحِ

    جَالبةِ السرورِ والأفْراحِ

    I named them 'Solace of Souls,'

    Bringing joy and gladness.

  8. قالتْ لها الأمثالُ حزْتِ السَّبْقَا

    إذْ أنتِ في حِفْظِ اللبيبِ أبْقَى

    The proverbs said to them, “You have taken the lead,

    For you endure longer in the discerning man's memory.”

  9. إنَّ اللَّبيبَ يعرِف المَزايَا

    وكم خَبايَا لُحْنَ في الزَّوايَا

    The discerning man knows the merits,

    And how many hidden things have appeared in corners!

  10. ورُبَّ جاهلٍ لقد تعلَّما

    لا يَأْيَسَنَّ نائمٌ أن يغْنَمَا

    Many an ignorant man has indeed learned;

    Let no sleeper ever despair of making a gain.

  11. من غَنِم الفرصةَ أدْركَ المُنَى

    ما فاز بالكَرْمِ سوى الذي جَنَى

    Whoever seizes the opportunity attains his wishes;

    None gains from the vineyard but the one who harvests it.

  12. الناسُ إخوانٌ وشَتَّى في الشِّيَم

    وكلُّهم يجمعُهم بَيْتُ الأدَمْ

    People are brothers, yet diverse in character,

    And a tent of hide gathers them all.

  13. فالبعضُ منهم كالغذاءِ النافعِ

    والبعضُ كالسَّمِّ الزُّعافِ الناقِعِ

    Some of them are like nourishing food,

    And some like deadly, potent poison.

  14. وهكذا بعضُ الذَّواتِ رُوحُ

    والبعضُ منها في الحشَا قُروحُ

    So too, some people are a breath of life,

    And some of them are sores within the entrails.

  15. ورُبَّ شخصٍ حسنٍ في الخَلْقِ

    وهْو أشدُّ من شَجىً في الحَلْقِ

    Many a person is beautiful in outward form,

    Yet harsher than a thorn lodged in the throat.

  16. والدهرُ صَرَّافٌ له تصْريفُ

    يرُوج فيه النَّقْدُ والزَّيُوفُ

    Time is a money-changer with its own dealings;

    Both sound coin and counterfeits circulate in it.

  17. لذاك ضاعتْ خُلَّصُ الأحرار

    كضَيْعَةِ المصباحِ في النهارِ

    Thus the purest of free men are lost,

    Like a lamp wasted in daylight.

  18. تَعادُلُ الفاضلِ وَالمفْضولِ

    عَرَّ فنا الفضلَ من الفُضولِ

    The equal standing of the worthy and the inferior

    Has taught us that merit is mere excess.

  19. والاعْتدالُ في الأمور أعْدَلُ

    والمَسْلَك الأوسطُ فيها أمْثَلُ

    Moderation in affairs is most just,

    And the middle course in them is best.

  20. هي المُنَى مَجْلَبَةُ التَّعَنِّي

    كم عاشقٍٍ أهَّلَه التَّجَنِّي

    Hopes are what bring hardship;

    How many a lover has been made worthy by unjust reproach!

  21. قد تُحْرَمُ الآمال حيث الرَّغْبهْ

    وتسقُط الطيرُ لأجلِ الحَبَّهْ

    Hopes may be denied where longing lies,

    And birds fall because of a grain.

  22. المرءُ تَوَّاقٌ إلى ما لم يَنَلْ

    وكلُّ شيءٍ أخْطأَ الأنْفَ جَلَلْ

    A person yearns for what he has not attained,

    And anything that misses the nose is a trifle.

  23. مَن كان يهْوَى مَنْظَراً بلا خَبَرْ

    فماله أوْفَقُ من عِشَقِ القَمَرْ

    Whoever loves an appearance without acquaintance

    Has nothing more fitting than loving the moon.

  24. مَضى الصِّبا فأين منه الوَطَرُ

    هيْهات هيهات الجَنابُ الأخْضَرُ

    Youth has passed—where is its fulfillment now?

    Far, far away is that green domain.

  25. مِيعادُ دمعِي ذِكْرُ أيامِ الصِّبا

    وجُلُّ شَجْوِي عند هَبَّةِ الصَّبَا

    The appointed time for my tears is remembrance of youthful days,

    And most of my sorrow comes with a gust of the east wind.

  26. مضَى نَشاطِي إذْ تولَّى الصَّحْبُ

    ما أعْلَمَ الموتَ بمَن أُحِبُّ

    My vigor passed when my companions departed;

    How well death knows those I love!

  27. صَبْراً على الهمومِ والأحزانِ

    فإنَّ هذا خُلُقُ الزمانِ

    Be patient with worries and sorrows,

    For this is the nature of time.

  28. ثِقْ بالإله كم له صُنْعٌ حَفِي

    وهْو إذا حَلَّ البَلاَ لُطْفٌ خَفِي

    Trust in God: how many tender acts are His!

    And when affliction descends, He is a hidden kindness.

  29. خُذْ فُرْصةَ الإمْكانِ في إبَّانِهِ

    واسْجُدْ لقِرْدِ السّوءِ في زَمانِهِ

    Seize the chance to act in its proper season,

    And prostrate yourself to the wicked ape in its time.

  30. إن فاتَكَ الغَدِيرُ فاقصِدِ الوَشَلْ

    يرْضَى بِعِقْدِ الأسْرِ من أوْفى الثَّلَلْ

    If the pool eludes you, seek the trickle;

    One nearing ruin is content with captivity's bond.

  31. حَدُّ العفافِ القَنعُ بالكَفافِ

    ما ضاق عيْشٌ والإلهُ كافِي

    The measure of self-restraint is contentment with enough;

    No livelihood is straitened while God suffices.

  32. مَن لم تكن أنتَ له نَسِيبَا

    فلا تُؤمِّلْ عنده نَصِيبَا

    If you are not a kinsman to someone,

    Do not hope for a share from him.

  33. والناسُ إن سألْتَهم فَضْلَ القُرَبْ

    حاوَلْتَ أن تجْنِي من الشَّوكِ العِنَبْ

    And if you ask people for the favor of close ties,

    You seek to gather grapes from thorns.

  34. هذا زمانُ الشُّحِّ والإقْتارِ

    مضَى زمانُ الجُودِ والإيثارِ

    This is the age of stinginess and parsimony;

    The age of generosity and selflessness is gone.

  35. من كلَّف النفوسَ ضِدَّ طَبْعِهَا

    أعْيَى بما لا يُرْتجَى مِن نَفْعِهَا

    Whoever asks souls to act against their nature

    Wearies himself seeking benefits that cannot be expected from them.

  36. وإنَّ مَن خَصَّ لئيماً بنَدَى

    كان كمن رَبَّى لِحَتْفٍ أسَدَا

    And whoever singles out a base man for bounty

    Is like one who rears a lion for his own death.

  37. قد يبلُغون رُتَبَاً في الدنيا

    لكنَّهم لا يبلُغون العَلْيَا

    They may attain ranks in this world,

    But they do not attain the heights.

  38. إنَّ المعالِي صَعْبةُ المَراقِي

    مِن دُونها الأرواحُ في التَّراقِي

    The heights of honor are hard to climb;

    Short of them, souls are at the collarbones.

  39. لا تسْتوِي في الرَّاحةِ الأناملُ

    ورُبَّ مَأْمولٍ عَلاهُ الآمِلُ

    The fingers are not equal upon the palm;

    And many a man hoped in is surpassed by the one who hopes.

  40. قد تُورِدُ الأقْدارُ ثم تُصْدِرُ

    وتُدْبِرُ الأقمارُ ثم تُبْدِرُ

    Fates may lead to water, then lead away,

    And moons wane, then grow full.

  41. بالجُودِ يَرْقَى المرءُ مَرْقَى الحمدِ

    إن السَّخاء سُلَّمٌ للمَجْدِ

    Through generosity, a man rises to the height of praise;

    Generosity is a ladder to glory.

  42. وعَوِّذِ النَّعْما من الزَّوالِ

    بكَثْرةِ الإحسانِ والنَّوالِ

    And guard blessings against passing away

    Through abundant kindness and giving.

  43. يضُوع عَرْفُ العُرْفِ عند الحُرِّ

    وإنه يَضِيع عند الغِمْرِ

    The scent of kindness spreads with the noble man,

    And with the fool it is lost.

  44. وإنما المعروفُ والصَّنِيعهْ

    تُعْرَف عند أهلِها وَدْيعهْ

    Kindness and benefaction are only

    Acknowledged as a trust by those worthy of them.

  45. الرأيُ كلّ الرَّأْيِ في تَرْكِ الكُلَفْ

    فقد مضَى عليه ساداتُ السَّلَفْ

    Sound judgment—all sound judgment—lies in leaving burdens aside;

    The masters of earlier generations followed that way.

  46. ومن تغُرُّ عَقْلَه السَّلامهْ

    تخدمُه ألْسِنةُ النَّدامَهْ

    Whoever lets security deceive his mind

    Is served by the tongues of regret.

  47. من لزِم السِّلْمَ من الحرب سَلِمْ

    ومَن أبَى إلاَّ هوَى النفسِ نَدِمْ

    Whoever keeps to peace stays safe from war;

    And whoever insists on his soul's desire regrets it.

  48. يأْرَجُ بالنَّسِيم عَرْفُ الرَّنْدِ

    والقَدْحُ أصلٌ في ثُقوبِ الزَّنْدِ

    The scent of laurel wafts fragrantly on the breeze,

    And striking is the basis of a fire-stick's kindling.

  49. لكلِّ قلبٍ في طِلابِه هوَى

    وقِسْ عليه الدَّاء يحْتاجُ الدَّوَا

    Every heart has a desire in its quest;

    And judge likewise: illness needs medicine.

  50. مَن طلَب الدُّرَّ بقَعْرِ البحرِ

    لم يَخْلُ مِن شُرْبِ الأجاجِ المُرِّ

    Whoever seeks pearls at the bottom of the sea

    Cannot avoid drinking bitter brine.

  51. دَعْ في الأمورِ الحَدْسَ والظُّنونَا

    لابُدَّ للمقْدورِ أن يكونَا

    In affairs, leave guesswork and conjecture aside;

    What is decreed must come to be.

  52. ما قِيمةُ الآمالِ للقُصَّادِ

    والموتُ للإنسانِ بالمِرْصادِ

    What are hopes worth to those who seek,

    While death lies in wait for man?

  53. إذا بَقِي من الجَدَى ما قانَكْ

    فلا تكُنْ تَأْسَى على ما فاتَكْ

    If enough bounty remains to sustain you,

    Do not grieve over what has eluded you.

  54. ربَّ اجْتهادٍ دونه الجِهادُ

    في راحةٍ مَن لا له مُرادُ

    Many an endeavor is harder than battle;

    At ease is the man who has no desire.

  55. ما ينْفعُ التَّدْبيرُ والتَّقديرُ

    ينْبِضُ قَوْسُه ولا تَوْتِيرُ

    What use are planning and calculation?

    He twangs his bow, though it has not been strung:

  56. قَراقِعٌ ما تحْتهُنَّ طائِلُ

    إلاَّ مِحَاقُ العُمْرِ والغَوائِلُ

    Rattlings with nothing worthwhile beneath them,

    Except the wasting of life and calamities.

  57. قد ذهبتْ مَكارمُ الأخلاقِ

    إلاَّ من الأمثالِ والأوْراقِ

    Noble virtues have vanished,

    Except from proverbs and pages.

  58. تغيَّر الإخوانُ واخْتلَّ الزَّمَنْ

    فلا صديقَ غيرُ صِحَّةِ البَدَنْ

    Brothers have changed, and time has fallen out of order;

    There is no friend but bodily health.

  59. لا تكْتُمنَّ دَاءَك الطَّبِيبَا

    ولا الصديقَ سِرَّك المَحْجوبَا

    Do not hide your illness from the physician,

    Nor your hidden secret from a friend.

  60. هذا إذا كانَا عسى وعَلَّما

    وما أظنُّ الدهرَ يسْخو بِهِمَا

    This, if those two exist—perhaps, perchance!

    And I doubt that time will be generous with them.

  61. كفى عن المَخْبَرِ مَنْظَرٌ أطَلّ

    في حُمْرةِ الخَدِّ غِناً عن الخَجَلْ

    An appearance that shows itself suffices for the inner nature;

    The cheek's redness has no need of shame.

  62. مَنْظَرُ كلِّ ماجدٍ مِعْيارُهُ

    إنَّ الجوادَ عَيْنُه فُرَارُهُ

    Every noble man's appearance is his measure;

    A fine horse's eye is its tooth-test.

  63. مَن سابَق الجَوادَ بالحِمارِ

    جَنَتْ يداه ثمرَ العِثارِ

    Whoever races a fine horse on a donkey,

    His hands reap the fruit of stumbling.

  64. قد تُسعِف الأقدارُ بالسُّعودِ

    فتُلْحِق المَحْدُودَ بالمَجْدُودِ

    Fates may come to one's aid with good fortune,

    And bring the unlucky alongside the fortunate.

  65. كم قد نصَبْتُ للأماني مَرْمَى

    مُفَوِّقاً منِّي إليه سَهْمَا

    How often have I set a target for hopes,

    Aiming an arrow of mine toward it,

  66. فلم يكُن لي عنده نَصِيبُ

    ما كلُّ رامِي غَرَضٍ يُصِيبُ

    Yet I had no share in it;

    Not every archer aiming at a target hits it.

  67. والسَّعْدُ إنْ ما كان حيناً أبْطَا

    فلا تقُلْ بأنه قد أخْطَا

    And if good fortune is delayed for a while,

    Do not say that it has missed its mark.

  68. إذْ ربما قد عَوَّقتْه الأقْدارُ

    وكلُّ شيءٍ عنده مِقْدارُ

    For perhaps fates have held it back,

    And everything has its measure with Him.

  69. في يَدكِ الحُزْنُ متى تشاءُ

    فاغْنَمْ سُروراً تَرْكُه عَناءُ

    Sorrow is in your hand whenever you wish;

    So seize a joy: to forsake it is hardship.

  70. ما كلُّ وقتٍ مُسْعِفٌ بما يُحبّ

    فإن يكُن دَرَّتْ لَبُونٌ فاحْتَلِبْ

    Not every moment grants what one loves;

    So if a milch camel yields milk, milk her.

  71. مَن يطلُبِ الخَلاصَ نالَه الأسَى

    وفي خُطوبِ الناسِ للناسِ أُسَى

    Whoever seeks release is overtaken by sorrow,

    And people's trials offer people consolation.

  72. حُبُّ الثَّنا طبيعةُ الإنسانِ

    والشكرُ مَوْقوفٌ على الإحسانِ

    Love of praise is human nature,

    And gratitude depends upon kindness.

  73. الجُودُ بالمَوجُودِ عُنْوانُ الشَّرفْ

    ومَن أضافَ لم يُبالِ بالسَّرَفْ

    Giving what one has is the mark of honor;

    And whoever offers hospitality does not mind extravagance.

  74. من يتلقَّى الجُودَ بالجُحودِ

    عَرَّض نُعْماهُ إلى الشُّرودِ

    Whoever meets generosity with ingratitude

    Exposes his blessings to flight.

  75. لِلْوِدِّ عَقْدُ ذِمَّةٍ لا تُهْمَلُ

    وللرَّجاء حُرْمَةٌ لا تُجْهَلُ

    Affection has a binding covenant that must not be neglected,

    And hope has a sanctity that must not be ignored.

  76. سَالِفُ ما كان من الحُرُماتِ

    يسْتوجِبُ العَفْوَ عن الزَّلاَّت

    The inviolable ties that existed before

    Require forgiveness of slips.

  77. بالفَحْصِ عن خَواطِر الأحِبَّهْ

    يُنْسَجُ بُرْدُ الوُدِّ والمَحَبَّهْ

    By inquiring into the feelings of loved ones,

    The mantle of affection and love is woven.

  78. إنَّ الرَّقيب يمنعُ التَّراضِي

    كالخَصْمِ قد يرضَى ويأْبَى القاضِي

    The watcher prevents mutual accord,

    Like a litigant who may agree while the judge refuses.

  79. حتى متى أصْبُو ورأسِي شُمْطُ

    أحسَبُ أن الموتَ باسْمِي يغْلَطُ

    How long shall I be lovestruck, my head flecked with gray?

    I imagine that death mistakes my name.

  80. ليس على فَقْدِ الحياةِ من نَدَمْ

    قد اسْتَوى الوُجودُ فيها والعَدَمْ

    There is no regret over the loss of life;

    Existence and nonexistence in it have become equal.

  81. كلُّ نَعِيم فإلى فَناءِ

    وكلُّ عَيْشٍ فإلى انْقِضَاءِ

    Every delight ends in extinction,

    And every life ends in cessation.

  82. عليك يا هذا الفتى بالتَّوْبَةِ

    فانْجُ بها قبلَ انْتهاءِ النَّوْبَةِ

    You, young man, must repent;

    So save yourself through repentance before your turn ends.