الناس اتباع من دامت له النعم

الناس اتباع من دامت له النعم

والويل للمرء إن زلت به القدم

والويل للمرء إن زلت به القدم

People are followers of those whose blessings endure.

People follow those who are blessed,

And woe to a man if his foot slips.

But woe to one who stumbles and loses favor.

مالي رايت أخلائي وحاصلهم

مالي رايت أخلائي وحاصلهم

اثنان مستكبر عني ومحتشم

اثنان مستكبر عني ومحتشم

Why did I find my friends, all told,

I've seen my dear friends and how they've fared:

to be of two kinds: one haughtily aloof from me, the other abashed?

Two turned prideful and aloof from me,

لما رأيت الذي يجفون قلت لهم

لما رأيت الذي يجفون قلت لهم

أذنبت ذنبا فقالوا ذنبك العدم

أذنبت ذنبا فقالوا ذنبك العدم

When I saw how they shunned me, I said to them,

When I saw how coldly they acted, I said to them:

"Have I committed a sin?" They said, "Your sin is poverty."

"I must have sinned somehow," but they said "Your sin is your nothingness."