لا تَطلُبَّنَ مَعيشَةً بِمَذَلَةٍ

لا تَطلُبَّنَ مَعيشَةً بِمَذَلَةٍ

وَاِربَأ بِنَفسِكَ عَن دَنِيِّ المُطلَبِ

وَاِربَأ بِنَفسِكَ عَن دَنِيِّ المُطلَبِ

Never seek a livelihood through humiliation.

Do not seek a living in humiliation

Do not seek a livelihood through humiliation,

And hold yourself above a base pursuit.

And abstain your soul from the baseness of request

And raise yourself above every base pursuit.

وِإِذا اِفتَقَرتَ فَداوِ فَقرَكَ بِالغِنى

وِإِذا اِفتَقَرتَ فَداوِ فَقرَكَ بِالغِنى

عَن كُلِّ ذي دَنَسٍ كَجِلدِ الأَجرَبِ

عَن كُلِّ ذي دَنَسٍ كَجِلدِ الأَجرَبِ

And if you become poor, remedy your poverty through independence

And if you are needy, cure your poverty through riches

And if you suffer poverty, cure your want with the wealth

From anyone tainted like the skin of one with mange.

From everyone of vileness like the skin of mangy camel

Of independence from every tainted soul, like the skin of the mangy.

فَليَرجِعَنَّ إِلَيكَ رزقُكَ كُلُّهُ

فَليَرجِعَنَّ إِلَيكَ رزقُكَ كُلُّهُ

لَو كانَ أَبعَدُ مِن مَقامِ الكَوكَبِ

لَو كانَ أَبعَدُ مِن مَقامِ الكَوكَبِ

For all your sustenance shall surely return to you,

So may provision return to you completely

For your provision shall surely return to you in full,

Even if it lay farther away than the star’s abode.

Even if it were farther than the stars' place

Even if it were more distant than the station of the stars.