صَبَرتُ وَكانَ الصَبرُ مِنّي سَجِيَّةً

وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَهَ أَثنى عَلى الصَبرِ

I have been patient, and patience has become my nature,

For God has praised patience.

وَكُنتَ أَخي ما دامَ عودُكَ يابِساً

فَلَمّا اِستَوى وَاِخضَرَّ صِرتَ مَعَ اليُسرِ

You were my brother as long as your stick was dry,

But when it became straight and green, you sided with ease.

لَعَمرُكَ لَو ذَوَّقتَني ثَمَرَ الغِنى

أَذَقتُكَ ما يُرضيكَ مِن ثَمَرِ الشُكرِ

By your life, if you had let me taste the fruit of wealth,

I would have let you taste what pleases you of the fruit of gratitude.

فَإِن نِلتُ ما يُغني مِنَ اليَومِ أَو غَدٍ

أَنَلتُكَ ما يَبقى إِلى آخِرِ الحَشرِ

If I gain today or tomorrow what enriches me,

I will let you gain what remains until the end of Resurrection Day.

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ الفَقرَ يُرجى لَهُ الغِنى

وَأَنَّ الغِنى يُخشى عَلَيهِ مِنَ الفَقرِ

Have you not seen that poverty is hoped to gain wealth,

While it is feared that wealth may suffer from poverty?

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ البَحرَ يَنضُبُ ماؤُهُ

وَتَأتي عَلى حيتانِهِ نُوَبُ الدَهرِ

Have you not seen that the sea depletes its water,

And the vicissitudes of fate befall its whales?

وَما لَكَ يَومَ الحَشرِ زادٌ سِوى الَّذي

تُقَدِّمُهُ قَبلَ المَماتِ إِلى الحَشرِ

On Resurrection Day, you will have no provision

Except what you forwarded before death to Resurrection Day.

إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَزرَع وَأَبصَرتَ حاصِداً

نَدِمتَ عَلى التَفريطِ في زَمَنِ البَذرِ

If you do not sow and yet see a harvester,

You will regret neglecting the sowing season.