إذا ما افتقرتَ فلا تَسْخَطَنْ

إذا ما افتقرتَ فلا تَسْخَطَنْ

فتَعْدَمَ شَيْئَيْن أجرا ورِزْقا

فتَعْدَمَ شَيْئَيْن أجرا ورِزْقا

If poverty ever overtakes you, do not grow resentful;

If ever you fall into poverty, do not be resentful,

for then you will forfeit two things: reward and provision.

Lest you lose two things: reward and sustenance.

وهَبْكَ سَخِطت فماذا تُفيد

وهَبْكَ سَخِطت فماذا تُفيد

وأَكَّدتَ لِلضيقِ أَنْ سُؤْتَ خُلْقا

وأَكَّدتَ لِلضيقِ أَنْ سُؤْتَ خُلْقا

Suppose you do resent it—what will you gain?

And suppose you are resentful—what do you gain?

You only prove to hardship that your temper has soured.

And you only compound your distress by becoming ill-tempered.

كما يُخْنَق الصيدُ في خَيَّةٍ

كما يُخْنَق الصيدُ في خَيَّةٍ

ومهما تفاحص زادتْه خَنْقا

ومهما تفاحص زادتْه خَنْقا

Just as game is strangled in a snare,

Just as game is choked in a noose,

however it struggles, the snare chokes it more.

And the more it struggles, the more the noose chokes it.

تَهون همومُك طُرّا إذا

تَهون همومُك طُرّا إذا

أَجَلتَ بفكرِك أنْ ليس تَبْقَى

أَجَلتَ بفكرِك أنْ ليس تَبْقَى

All your cares become light when

All your worries grow lighter when

you reflect that none of them will last.

You reflect that they will not last,

وأنّ المُقدَّر لا بُدَّ منه

وأنّ المُقدَّر لا بُدَّ منه

على من تَبذَّلَ أو من تَوَقَّى

على من تَبذَّلَ أو من تَوَقَّى

And what is decreed must inevitably come

And that what is decreed is unavoidable

to whoever leaves himself exposed or takes precautions.

For one who is unguarded or one who takes precautions,

وأنّ المواهبَ قد قُسِّمت

وأنّ المواهبَ قد قُسِّمت

وكانتْ فدَعْ عنك حرصا وحِذْقا

وكانتْ فدَعْ عنك حرصا وحِذْقا

And gifts have already been apportioned;

And that gifts have already been apportioned

that being so, put aside avid striving and cleverness.

And have come to be—so put aside greed and cleverness.

فلِلّهِ في مُلْكه ما يُريد

فلِلّهِ في مُلْكه ما يُريد

يُصرِّفه قادرا مستحقا

يُصرِّفه قادرا مستحقا

For in His kingdom, God has whatever He wills;

For God has, in His dominion, whatever He wills;

He disposes of it, all-powerful and rightfully so.

He disposes of it with power and rightful authority.

يَدلُّ على ذاك كونُ البليد

يَدلُّ على ذاك كونُ البليد

غنيا وذو الفهم في الفقر يَشْقَى

غنيا وذو الفهم في الفقر يَشْقَى

The proof of this is that the dull-witted may be

This is shown by the fact that the dullard is

rich, while one of understanding suffers in poverty.

Rich, while the man of understanding suffers in poverty.