خُذْ بالأشَدّ إذا ما الشَّرعُ وافَقَهُ

خُذْ بالأشَدّ إذا ما الشَّرعُ وافَقَهُ

ولا تمِلْ بك في أهوائكَ الرُّخَصُ

ولا تمِلْ بك في أهوائكَ الرُّخَصُ

Choose the stricter course whenever the Sacred Law sanctions it;

Adopt the stricter course whenever religious law agrees with it.

and do not let dispensations sway you toward your whims.

And let not dispensations sway you into following your desires.

ولا تَكُنْ كَبَني الدُّنْيا رأيتُهُمُ

ولا تَكُنْ كَبَني الدُّنْيا رأيتُهُمُ

إن أدْبَرَتْ زَهِدوا أو أقبلَتْ حَرَصوا

إن أدْبَرَتْ زَهِدوا أو أقبلَتْ حَرَصوا

Do not be like the children of this world—I have seen them:

And do not be like the sons of this world whom I have seen:

when she turns away, they renounce her; when she approaches, they covet her.

If it turned away, they renounced it; or if it approached, they grew greedy.