لا تذمم الدهر أطاع أو عصى

لا تذمم الدهر أطاع أو عصى

أو إن أساء مرة أو أخلصا

أو إن أساء مرة أو أخلصا

Do not revile time, whether it obeys or rebels,

Do not blame fate if it obeys or disobeys,

or whether it once does wrong or proves sincere.

Or if it does wrong once or acts sincerely.

لا تعتبره إن أتى معتذرا

لا تعتبره إن أتى معتذرا

فهو الذي أغلى بنا وارخصا

فهو الذي أغلى بنا وارخصا

Do not heed it if it comes apologizing,

Do not reproach it if it comes to apologize,

for it is what made us dear and made us cheap.

It is the one who made us dear and cheap.

وإنما الدهر شبيه أهله

وإنما الدهر شبيه أهله

كالكلب إن أطمع يوما بصبصا

كالكلب إن أطمع يوما بصبصا

And time is only like its people,

Fate is like its people,

like a dog that, if enticed one day, wags its tail.

Like a dog, if you feed it one day with scraps

واعجب الاشياء من حرصٍ له

واعجب الاشياء من حرصٍ له

ان زاد مال المرء فيه حرصا

ان زاد مال المرء فيه حرصا

And strangest of all about its greed

The strangest thing is its greediness,

is that a man's wealth makes it greedier still.

If a man's money increases, so does his greed.

قد رقص الناس برقص دهرهم

قد رقص الناس برقص دهرهم

والدهر ما ارقص حتى رقصا

والدهر ما ارقص حتى رقصا

People have danced to the dance of their time,

People danced to the rhythm of fate,

and time did not make them dance until it danced.

While fate never danced until they danced.

كم عثر المرء بزلّ نعله

كم عثر المرء بزلّ نعله

والنعل ان زلَّت تزلُّ الاخمصا

والنعل ان زلَّت تزلُّ الاخمصا

How often a man has stumbled because his sandal slipped,

How often a man stumbles on his slipper’s fault,

and if the sandal slips, it makes the foot's arch slip.

And if the slipper slips, so do the toes.

ان شئت ان تماشي الايام لا

ان شئت ان تماشي الايام لا

تمشي بغير القهقهري والقرفصا

تمشي بغير القهقهري والقرفصا

If you wish to keep pace with the days, do not

If you want to walk with the days, do not

walk except backward and crouching.

Walk except with patience and composure.

ولا تكن الا اخا تربّص

ولا تكن الا اخا تربّص

ان غالك الشانئ او تربصا

ان غالك الشانئ او تربصا

And be nothing but one who lies in wait,

And do not be except a watchful brother,

if the hater assails you treacherously or lies in wait.

If your envier provokes you or watches.

ماليَ لا اقذف غير آسف

ماليَ لا اقذف غير آسف

من قد غدا يقذفني قذف الحصى

من قد غدا يقذفني قذف الحصى

Why should I not fling away, without regret,

Why should I not throw back without anguish,

one who has taken to flinging me away like pebbles?

One who has come to pelt me with pebbles?

ابٌ ابي الا العقوق لابنه

ابٌ ابي الا العقوق لابنه

ثم اخ باع الاخاء مرخصا

ثم اخ باع الاخاء مرخصا

A father who would do nothing but wrong his son,

A crime, a crime except filial disobedience,

then a brother who sold brotherhood cheap.

Then a brother who sold brotherhood cheaply.

انظر فهل تعرف شيئاً عجبا

انظر فهل تعرف شيئاً عجبا

من قصر الهمة مع طول العصا

من قصر الهمة مع طول العصا

Look—do you know anything stranger

Look, do you recognize anything more wondrous,

than short ambition alongside a long staff?

Than meager ambition with a long rod?

ما دام قرص الشمس خف من آكل

ما دام قرص الشمس خف من آكل

يعدُّ في الاكل عليك القرصا

يعدُّ في الاكل عليك القرصا

As long as the sun's disk endures, beware an eater

As long as the sun disk sinks for an eater,

who, at the meal, counts the loaf against you.

He counts in his food the bites on you.

ولا تقل رامٍ رمى ثم نجا

ولا تقل رامٍ رمى ثم نجا

لا بد ان يغصَّ فيما غصصا

لا بد ان يغصَّ فيما غصصا

And do not say, "An archer shot, then escaped."

And do not say he who threw, threw and escaped,

He must choke on what he made others choke on.

He must choke on what he choked.

واضرب عن الأولى الى الاخرى ولا

واضرب عن الأولى الى الاخرى ولا

تحفل بها واغنم بذاك الفرصا

تحفل بها واغنم بذاك الفرصا

And turn from the first toward the other, and do not

And turn away from the first to the last, and do not

concern yourself with it; thereby seize the opportunities.

Bother with it, and gain by the opportunity.

دع ذَنب القوم الهجين منهم

دع ذَنب القوم الهجين منهم

واحثث الى الرأس الهجان القلصا

واحثث الى الرأس الهجان القلصا

Leave the tail of the people, the lowborn among them,

Leave the sin of the vulgar people among them,

and urge the young she-camels toward the noble head.

And aim at the head, the refined and shapely top.

من لي به ان اعوز الخل اخاً

من لي به ان اعوز الخل اخاً

ندبا مع الخل يسيغ الغصصا

ندبا مع الخل يسيغ الغصصا

Who can find me, if a close friend is lacking, a brother—

Who do I have that I may lack a brother,

a gallant one who, beside his friend, makes choking grief go down?

Lamenting with the beloved one who makes bitterness sweet?

ما هذه الايام الا عارضٌ

ما هذه الايام الا عارضٌ

قد مرَّ خطفا او كظل قلصا

قد مرَّ خطفا او كظل قلصا

These days are only a passing cloud—

These days are nothing but a loan

gone in a flash—or like a shadow that has shrunk.

That has passed hastily or like a fleeting shadow.

غر أن تشأ في العقر او فاطفح على

غر أن تشأ في العقر او فاطفح على

ضحضاح ماء لا يواري الدعمصا

ضحضاح ماء لا يواري الدعمصا

Plunge, if you wish, into the depths, or else float upon

It is vain that you rebel in the desolate abode or overflow

shallow water that cannot hide even a water grub.

On the meadow where water does not cover the bulrush.

إذا الجواد انحاد عن مضماره

إذا الجواد انحاد عن مضماره

فكلما في السبق جلَّى نكصا

فكلما في السبق جلَّى نكصا

When the thoroughbred swerves from its racecourse,

When the steed deviates from its track,

then whenever it comes first in the race, it falls back.

However much it surpasses in the race, it steps back.