عجبتُ للمال يأَتي كل ذي جَشَع

عجبتُ للمال يأَتي كل ذي جَشَع

يَموت من بخلهِ في الفرن مُعتَفِدا

يَموت من بخلهِ في الفرن مُعتَفِدا

I marvel at wealth, which comes to every greedy man

I wonder at money, it comes to the greedy one

who, through his miserliness, dies in the oven, starving himself.

He dies of miserliness, curled up in the oven

والمال كالضيف يأَتي من كرّمهُ

والمال كالضيف يأَتي من كرّمهُ

فَلَيسَ يُكرِمُ ضَيفاً بعدهُ ابدا

فَلَيسَ يُكرِمُ ضَيفاً بعدهُ ابدا

Wealth, like a guest, comes to whoever honors it,

Money is like a guest, it comes to the generous one

who never honors a guest thereafter.

So he will not honor a guest after it, ever

وكلَّ فَدمٍ يظنُّ المال مهجتَهُ

وكلَّ فَدمٍ يظنُّ المال مهجتَهُ

فَلا يمدُّ إِلى الانفاق منهُ يدا

فَلا يمدُّ إِلى الانفاق منهُ يدا

And every fool thinks wealth is his very soul,

Each soul thinks money is its gut

so he stretches out no hand to spend any of it.

So it does not extend its hand to spend it

وأين مهجتهُ من مالهِ فَلَكم

وأين مهجتهُ من مالهِ فَلَكم

يُهينُها وَيُعزُّ المال مجتهدا

يُهينُها وَيُعزُّ المال مجتهدا

And what is his soul beside his wealth? How often

Where is its gut from its money! How much

he debases it and zealously exalts wealth!

It degrades it and honors money, striving

خسيسةٌ لو ثوت في الليث صار بها

خسيسةٌ لو ثوت في الليث صار بها

كلباً يُرى كُلُّ كَلبٍ عندهُ أَسدا

كلباً يُرى كُلُّ كَلبٍ عندهُ أَسدا

A base soul—if it dwelt in a lion, it would turn it

Worthless, if it stayed with a lion, it would make it

into a dog beside which every dog would seem a lion.

A dog, every dog is seen next to it a lion

أو حَلَّت الكلبَ لم يبرح بها كَلِباً

أو حَلَّت الكلبَ لم يبرح بها كَلِباً

بِحيثُ بستور يخشى منهُ مرتعدا

بِحيثُ بستور يخشى منهُ مرتعدا

Or if it inhabited a dog, the dog would remain rabid because of it,

Or if it possessed a dog, it would not stop being a dog

so that Pasteur would fear it, trembling.

To the point that the jackal fears it, trembling