1. هلِ العزُّ إلّا في اِطّراح المراتبِ

    وَصون المحيّا عن سواد المطالبِ

    Is dignity found anywhere but in casting aside ranks

    And shielding one's face from the dark stain of requests—

  2. وَحسبُ الفتى للعيشِ طمرٌ وبُلغة

    وما الهمُّ إلّا في فضول المكاسبِ

    And for a young man to live, a worn garment and bare sustenance suffice;

    And worry lies only in superfluous gains—

  3. وَإِفراد همّ المرء للّه ربّه

    وَإِعراضه عن كلّ فانٍ وذاهبِ

    And devoting one's concern solely to God, one's Lord,

    And turning away from all that perishes and passes away?

  4. وَمن كدّرت أطماعهُ نهرَ فكرهِ

    طَفا فيه من أقذائه كلّ راسبِ

    And for anyone whose cravings muddy the river of his thought,

    Every settled speck of its debris floats up within it.