أَطِعِ الهوى فالعقلُ خازٍ خازمُ

والجهل يُغري وهو هازٍ هازمُ

Obey desire, for reason is worn out and defeated,

And ignorance entices while it is deluded and defeated,

واعْملْ فحرفُ الشَّرط صُنعُك والرَّدى

عنه جوابٌ وهو جازٍ جازمُ

And act, for the verb’s conditional particle is your making, and for it

Is an answer, while it is going and resolute,

وإذا عَلَوْتَ فَواصِ بالعلمِ العُلى

تَكْمُل فخيرُ القومِ عالٍ عالمُ

And when you rise up, then command the highest knowledge,

You will be complete, for the best of people is high and learned,

وابْسُط يَدَيْك فإنّ قابض كَفِّه

في بَسْطَةِ الإثْراءِ عادٍ عادِمُ

And spread open your hands, for one who closes his palm,

In the openness of wealth, is regressing and losing,

واكتُمْ نوالك فالكريم نوالُه

غَيثٌ وجُنْحُ الليلِ ساجٍ ساجمُ

And conceal your boons, for the generous one’s boons,

Are rain, and the wing of night is covering and veiling,

وإذا شَكَوْتَ إلى امرئٍ وَشَكَمْتَه

كَرِهَ الندى لا كان شاكٍ شاكمُ

And if you complain to a man, and blame him,

He will dislike intimacy, no matter if he is complaining or blaming,

واسْلُ الدَّنايا تَسْلَمِ العُقْبى غداً

في مَنْزِلَيْك فكلُّ سالٍ سالمُ

And ask the worldly life for safety tomorrow,

In your dwellings, for all who ask are safe,

يا ساخِط الأقْسام يَأْمُلُ رزقةً

يَرْضَى بها والدهر قاسٍ قاسمُ

Oh disgruntled by portions, hoping for a sustenance,

He will be content with, while time is dividing and apportioning,

اِقْنَعْ بجِيدٍ عاطلٍ وانْظِم له

عِقْدَ الصَّلاحِ فكلُّ حالٍ حالمُ

Be content with good, even if unemployed, and string for it,

A necklace of righteousness, for all conditions have hopes,

كم من فتىً جَعَلَ القناعة جُنَّةً

دون المطامع فهو غانٍ غانمُ

How many a youth made contentment a shield,

From ambitions, so he is rich and winner,

وارفَعْ مَنارَ المُهتدي بك لا كمن

يُولي ويُلْوي فهو هادٍ هادمُ

And raise the minaret of one guided by you, not one,

Who turns his back and twists, so he is guiding and destroying,

والهجو لا تَهْجُم على عِرْضٍ به

سَفَهَاً فشَرُّ الناسِ هاجٍ هاجمُ

And do not attack a person’s honor with foolishness,

For the worst of people are those attacking and offending,

ترجو وترُجم غيرَ غافِرِ زَلَّةٍ

بِئسَ الفتى يا صاحِ راجٍ راجمُ

You hope and praise other than the forgiver of slips,

What a miserable lad you are, hoping and stoning,

حَسْبُ الظَّلوم على ذَميم مآلِه

باللؤم فهو بكلّ نادٍ نادمُ

It suffices the wrongdoer, the disgrace of his outcome,

With disgrace, for he is, in everything, regretting and sorrowful,

وإذا المُفيضُ دعا القِداح فإنّما

سَهْمُ المُسالم وهو ناجٍ ناجمُ

And when the pouring one invites to bumpers, then,

The portion of the harmonious one is a draft, intimate and veiled,

وإذا وَقَيْتَ أخاك لم أرَ سُبَّةً

وَقْمَ العِدى والشهمُ واقٍ واقمُ

And when you protect your brother, I do not see a disgrace,

Like protecting against transgression and pride, and it is forbidding and preventing,

كُن كالحُسامِ كَلا الرَّفيقَ وحَدُّه

للضِّدِّ كَلْمٌ فهو كالٍ كالمُ

Be like the sword, softening only its counterpart,

To the contrary, it is talking, while it is going and speaking,

تُخُطي الحظوظُ ذوي النُّهى وينالُها

فَدْمٌ من الخَيرات عارٍ عارمُ

Those of bad habits miss opportunities, while the

Generous obtain them, barefaced and defeating,

والدهرُ يَحْكِي ثم يَحْكُم بعدما

يُلْقي المَعاذر فهو حاكٍ حاكمُ

And time narrates, then judges after,

Casting justifications, while it is reasoning and judging,

ونعى إليك العيشُ نفسَك خادِعاً

لك بالنعومةِ فهو ناعٍ ناعمُ

And life intimated your death to you, deceiving,

You with luxury, while it is intimating and gentle,

فالغُفْل عند الخوف مُغْفٍ مُغْفِلٌ

والجَلْدُ عند الأمن حازٍ حازمُ

So negligence in fear is neglectful and heedless,

And patience in safety is prudent and resolute,