أَعاذِلَ لَيسَ البُخلُ مِنّي سَجِيَّةً

وَلكِن رَأَيتُ الفَقرَ شَرَّ سَبيلِ

I do not withhold out of miserliness,

Rather, I have seen poverty to be an evil way.

لَمَوتُ الفَتى خَيرٌ مِن البُخلِ لِلفَتى

وَلَلبُخلُ خَيرٌ مِن سُؤالِ بَخيلِ

Death is better for the young man than miserliness,

And miserliness is better than asking from a miser.

لَعَمرُكَ ما شَيءٌ لِوَجهِكَ قيمَةٌ

فَلا تَلقَ مَخلوقاً بِوَجهِ ذَليلِ

By your life! You are not worth anything,

So do not meet people with a humiliated face.

وَلا تَسأَلَن مَن كانَ يَسأَلُ مَرَّةً

فَلَلمَوتُ خَيرٌ مِن سُؤالِ سَؤولِ

And do not ask someone who asks all the time,

For death is better than asking a constant asker.