قالوا أقمتَ وما رُزقتَ وإنّما

بالسير يكتسِبُ اللبيبُ وَيُرزَقُ

They said you stayed put and were not provided for, yet

The perceptive person gains through travelling and is provided for

فأجبتهم ما كلُّ سيرٍ نافعاً

الحظُّ ينفع لا الرحيلُ الُمقِلقُ

So I answered them not all travelling is beneficial

Luck, not wandering anxiously, is beneficial

كم سفرةٍ نفعت وأخرى مثلُها

ضرّت ويكتسِبُ الحريصُ ويُخفِقُ

How many journeys were beneficial while others like them

Were harmful, and the greedy person gains but also fails

كالبدرِ يكتسبُ الكمالَ بسيرهِ

وبه إذا حُرِمَ السعادةَ يُمحَق

Like the moon gaining perfection through its journey

And through it, when deprived of fortune, is shattered