لا تَركُنَنَّ إِلى الهَوى

وَاِذكُر مُفارَقَةَ الهَواءِ

Do not incline toward passion

And remember parting from desires

يَوماً تَصيرُ إِلى الثَرى

وَيَفوزُ غَيرُكَ بِالثَراءِ

One day you will become dust

And others will reap the harvest

كَم مِن صَغيرٍ في رَجا

بِئرٍ لِمُنقَطِعِ الرَجاءِ

How many a small one hoping

For a well has lost hope

غَطّى عَلَيهِ بِالصَفا

أَهلُ المَوَدَّةِ وَالصَفاءِ

The kindly and the pure

Have heaped soil over him

ذَهَبَ الفَتى عَن أَهلِهِ

أَينَ الفَتِيُّ مِنَ الفَتاءِ

The youth went from his family

Where is the young man's youth

زالَ السَنا عَن ناظِرَي

هِ وَزالَ عَن شَرَفِ السَناءِ

Gray hairs left his eyes

And glory left him

ما زالَ يَلتَمِسُ الخَلا

حَتّى تَوَحَّدَ في الخَلاءِ

He kept seeking solitude

Until he was alone in the wasteland

قَطَعَ النسا مِنهُ الزَما

نُ فَلَم يُمَتَّع بِالنَساءِ

Women denied him their company

And he had no enjoyment of them

وَأَرى العَشا في العَينِ أَك

ثَرَ ما يَكونُ مِنَ العَشاءِ

I see much passion in the eye

More than what passion should be

وَأَرى الخَوى يُذكي عُقو

لَ ذَوي التَفَكُّرِ في الخَواءِ

And I see thought kindling

The minds of those who ponder in solitude

وَلَرُبَّ مَمنوعِ العَرا

وَلَسَوفَ يُنبَذُ بِالعَراءِ

And many a sand grouse denied bushes

Will end up in the thickets

مَن خافَ مِن أَلَمِ الحَفا

فَليَجتَنِب مَشيَ الحَفاءِ

Whoever fears the pain of hot sands

Should avoid walking on the hot sands

كَم مَن تَوارى بِالنَقا

بَعدَ النَظافَةِ وَالنَقاءِ

How many a one in cleanness hiding

After cleanliness and purity

وَأَخو الغَرا مَن لا يَزا

لُ بِما يَضُرُّ أَخا غَراءِ

A brother of nobleness is one who does not

Do what harms his noble brothers

إِنَّ الحَياةَ مَعَ الحَيا

وَأَرى البَهاءَ مَعَ الحَياءِ

Life is with life

And I see splendor with modesty

عَقلُ الكَبيرِ مِنَ الوَرى

في الصالِحاتِ مِنَ الوَراءِ

The mind of the wise

Is in good deeds and wisdom

لَو تَعلَمُ الشاةُ النَجا

مِنها لَجَدَّت في النَجاءِ

If the ewe knew the salvation for her

She would struggle for deliverance

وَأَرى الدَوا طولَ السَقا

مِ فَلا تُفَرِّط في الدَواءِ

I see seeking the cure lifelong

So do not neglect the cure

وَإِذا سَمِعتَ وَحَى الزَما

نِ فَلا تُقَصِّر في الوَحاءِ

And when you hear the whisper of fate

Do not fall short in preparing

فَلَرُبَّما وَدّى السَفا

نَحوَ السَفا أَهلَ السَفاءِ

For fate may lure

Seafarers to the sea

يا اِبنَ البَرى إِنَّ الأحِب

بَةَ يوذِنونكَ بِالبَراءِ

O son of the land, loved ones

Are warning you of separation

فَكُلِ الفَنا إِن لَم تَجِد

حَلّاً فَإِنَّكَ في الفَناءِ

So enjoy life if you find

No solution, for you are mortal

وَأَراكَ قَد حالَ العَمى

ما بَينَ عَينِكَ وَالعَماءِ

I see blindness come between

Your eye and seeing

فَاِنظُر لِعَينِكَ في الجَلا

إِن خِفتَ مِن يَومِ الجَلاءِ

So look to your eye in fright

If you fear a day of terror

فَلَرُبَّما وَدّى الفَضا

مُتَزَوِّديهِ إِلى الفَضاءِ

For fate may lure

Those it provides for to the wilderness

فَاِهدَأ هُديتَ إِلى الذَكا

إِن كُنتَ مِن أَهلِ الذَكاءِ

So be calm, you are guided to wisdom

If you are one of the wise

فَالمَرءُ نُبِّهَ بِالعَفا

إِن لَم يُفَكِّر في العَفاءِ

Man is cautioned by pardon

If he does not contemplate pardon

سَيَضيقُ مُتَّسَعُ المَلا

بِالمُخرَجينَ مِنَ المَلاءِ

The refuge of assemblies will narrow

With those exiting from the throngs

فَاِرغَب لِرَبِّكَ في الجَدا

ما أَنتَ عَنهُ ذو جَداءِ

So vie for your Lord seriously

While you cannot rival Him

توصي وَعَقلُكَ في بَذا

فَلِذاكَ رَأيُكَ ذو بَذاءِ

You recommend but your mind is muddled

So naturally your view is confused

فَكَأَنَّما ريحُ الصَبا

تَجر بِطُلّابِ الصَباءِ

It is as though the wind of youth

Takes away the seekers of youth

باعوا التَيَقُّظَ بِالكَرى

فَعُقولُهُم بِذُرى كَراءِ

They sold awareness for wine

So their minds are like fuzz of wine

فَكَأَنَّهُم مَعزُ الأَبا

أَو كَالحُطامِ مِنَ الأَباءِ

It is as though they are Billy goats

Or flotsam of marshes

كَم مِن عِظامٍ بِاللِوى

قد فارَقَت خَفقَ اللِواءِ

How many bones in graves

Have left the shaking of banners

وَأَرى الغِنى يَدعو الغَنِي

يَ إِلى المَلاهي وَالغِناءِ

I see wealth invites the wealthy

To frivolity and singing

يُمضي الإِنا بَعدَ الإِنا

وَمُناهُ في مَلءِ الإِناءِ

Life passes after life

And its goal is fullness of life

فَلَرُبَّما فَضَحَ الرِجا

لَ ذَوي اللِحى كَشفُ اللِحاءِ

For sometimes manliness strips

The bearded men naked

وَلَرُبَّما صادَ العِدى

ذا السَبقِ في صَيدِ العِداءِ

And sometimes enmity hunts

The foremost in hunting enmity

وَلَرُبَّما هُجِرَ البِنا

بَعدَ التَأَنُّقِ في البِناءِ

And sometimes the well-built edifice

Is shunned after its construction

فَلِيَستَوي أَهلُ الكِبا

وَذَوو التَعَطُّرِ بِالكِباءِ

So equals are the perfumed elite

And the mass of commoners

وَلَرُبَّ ماءٍ ذي رِوى

يُحتاج فيهِ إِلى الرِواءِ

And there is water with abundance

That needs channeling

وَأَرى البِلى يُبلي الجَدي

دَ وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ لِلبَلاءِ

I see decrepitude decay the new

And everything decays

كَم مِن إِنا يُفني اللَيا

لي ثُمَّ يَفنى بِالأَناءِ

How many a life the nights end

Then it ends in vessels

وَأَرى القِرى ما لا يُدو

مُ عَلى الزَمانِ لِذي قراءِ

I see dwellings not lasting

For one seeking dwellings

وَذَوو السِوى يَرِثُ الفَتى

وَليَنزَعَنَّ مِنَ السَواءِ

And successors inherit the youth

And seize its equal share

حُبُّ النِساءِ إِلى قِلى

وَأَرى الصَلاحَ مَعَ القلاءِ

Love of women settles in my heart

And I see well-being with composure

ماءُ الحَياةِ رِوىً وَأَن

نى لِلمُجَلّى بِالرَواءِ

The water of life, pure and delightful

For one purified with purity

كَم مِن إِيا شَمسٍ رَأَي

تُ وَلا تَرى مِثلَ الأَياءِ

How many days have I seen

And I see nothing like those days

تَهوى لقى ما لا يَحِل

لُ وَبَعدَهُ يَومُ اللِقاءِ

It craves what is not permitted

And after is the day of meeting

وَسَكَنتَ بَيتاً ذا غَمى

وَلَتَخرُجَنَّ مِنَ الغِماءِ

You dwelt in a house of worries

And you will exit from darkness

فَاِنظُر لِسَمهِكَ في غَرا

لا تَستَقيمُ بِلا غِراءِ

So look to straightening your path

It will not be straight without effort

وَاِحذَر صَلى نارِ الجَحي

مِ فَإِنَّهُ شَرُّ الصِلاءِ

And beware prayers of burning fire

For it is the worst prayers

فَجَرى الشَبابُ يَزولُ عَن

كَ وَقَلَّ ما أَغنى الجِراءِ

For youth flowed and went from you

And the empty quarter seldom enriched

وَأَرى الغذا لا يُستطا

عُ فَمن لِنَفسِكَ بِالغِذاءِ

And I see food cannot be obtained

So who will get food for you

كَم قَد وَرَدتَ إِلى أَضا

وَصَدَرتَ عَن ذاكَ الإِضاءِ

How much you have come to lights

And set out from that illumination

وَأَراكَ تَنظُرُ في السَحا

لا ضَيرَ في نَظَرِ السِحاءِ

And I see you look into the horizon

No harm in a blind man's looking

شَمسُ الضُحى طَلَعَت عَلَي

كَ وَلا تَرى شَمسَ الضَحاءِ

The sun of morning shone upon you

And you see no sun of morning