لا بأس من ضنك السقام وَبؤسِهِ

فعَسى بسقمِ الجسم صحة نَفسِهِ

No harm in the distress and misery of illness,

For with the sickness of body may come health of soul.

لَم تأتِنا صُمُّ الصخورِ بجوهرٍ

الا على برد الزَمان وَشمسِهِ

The rocks' deafness brought us no gems,

Except with the cold of time and its sun.

وَالجسمُ ترس النفس اذ اضحت بِهِ

تُحمى كَما يُحمى الكميّ بترسِهِ

And the body is the soul's shield when

It is protected as the quiver protects its arrows.

لا تَكرَهوا شَيئاً لعلَّ بِهِ لكم

خَيراً كيوسفَ في عواقب حبسِهِ

Do not hate anything, for through it

Good may come to you, like Joseph in the outcome of his imprisonment.

إن الزَمان مبارِزٌ لكنهُ

يَبغي مبارزة الشجاعِ لبأسِهِ

Time is an adversary, but it wants

To wrestle with the valiant for their vigor.

لا تيأَسنَّ من الزَمان فربمّا

نالَ الفَتى آمالُهُ في يأسهِ

Do not despair of time, for perhaps

The youth may attain his hopes through despair.

اللَه يَفعَل ما يَشاءُ فَلا تكن

مِمّا يحاسبُ يومهُ عن أَمسِهِ

God does as He wills, so do not be

Of those who will be judged for their yesterdays.

لا يَستَريحُ المَرءُ من نَكَباتِهِ

حَتىّ يُغيَّبَ في جوانب رمسِهِ

One finds no rest from misfortunes

Until he is hidden in the sides of his burial.

حالان لَو خيَّرتَ بينهما امرءاً

لأَقامَ يخبِطُ هائماً في حَدسِهِ

Two conditions, if one were given the choice between them,

Would keep a man wavering confused in his guesswork.

لَكِنَّ خيرهما الَّتي فيها رضى ال

باري فتلك مراحمٌ من قُدسِهِ

But better than them is that in which is God's good pleasure,

For that is a mercy from His Holiness.

كَم مَرَّ كأسُ الدهر لكن اذ جرت

كأَسُ المنيَّة طابَ علقمُ كأَسِهِ

How often the cup of fate passes, but when

The cup of death flows, its bitterness is sweetened.

يا من لبستَ من التفى درعاً غدا

من صنعِ داوودٍ ففزتَ بلبسِهِ

O you who have worn the armor of purity tomorrow

Of David's make, triumphing in its wearing,

وَغَرستَهُ فَجَنيَيتَ طيبَ محامدٍ

فَوقَ الَّذي ستنالُهُ من غرسِهِ

And have planted it, reaping the good praise

Above what you will gain from its planting,

كُلٌّ يغارُ علي صيانة جسمِهِ

يا مَن يغارُ على صيانة نَفسِهِ

All are jealous in protecting their bodies,

O you who are jealous in protecting your soul!

لما اِحتقرتَ الدهرَ مسَّكَ صَرفُهُ

لكنَّ نفسكَ لا تُنال بمسِّهِ

When you scorned fate, its course struck you,

But your soul cannot be reached by its touch.

وَالجسم من هَذا الزَمان وارضهِ

ولكل شيءٍ آفةٌ من جنسِهِ

The body is of this time and its earth,

And everything has a weakness from its own species.