أَلَيسَ الزَمانُ كَما قَد عَلِمتَ

فَما لَكَ تَجزَعُ مِن صَرفِهِ

Is not time as you have known

Why then do you grieve over its turning?

وَعِندَكَ عِلمٌ بِهِ ثاقِبٌ

وَعَينٌ تَدُلُّ عَى وَصفِهِ

You have penetrating knowledge of it

And an eye that points to its description

وَأَيّامُهُ دولٌ وَالنُفوسُ

رُهونُ الحوادِثِ مِن حَتفِهِ

Its days are fickle and souls

Are pawns of the accidents of its brink

فَأَينَ المُعافى مِنَ النائِباتِ

وَمَن صاحَبَ الدَهرَ لَم يُعفِهِ

So where is the safe from afflictions?

And who accompanied fate and it spared him?

وَمَن صاحَبَ الدَهرَ لاقى الَّذي

يَخافُ عَلى الرَغمِ مِن أَنفِهِ

And whoever accompanied fate met what

He fears despite his nose

فَكُن حازِمَ الرَأيِ وَاِصبِر لَهُ

فَلِلحُرِّ صَبرٌ عَلى ضَعفِهِ

So be resolute and patient with it

For the free man has patience over his weakness

وَلا تَسأَلِ الناسَ ما يَملِكونَ

وَلَكِن سَلِ اللَهَ وَاِستَكفِهِ

And do not ask people what they possess

Rather, ask God and make do with Him

وَلا تَخضَعَنَّ إِلى سِفلَةٍ

وَإِن كانَتِ الأَرضُ في كَفِّهِ

And do not submit to the lowly

Even if the earth is in their palms

فَإِنَّ اللَئيمَ وَإِن خِلتَهُ

كَريماً يَذودُكَ عَن عُرفِهِ

For the despicable, if you treat him

Nobly, will spare you his norms

وَيَرجِعُ مَحصولُ أَخلاقِهِ

إِلى أَصلِهِ وَإِلى صِنفِهِ

And the harvest of his manners returns

To his origin and his kind

وَكُلُّ صقيِلٍ وَذي ثَروَةٍ

فَإِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ مِن خَلفِهِ

And every polished and wealthy man

Death comes after him