دع الغِنى لبنيهِ

إِنْ شئتَ أنْ لا تذلّا

Let wealth be for its sons,

If you want never to be humbled.

كم ذا تعلّقُ ظِلّاً

مزايلاً مُضْمَحلّا

How much does one cling to a shadow

Fading and withering?

إنْ أنتَ أعرضتَ عنه

جثا إليك وحلّا

If you turn away from it,

It humbles itself to you.

وإنْ رآك حريصاً

عليه يوماً تولّى

And if one day you seem eager for it,

It turns away.

مَنْ فكّ رِبقةَ حِرْصٍ

فإنّما فكّ غُلّا

Whoever frees himself of greed's shackles

Has only freed himself of shackles.

ومَنْ يجلّ صنيعاً

كان الأعزّ الأجلّا

Whoever makes little of gifts

Was the proudest and most glorious.

مَن ملَّ حَمْلَ ثقيلٍ

من الرّجالِ أُمِلّا

Whoever carries a heavy burden

Of men's affairs becomes weary.

ومن تكثّر يوماً

بالنّاسِ ذلَّ وقلّا

And whoever mixes much with people

Is humbled and becomes little.

لا تطلبنَّ دواءً

للدّاءِ كان المُعِلّا

Seek no cure

For an illness that proved fatal.

وَلا تبعْ بحرامٍ

من المعيشةِ حِلّا

And earn no illicit livelihood

To live by.

للَّهِ نَدْبٌ جريءُ

رأى الغبينةَ ذُلّا

Allah has a daring call

For one who sees humbleness as disgrace

وعَدَّ ما في يديهِ

ثِقْلاً عليه وكَلّا

And counts what is in his hands

A burden and shackle upon him.

وَاِستلّ بين رجالٍ

من العَضِيهةِ سَلّا

And one who extracts himself

From the coarseness of men is extracted safely.

ما العيشُ إلّا كبرقٍ

أو عارضٍ يتجلّى

Life is but a lightning flash

Or a guest who briefly alights.