أَلاَ قُلْ لِمَنْ يَبْغِي إِلَى العِزِّ مَنْفَذاً

إِلَهَكَ فَاذْكُرْ دَائِماً ودَعِ البَذَا

Tell those who seek glory, your God is the only way

Say to him who seeks a passage to glory:

Remember Him always and leave foolishness astray

Remember your God always, and forsake foul speech.

ولاَ تَشْتَرِ الدنْيا بِدينِكَ سَاءَ مَنْ

يَبيعُ بِأَفْلاَذِ الزُّجاجِ زُمُرُّذَا

Do not sell your faith for this life, how awful is he

And do not sell your religion for this world; wretched is the one who

Who sells pearls for fragments of glass thrown away

Sells emeralds for pieces of glass.

وقُلْ لِلْعُيونِ النَّاظِراتِ لَهَا امْرَهِي

وَبِالْجِدِّ لاَ بِالْكَدِّ كُنْ مُتَلَوِّذَا

Say to prying eyes, tend to your own affairs

And say to the eyes that gaze upon it: 'Weep',

Attain through hard work not trickery your goals each day

And seek refuge in earnest endeavor, not in mere toil.

وَقُلْ لِلدَّنَايَا خَامِري أُمَّ عَامِرٍ

فَلَنْ تَجِدِي عِنْدِي لأَِخْذِكِ مَأْخَذَا

Say to tempting life, seductress, daughter of one wealthy

Say to base deeds: 'Hide yourself, O Umm Amir, the hyena!

You’ll find in me no place where you can lead me astray

For you will find no hold upon me to seize me.'

وَأَيَّاكَ وَالْفَدْمَ الْخَسِيسَ فَجَافِهِ

تَجِدْ بَعْدَهُ طَعْمَ الْحَيَاةِ طَبَرْزَذَا

Beware of vile souls, shun them outright

Beware the despicable dullard, and shun him;

After them you’ll find life’s taste acrid and gray

After him, you will find the taste of life as sweet as sugar.

فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُنْئِهِ يُدْنِكَ الْخَنَا

وَيُلْبِسْكَ مِنْ نَسْجِ الْمَذَلَّةِ مِشْوَذَا

For if you do not spurn them, they will drag you down

For if you do not keep him at a distance, he will bring obscenity near to you,

And dress you in the garb of disgrace and decay

And clothe you in a turban woven of humiliation.

تَعَمَّمْ بِعِزٍّ وَهْوَ صَبْرٌ وَعِفَّةٌ

فَأَخْبِثْ بِمَنْ بِالذُّلِّ يَوْماً تَشَوَّذَا

Cloak yourself in dignity, patience and piety

Turban yourself with honor, which is patience and purity,

Make wretched whom in baseness found pleasure one day

For how vile is the one who one day turbans himself with disgrace.

وَصَدِّقْ بِفِعْلِ مَا تَقولُ تَكُنْ فَتىً

فَأَغْبَى الْوَرى مَنْ كانَ مِنْهُمْ مُطَرْمِذَا

And make your actions prove your words, be a true man

Validate what you say with your actions, and you will be a true man,

For most foolish is he says one thing, does another way

For the most foolish of people is the one who boasts of what he does not do.

وَنَفْسَكَ جَاهِدْهَا إِذَا مَا تَمَرَّدَتْ

وَإِلاَّ تَجِدْ سَهْمَ الرَّدَى لَكَ مَنْفَذَا

Your soul struggle with when it rebels against you

Strive against your soul whenever it rebels,

Or else you will find the arrow of ruin make its way

Or else the arrow of ruin will find a passage to you.

أَرَى النَّفْسَ سِعْلاَةً تَطِيرُ لِبَارِقٍ

مِنَ الشَّرِّ إِنْ عَمْرُ الْعُقُولِ لَهَا احْتَذَى

I see the soul a leaping doe that flies to any

I see the soul as a female demon, flying toward the lightning-flash

Flash of evil, for the life of minds is its prey

Of evil, if the life of minds takes it as a guide.

وَوَفِّرْ بِبَذْلِ الْوَفْرِ عِرْضَكَ مِنْ أَذىً

وَذُدْ بِالسَّخَاءِ الذَّمَّ عَنْكَ وَأَشْقِذَا

Repel with generosity harm from your honor

Protect your honor from harm by spending your wealth freely,

And blunt with generosity the slander thrown your way

And repel blame from yourself through generosity, and chase it away.

وَلَكِنْ بَِقَصْدٍ وَاجْتِنَابِ تَبَذُّرٍ

وَإِلاَّ فَقَدْ تَبْلَى وَلَنْ تُلْفَ مُنْقَذَا

But with moderation and avoiding excess

But do so with moderation, avoiding extravagance,

Or else you’ll wear out and no escape can you parlay

Or else you will be ruined and will never find a rescuer.

وَجَنِّبْ بَنِي الدُّنْيَا يُجَنِّبْكَ كَيْدُهُمْ

فَسَلْ عَنْ أَذَاهُمْ أَحْوَذِيّاً مُجَرَّذَا

Avoid the schemes of worldly men, their plots avoid you

Avoid the children of this world, and their plotting will avoid you;

Ask one hurt by their harms, ask one led them astray

Ask about their harm an experienced, seasoned man.

فَسَلْ عنْ بَنِي الدنيا عَلِيماً بِحَالِهِمْ

تَمَعْدَدَ فِيهِمْ بَعْدَمَا قَدْ تََبَغْذَذَا

Ask about the people of this world one knowing their state

Ask about the sons of the world one who knows their true condition,

Once joined to them and then escaped their fangs one day

Who lived a harsh bedouin life among them after enjoying Baghdad's luxury.

لََنَجَّذَنِي مَكْرُ اللِّئَامِ وَكَيْدُهُمْ

وَمَا الْكَيْدُ إِلاَّ مَا أَخَا الْعِلْمِ نَجَّذَا

The cunning and plots of villains rescued me

The deceit and plotting of the wicked have indeed made me seasoned,

And no plot succeeds but what knowledge leads astray

And plotting is but that which makes the man of knowledge wise and tested.

وأرْهَفَ سَيْفَ اللُّبِّ رِبْذَةُ خَبِّهِمْ

وَأَعْظِمْ بِخَبٍّ كَانَ لِلُّبِّ مِشْحَذَا

The blade of villainy is sharpened by the whetstone of their vice

The malice of their deceit has sharpened the sword of the intellect,

And amplifies vice what for villainy was honed each day

And how great is a deceit that acts as a whetstone for the mind!

وَلاَسِيَّمَا مَنْ يَدَّعِي الْعِلْمَ مِنْهُمُ

أُولَئِكَ كلٌّ فِي حِمَى الْمَكْرِ هِرْبِذَا

Especially those claiming knowledge from among them

Especially those among them who lay claim to knowledge;

Each lurks in the sanctuary of cunning, I would say

Every one of them is a chief priest in the sanctuary of deceit.

بِهِ لاَ بِظَبْيٍ قَوْلُهُمْ لَكَ عِنْدَمَا

يَهُمُّكَ مِنْهُمْ مَا يُهِمُّكَ مِنْ أَذَى

Not with beauty, but their words to you when

'May it strike him, not a gazelle,' is their saying to you when

You’re vexed by their vexing and troubles that come your way

You are troubled by the harm from them that concerns you.

إذَا أَبْصَرُوا شَرْيَانَ فَقْرِكَ نَابِضاً

قَلَوْكَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ الْعَلِيمَ الْمُنَجَّذَا

When they see the pulse of your poverty throbbing

Yet if they see the artery of your poverty throbbing,

They undermine you, even if you are wise and led the way

They despise and abandon you, even if you are the learned, seasoned one.

وَإِنْ هُمْ رَأَوْا لِلْفَدْمِ وَفْراً تَسَاقَطُوا

عَليْهِ وَكانُوا بِالْحِمَى مِنْهُ لُوَّذَا

And if they see abundance in the vile one, they fall

But if they see wealth belonging to a dullard, they fall

Upon it, having for it from birth been led astray

Upon him, and seek refuge in his sanctuary.

فَإِنْ شِئْتَ تَبْقَى قَذىً فِي عُيُونِهِمْ

فَغَمِّضْ جُفُونَ الصَّبْرِ مِنْكَ عَلَى قَذَى

If you wish to remain a speck in their eyes

So if you wish to remain a speck of dust in their eyes,

Then close the eyes of patience to the speck and fray

Close your eyelids of patience over the mote.

فَمَنْ لَمْ يُكَابِدْ حِرَّةً تَحْتَ قِرَّةٍ

لَهُمْ يُمْسِ فِي أَرْضِ الْهَوانِ مُنَبَّذَا

For he who does not endure the heat under coolness

For whoever does not endure a burning thirst beneath their coldness

On the land of disgrace will tossed away and decay

Will end up cast away in the land of humiliation.

وَإِنَّ سَرَّكَ الْمَحْيَا وَنَارُ قُلُوبِهِمْ

تَسَعَّرُ مِنْ وَجْدٍ سِبَابَهُمُ اُنْبِذَا

And if you love life and their hearts are aflame

If your survival pleases you while the fire of their hearts

Their insults blaze from passion and spite each day

Blazes with rage, then cast aside their insults.

لَتَرْكُ سِبَابَ النَّذْلِ كانَ أَمَضَّ مِنْ

أَحَدِّ الظُّبَى وَقْعاً علَيْهِ وَأَنْفَذَا

To leave insulting the base was more effective than

For ignoring the insults of the scoundrel is more painful

A sharp arrow striking its target point blank and straight

And piercing to him than the blow of the sharpest swords.

تَعَوَّذْ بِحَبْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِلْمِ وَالتُّقَى

تَبُذَّ الذِي بِالْغَيِّ مِنْهُمْ تَعَوَّذَا

Take refuge in the rope of knowledge, patience and piety

Seek refuge in the rope of knowledge, forbearance, and piety,

You banish what with immorality from them took refuge each day

And you will surpass the one among them who takes refuge in transgression.

وَلاَ تَلْتَفِتْ مِنْهُمْ لِمَدْحٍ وَلاَ هِجاً

فَذَمُّهُمُ مَدْحٌ وَمَدْحُهُمُ بَذَا

Do not heed from them praise or insult

Pay no attention to their praise or their satire,

Their blame is praise, their praise is but decay

For their dispraise is praise, and their praise is foul speech.

وَلاَ تَكُ حُلْواً تُسْتَرَطْ بِحُلُوقِهِمْ

كَمَا لاَ تَكُنْ مُرّاً فَتُعْقَ وَتُنْبَذَا

Be not made sweet to be spat out by their throats

Do not be so sweet that you are swallowed down their throats,

Just as be not bitter, rejected and thrown away

Nor so bitter that you are choked upon and spat out.

وَجَاهِدْهُمْ بِاللهِ رَبِّكَ وَحْدَهُ

تَدُسْ خَدَّ مَنْ يَبْغِي عَلَيْكَ مُفَخِّذَا

Struggle against them with your Lord alone

Strive against them by God, your Lord, alone,

You defeat whoever against you sought harm in his way

And you will trample the cheek of your oppressor, leaving him weakened.

وَكُنْ فِي حُزُونِ الدِّينِ تُكْسَ بِعِزَّةٍ

فَإِنَّ أَعَزَّ النَّبْتِ مَا كَانَ عُوَّذَا

Be among the devout in faith, you will be clothed in might

And in the rugged terrains of religion, be clothed in honor,

For mightiest of plants are those for harm sheltered each day

For the noblest of plants are those that grow in unapproachable places.

وَصَلِّ عَلَى شَمْسِ الْهُدَى تَنْجُ مِنْ رَدَى

فَنِعْمَ حُلِيُّ الْمُهْتَدِينَ وَحَبَّذَا

Send blessings upon the sun of guidance and you will escape ruin

And send blessings upon the Sun of Guidance to be saved from ruin,

Blessed indeed is the guide of the guided, I would say

For what an excellent adornment it is for the guided, how wonderful!

تَلَذَّذْ بِهَا تَظْفَرْ بِلَذَّةِ حُبِّهِ

فَيَا فَوْزَ مَنْ أَمْسَى بِهَا مُتَلَذِّذَا

Find in it delight, you will win the delight of His love

Find delight in it, and you will attain the delight of His love,

What triumph for one who finds in it delight each day

Oh, the triumph of the one who spends his evening delighting in it.

عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةُ اللهِ وَالطِّيبُ طِيبُهَا

وَأَزْكَى سَلاَمٍ طَيِّبِ الْعَرْفِ وَالشَّذَا

The blessings of God and purest purity upon it

Upon him be the peace and blessings of God, whose fragrance is pure,

And most fragrant salutation of good scent and bouquet

And the purest greetings, sweet in scent and aroma.

كَذَا الآلُ والأصْحابُ وَالْفَضْلُ فَضْلُهُمْ

أُولَئِكَ أَقْوَاتُ الْهُدَى بِهِمُ اغْتَذَى

The family, companions, and their excellence too

Likewise upon his family, companions, and their abundant grace;

They are nourishments of guidance, by them we are led the way

They are the nourishment of guidance by which one is sustained.

فَخُذْهَا تَهَادَى فِي مُلاَءَةِ حِكْمَةٍ

وَكُنْ لِلَّذِي وَشَّتْ يَدَاهَا مُنَفِّذَا

Take them, you will be guided in the company of wisdom

So take this poem, swaying in the mantle of wisdom,

And be one who executed what their hands conveyed each day

And be an executor for the one whose hands embellished it.

تَرَ الْعِزَّ يَحْتَاجُ الْهَوَانَ بِعَضْبِهِ

إذَا طَمَّ سَيْلُ الْعِزِّ صَمَّ صَدَى الأَذَى

You will see might seeking to crush with its anger

You will see honor eradicating humiliation with its sharp sword;

When the torrent of might roars, silenced is harm and decay

When the flood of honor overflows, it deafens the echo of harm.