أَذَلَّ الحِرصُ وَالطَمَعُ الرِقابا
وَقَد يَعفو الكَريمُ إِذا اِستَرابا
Greed and desire humble mankind,
Yet the generous may pardon when offended.
إِذا اِتَّضَحَ الصَوابُ فَلا تَدَعهُ
فَإِنَّكَ كُلَّما ذُقتَ الصَوابا
When truth is clear, do not let it go -
For whenever you taste truth,
وَجَدتَ لَهُ عَلى اللَهَواتِ بَرداً
كَبَردِ الماءِ حينَ صَفا وَطابا
You find it cooler than frivolity,
Like cool water when it is pure and fresh.
وَلَيسَ بِحاكِمٍ مَن لا يُبالي
أَأَخطَأَ في الحُكومَةِ أَم أَصابا
One who does not care whether he rules justly or not
Cannot be called a judge.
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ تَلخيصٍ لَوَجهاً
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَسأَلَةٍ جَوابا
Every summary has a purpose,
Every issue has an answer,
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ حادِثَةٍ لَوَقتاً
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ ذي عَمَلٍ حِسابا
Every event has its time,
And every worker will be judged.
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مُطَّلَعٍ لَحَدّاً
وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ ذي عَمَلٍ حِسابا
Whoever aspires has a limit,
And every worker will be judged.
وَكُلُّ سَلامَةٍ تَعِدُ المَنايا
وَكُلُّ عِمارَةٍ تَعِدُ الخَرابا
All safety predicts doom,
And all building predicts ruin.
وَكُلُّ مُمَلَّكٍ سَيَصيرُ يَوماً
وَما مَلَكَت يَداهُ مَعاً تَبابا
Every ruler will one day
Possess only what his hands can hold together.
أَبَت طَرَفاتُ كُلِّ قَريرِ عَينٍ
بِها إِلّا اِضطِراباً وَاِنقِلابا
The eyes of every seer refuse
To see in this world anything but chaos and change,
كَأَنَّ مَحاسِنَ الدُنيا سَرابٌ
وَأَيُّ يَدٍ تَناوَلتِ السَرابا
As if the beauties of this world were a mirage,
And what hand can grasp a mirage?
وَإِن تَكُ مُنيَةٌ عَجِلَت بِشَيءٍ
تُسَرُّ بِهِ فَإِنَّ لَها ذَهابا
If death takes something prematurely,
You rejoice in it, yet it will depart.
فَيا عَجَباً تَموتُ وَأَنتَ تَبني
وَتَتَّخِذُ المَصانِعَ وَالقِبابا
How strange to die while you build,
And make structures and palaces!
أَراكَ وَكُلَّما أَغلَقتَ باباً
مِنَ الدُنيا فَتَحتَ عَلَيكَ بابا
I see that whenever you close one door
To the world, you open another.
أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ كُلَّ صَباحِ يَومٍ
يَزيدُكَ مِن مَنِيَّتِكَ اِقتِرابا
Do you not see that each new day
Brings you closer to your death?
وَحَقَّ لِموقِنٍ بِالمَوتِ أَلّا
يُسَوِّغَهُ الطَعامَ وَلا الشَرابا
One who knows he will die
Should not relish food or drink.
يُدَبِّرُ ما نَرى مَلِكٌ عَزيزٌ
بِهِ شَهِدَت هَوادِثُهُ وَغابا
A mighty king arranges what we see,
Though events have witnessed his coming and going.
أَلَيسَ اللَهُ مِن كُلِّ قَريباً
بَلى مِن حَيثُ ما نودي أَجابا
Is not God always near,
Ready to answer when called?
وَلَم تَرَ سائِلاً لِلَّهِ أَكدى
وَلَم تَرَ راجِياً لِلَّهِ خابا
Have you not seen one who prays to God disappointed,
Or one who hopes in God betrayed?
رَأَيتُ الروحَ جَدبَ العَيشِ لَمّا
عَرَفتُ العَيشَ مَخضاً وَاِحتِلابا
I saw the spirit grow barren of life
When I knew life was labor and trial.
وَلَستَ بِغالِبِ الشَهَواتِ حَتّى
تُعِدَّ لَهُنَّ صَبراً وَاِحتِسابا
You cannot defeat desire
Until you prepare for it patience and acceptance.
فَكُلُّ مُصيبَةٍ عَظُمَت وَجَلَّت
تَخِفُّ إِذا رَجَوتَ لَها ثَوابا
Every great and feared calamity
Grows small when you hope for reward.
كَبِرنا أَيُّها الأَترابُ حَتّى
كَأَنّا لَم نَكُن حيناً شَبابا
We have grown old, my friends,
Though once we were youths.
وَكُنّا كَالغُصونِ إِذا تَثَنَّت
مِنَ الرَيحانِ مونِقَةً رِطابا
We were like bending branches,
Scented blossoms, in the meadow.
إِلى كَم طولُ صَبوَتِنا بِدارٍ
رَأَيتُ لَها اِغتِصاباً وَاِستِلابا
How long did our childhood last
In a home where I saw only plunder and piracy?
أَلا ما لِلكُهولِ وَلِلتَصابي
إِذا ما اِغتَرَّ مُكتَهِلُ تَصابى
What can an old man or graybeard do
When a mature graybeard behaves like a youth?
فَزِعتُ إِلى خِضابِ الشَيبِ مِنهُ
وَإِنَّ نُصولَهُ فَضَحَ الخِضابا
I fled to dyeing the gray hair
For his recklessness exposed the dye!
مَضى عَنّي الشَبابُ بِغَيرِ وُدّي
فَعِندَ اللَهِ أَحتَسِبُ الشَبابا
My youth left me without farewell -
But in God I seek recompense for my youth.
وَما مِن غايَةٍ إِلّا المَنايا
لِمَن خَلِقَت شَبيبَتُهُ وَشابا
There is no fate but death
For one whose youth and vigor are spent.
وَما مِنكَ الشَبابُ وَلَستَ مِنهُ
إِذا سَأَلَتكَ لِحيَتُكَ الخِضابا
You cannot regain your youth when
Your beard asks you for dye.
