النَفسُ بِالشَيءِ المُمَنَّعِ مولَعَه

وَالحادِثاتُ أُصولُها مُتَفَرِّعَه

The soul craves forbidden things,

And events have branching roots.

وَالنَفسُ لِلشَيءِ البَعيدِ مُريدَةٌ

وَلِكُلِّ ما قَرُبَت إِلَيهِ مُضَيَّعَه

The soul yearns for distant things,

And takes for granted what is near.

مَن عاشَ عاشَ بِخاطِرٍ مُتَصَرِّفٍ

مُتَنَقِّلٍ في الضيقِ طَوراً وَالسَعَه

Whoever lives, lives with a fickle mind,

Shifting between hardship and ease.

وَالمَرءُ يَضعُفُ عَن عَزيمَةِ صَبرِهِ

فَيَضيقُ عَن شَيءٍ وَعَنهُ بِهِ سَعَه

And one grows weak in perseverance,

So hardship constricts, though in it lies relief.

وَالمَرءُ يَغلَطُ في تَصَرُّفِ حالِهِ

وَلَرُبَّما اِختارَ العَناءَ عَلى الدِعَه

One errs in how he steers his state,

And sometimes chooses trouble over peace.

كُلٌّ يُحاوِلُ حيلَةً يَرجو بِها

دَفعَ المَضَرَّةِ وَاِجتِلابَ المَنفَعَه

Each tries a trick, hoping

To ward off harm and gain benefit.

وَالمَرءُ لا يَأتيهِ إِلّا رِزقُهُ

فَاِقنَع بِما يَأتيكَ مِنهُ في دِعَه

And one receives only his provision.

So be content with what comes easily.