مَتى تَتَقَضّى حاجَةُ المُتَكَلِّفُ

وَلا سِيَّما مِن مُترَفِ النَفسِ مُسرِفُ

When will the needy ostentatious one be satisfied,

Especially one given to extravagance and excess?

طَلَبتُ الغِنى في كُلِّ وَجهٍ فَلَم أَجِد

سَبيلَ الغِنى إِلّا سَبيلَ التَعَفُّفِ

I sought wealth in every way, but found

No path to wealth except the path of self-restraint.

إِذا كُنتَ لا تَرضى بِشَيءٍ تَنالُهُ

وَكُنتَ عَلى ما فاتَ جَمَّ التَلَهُّفِ

If you are not content with what you attain,

And pine intensely for what is past,

فَلَستَ مِنَ الهَمِّ العَريضِ بِخارِجٍ

وَلَستُ مِنَ الغَيظِ الطَويلِ بِمُشتَفِ

You will not be rid of deep anxiety,

Nor I of prolonged rage.

أَراني بِنَفسي مُعجَباً مُتَغَرِّراً

كَأَنّي عَلى الآفاتِ لَستُ بِمُشرِفِ

I see myself vainly arrogant,

As if I were immune from faults.

وَإِنّي لَعَينُ البائِسِ الواهِنِ القُوى

وَعَينُ الضَعيفِ البائِسِ المُتَطَرِّفِ

Yet I am the weakest of the weak,

The most wretched of the wretched.

وَلَيسَ امرُؤٌ لَم يَرعَ مِنكَ بِجَهدِهِ

جَميعَ الَّذي تَرعاهُ مِنهُ بِمُنصِفِ

No man has fully guarded against you

All that you have guarded against him.

خَليلَيَّ ما أَكفى اليَسيرَ مِنَ الَّذي

نُحاوِلُ إِن كُنّا بِما كَفَّ نَكتَفي

My friend, how sufficient is the little

We strive for, if with the sufficient we were content!

وَما أَكرَمَ العَبدَ الحَريصَ عَلى النَدى

وَأَشرَفَ نَفسَ الصابِرِ المُتَعَفِّفِ

And none honors the greedy man seeking gifts,

Nor uplifts the soul of the patient self-restrained.