خَيرُ الرِجالِ رَفيقُها
وَنَصيحُها وَشَقيقُها
The best of men are her companion,
Her advisor, and her confidant.
وَالخَيرُ مَوعِدُهُ الجِنا
نُ وَظِلُّها وَرَحيقُها
Goodness has Heaven as its tryst;
Its shade, its wine, its ecstasy.
وَالشَرُّ مَوعِدُهُ لَظاً
وَزَفيرُها وَشَهيقُها
Evil has Hell as its tryst,
Its rage, its moaning, its despair.
وَما حُبُّ دارٍ لَيسَ يُؤ
مَنُ سَيلُها وَحَريقُها
No love for an abode where fear
Does not fill its torrents and its flames.
أَشقى بَني الدُنيا بِها
لِلَّهِ أَنتَ صَديقُها
Most wretched in the world are they
Who make it their beloved companion.
إِنّي أُعيذُكَ أَن يَغُر
رَكَ زَهرُها وَبَريقُها
I seek God's refuge lest you be deceived
By its blossoms and its shining veneer,
وَهِيَ المُنغَصِّةَ السُرو
رِ وَإِن زَهاكَ أَنيقُها
That embittered potion, though it seems
Graceful, pleasant, and unique.
إِرغَب فَأَنتَ أَسيرُها
وَازهَد فَأَنتَ طَليقُها
Turn away, for you are its prisoner;
Renounce it, and you will be set free.
خَلِّ الَّتي إِن رُمَت لَم
يَسهُل عَلَيكَ طَريقُها
Leave that which, if you pursue, will not
Make smooth for you the path you seek.
وَلَرُبَّما خانَ الأَري
بَ مِنَ الأُمورِ وَثيقُها
Often the closest of intimates betrays,
While the most distant holds fast and loyal.
مِحَنُ الرِجالِ إِذا سَمَت
سَعَةُ الصُدورِ وَضيقُها
The test of men comes in days
When hearts are open or confined.
