خُذِ الناسَ أَو دَع إِنَّما الناسُ بِالناسِ

وَلا بُدَّ في الدُنيا مِنَ الناسِ لِلناسِ

Take people or leave them: people depend upon people.

In this world, people cannot do without people.

وَلَستُ بِناسٍ ذِكرَ شَيءٍ تُريدُهُ

وَما لَم تُرِد شَيئاً فَأَنتَ لَهُ ناسِ

I am not one to forget mention of anything you desire,

but whatever you do not desire, you are forgetful of it.

مِنَ الظُلمِ تَشغيبُ امرِئٍ غَيرِ مُنصِفٍ

وَما بِامرِئٍ لَم يَظلِمِ الناسَ مِن باسِ

It is an injustice when an unfair man stirs up strife;

no fault lies in one who has not wronged people.

أَلا قَلَّ ما يَنجو ضَميرٌ مِنَ المُنى

وَفيهِ لَهُ مِنهُنَّ شُعبَةُ وَسواسِ

Ah, how seldom the inner self escapes its wishes,

when from them a branch of whispering obsession rises within it.

وَلَم يُنجِ مَخلوقاً مِنَ المَوتِ حيلَةٌ

وَلو كانَ في حِصنٍ وَثيقٍ وَأَحراسِ

No stratagem has ever saved a creature from death,

even within a strong fortress guarded by sentries.

وَما المَرءُ إِلّا صُرَةٌ مِن سُلالَةٍ

يَشيبُ وَيَفنى بَينَ لَمحٍ وَأَنفاسِ

A person is only a bundle sprung from a lineage,

growing gray and passing away between a glance and breaths.

تُديرُ يَدُ الدُنيَ الرَدى بَينَ أَهلِها

كَأَنَّهُمُ شَربٌ قُعودٌ عَلى كاسِ

The hand of the world passes death around among its people,

as though they were a drinking circle seated around a cup.

كَفى بِدِفاعِ اللَهِ عَن كُلِّ خائِفٍ

وَإِن كانَ فيما بَينَ نابٍ وَأَضراسِ

God’s protection is enough for every frightened soul,

even if caught between a fang and molars.

وَكَم هالِكٍ بِالشَيءِ مِمّا يَلُذُّهُ

وَكَم مِن مُعافاً خَرَّ مِن جَبَلٍ راسِ

How many have perished by something that gave them pleasure,

and how many, hale and whole, have fallen from a mountain peak.