إِنَّ الزَمانَ يَغُرُّني بِأَمانِهِ

وَيُذيقُني المَكروهَ مِن حَدَثانِهِ

Time deceives me with its safety

And makes me taste the bitterness of its events

وَأَنا النَذيرُ مِنَ الزَمانِ لِكُلِّ مَن

أَمسى وَأَصبَحَ واثِقاً بِزَمانِهِ

And I am the warner of time for everyone

Who yesterday evening and this morning was confident in his time

ما الناسُ إِلّا لِلكَثيرِ المالِ أَو

لِمُسَلِّتٍ ما دامَ في سُلطانِهِ

People are only for the one with a lot of money or

For an entertainer as long as he is in power

فَإِذا الزَمانُ رَمى الفَتى بِمُلُمَّةٍ

كانَ الثِقاتُ عَلَيهِ مِن أَعوانِهِ

So when time casts the young man with worries

His trusted friends become his supporters

أَقلِل زِيارَتَكَ الصَديقَ وَلا تُطِل

هِجرانَهُ فَيَلِجَّ في هِجرانِهِ

Lessen your visits to a friend and do not prolong

His estrangement so he becomes immersed in his estrangement

وَاِعلَم بِأَنَّكَ لا تُلائِمُ كُلَّ مَن

أَلقى إِلَيكَ تَلَهُّفاً بِلِسانِهِ

And know that you cannot please everyone

Who has shown eagerness towards you with his tongue

إِنَّ الضَديقَ يَلِجُّ في غِشيانِهِ

لِصَديقِهِ فَيَمَلُّ مِن غِشيانِهِ

A friend becomes immersed in his estrangement

Of his friend so he gets bored of his estrangement

حَتّى تَراهُ بَعدَ طولِ مَسَرَّةٍ

بِمَكانِهِ مُستَثقِلاً لِمَكانِهِ

To the point that after a long intimacy

You see him feeling the weight of his place

وَأَخَفُّ ما يُلفى الفَتى ثِقلاً عَلى

إِخوانِهِ ما كَفَّ عَن إِخوانِهِ

And the lightest thing a young man bears as a burden upon

His brothers is when he refrains from his brothers

وَإِذا تَوانى عَن صِيانَةِ نَفسِهِ

رَجُلٌ تُنُقِّصَ وَاِستُخِفَّ بِشانِهِ

And when a man neglects to safeguard himself

His position is diminished and his status made light of