وَكَم ساعٍ لِيُثري لَم يَنَلهُ

وَآخِرُ ما سَعى الخُلُقُ الثَراءَ

How many a striver seeks to grow rich yet fails to attain it,

While wealth remains the ultimate aim of creation's pursuit.

وَساعٍ يِجمَعُ الأَموالَ جَمعاً

لِيورِثَها أَعادِيَهُ شَقاءَ

And a striver who amasses wealth, gathering it incessantly,

Only to bequeath it to his enemies, to his own wretchedness.

وَما سِيّانِ ذو خُبرٍ بَصيرٌ

وَآخَرُ جاهِلٌ لَيسا سَواءَ

They are not equal: the one of insight and experience,

And the other who is ignorant—they are not the same.

وَمَن يَستَعتِبِ الحَدَثانِ يَوماً

يَكُن ذاكَ العِتابُ لَهُ عَناءَ

And whoever seeks to remonstrate with the vicissitudes of Time,

Will find that such a plea brings nothing but weariness.

وَيُزري بالفَتى الإِعدامَ حَتّى

مَتى يُصِبِ المَقالَ يُقَل أَساءَ

Destitution brings scorn upon a man, so much so that

When he speaks the truth, it is said, "He has spoken ill."