إِذا أَظمَأتَكَ أَكُفُّ الرِجالِ

كَفَتكَ القَناعَةُ شبعاً وَريّا

If the palms of men leave you parched with thirst,

Contentment is enough to satiate and quench you.

فَكُن رَجُلاً رِجلُهُ في الثَرى

وَهامَةُ هِمَّتِهِ في الثُرَيّا

So be a man whose foot is planted in the earth,

While the crown of his ambition dwells in the Pleiades,

أَبِيّاً لِنائِلِ ذي ثَروَةٍ

تَراهُ لِما في يِدَيهِ أَبيّا

Too proud to accept the favors of the wealthy,

You see him regarding what they hold with disdain.

فَإِنَّ إِراقَةَ ماءَ الحَيا

ةِ دونَ إِراقَةِ ماءِ المُحَيّا

For indeed, the pouring out of the water of life,

Is a smaller price than spilling the honor of the face.