تَرَجَّ بِلُطفِ القَولِ رَدَّ مُخالِفٍ

إِلَيكَ فَكَم طِرفٍ يُسَكَّنُ بِالنَقرِ

With gentle words he calmed his heated foe

How many glances are soothed by soft rebuke?

وَإِن لَم تَرَ الصَقرَ الحَمامَةُ دَهرَها

فَمِن شِيَمِ الوُرقِ الحِذارُ مِنَ الصَقرِ

The dove may never see the hawk as friend

Yet wariness of hawks is the leaves' wont

وَإِن جاءَ ضَيفٌ طارِقٌ عَن ضَرورَةٍ

فَذُخرٌ لِقاريهِ الطَعامُ الَّذي يَقري

If a guest should come, compelled by need

Sustenance for the starved is food enough

تَعَوَّدتَ مِنّي عادَةً فَتَرَكتَها

وَما ذاكَ مِن نِسيانِ حَقٍّ وَلا حُقرِ

A habit you'd acquired you later dropped

Not heedlessness of right nor disregard

وَإِنَّ اِقتِناعَ النَفسِ مِن أَحسَنِ الغِنى

كَما أَنَّ سوءَ الحِرصِ مِن أَقبَحِ الفَقرِ

Contentment of the soul is riches indeed

As greed's excess is poverty's worst need