لا تَطلُبِ الغَرضَ البَعيدَ وَتَسهَرِ

ما يُقضَ يَأتِ وَطالِبٌ لَم يُبهَرِ

Do not seek far-off goals and stay up late

What is decreed will come, though the seeker grows weary

جيلٌ فَجيلٌ يَذهَبونَ وَيَنطَوي

خَبَرٌ وَيُصبِحُ خامِلٌ كَمُشَهَّرِ

Generation after generation passes away and is folded up

News becomes outdated and forgotten like writings on parchment

وَالمَرءُ يغشاهُ الأَذى مِن حَيثُ لا

يَخشاهُ فَاِعجَب مِن صُروفِ الأَدهُرِ

Man is beset by harm from where he least expects it

So be astonished at the twists and turns of fate!

ومُحَمَّدٌ وَهُوَ المُنَبَّأُ يَشتَكي

لِمَكانِ أَكلَتِهِ اِنقِطاعَ الأَبهُرِ

Even Muhammad, though he was the Prophet, complained

Of the loss of his teeth as old age advanced

لا تَغبِطَنَّ عَلى الهِباتِ فَإِنَّها

زَهرٌ يَزولُ مَعَ الزَمانِ الأَزهَرِ

Do not congratulate others on their gifts, for they

Are flowers that fade with the brilliant season

وَالنَبتُ يَظهَرُ لِعُيونِ وَإِن مَضَت

سَنَةٌ لَهُ فَكَأَنَّهُ لَم يَظهَرِ

Though the plants disappear for a year, when they reappear

It is as if they never went away

في كُلِّ عامٍ تَستَهِلُّ غَمائِمٌ

بِشَقائِقِ النُعمانِ أَو بِالعَبهَرِ

With the advent of each year, the rain clouds

Herald the nuptial gladiolus or sweet basil

وَمِنَ الرَزيَّةِ عاهِرٌ مُتَوَهَّمٌ

في الناسِكينَ وَناسِكٌ في العُهَرِ

Among the devout are imagined wantons

And among the debauched, seeming ascetics

وَمَحاسِنُ الدُنِّيا الأَنيسُ وَإِنَّما

أَشباحُ سادَتِهِم أَهِلَّةُ أَشهُرِ

The sweet charms of this world are only

Apparitions whose time is limited to a few months

وَإِذا أَرَدتُم لِلبَنينَ كَرامَةً

فَالحَزمُ أَجمَعُ تَركُهُم في الأَظهُرِ

If you wish honor for your sons

The best is to leave them obscure

وَالرَأيُ أَن تَدَعوا الصَوارِمَ كُلَّها

بِقُرى المَشارِفِ وَالرِماحَ بِسَمهَرِ

My view is that you should mobilize all the swords

In the border towns and the lances in Samhar