أُشدُد يَدَيكَ بِما أَقو

لُ فَقَولُ بَعضِ الناسِ دُرُّ

I strengthen your hands with what I say

Yet some people's words are pearls

لا تَدنُوَنَّ مِنَ النِسا

ءِ فَإِنَّ غِبَّ الأَريِ مُرُّ

Do not draw near to women

For the hiding of the honorable is difficult

وَالباءُ مِثلُ الباءِ تَخ

فِضُ لِلدَناءَةِ أَو تَجُرُّ

B is like b, it lowers

For inferiority or degrades

سَلِّ الفُؤادَ عَنِ الحَيا

ةِ فَإِنَّها شَرٌّ وَشُرُّ

Occupy your heart away from life

For it is evil and much evil

قَد نِلتَ مِنها ما كَفا

كَ فَما ظَفِرتَ بِما يَسُرُّ

You have gotten from it what suffices you

Yet you have not won what gives joy

صَدَفَ الطَبيبُ عَنِ الطَعا

مِ وَقالَ مَأكَلُهُ يَضُرُّ

The doctor prohibited food

And said its consumption hurts

كُل يا طَبيبُ وَلا خَلا

صَ مِنَ الرَدى فَلِمَن تَغُرُّ

Eat, O doctor, and do not differ

From the right course, for whom do you dig pits?

وَالعامُ يَمضي دَولَتَي

نِ فَمِنهُما وَمِدٌ وَقُرُّ

The year passes by two revolutions

Of which there is extension and contract

وَكَذاكَ عامٌ بَعدَهُ

وَغَفَلتَ عَن عُمرٍ يَمُرُّ

And so too a year after it

And you forgot about an age that passes

وَأَرى النَوائِبَ لا تَزا

لُ كَأَنَّها سُحُبٌ تَدُرُّ

And I see misfortunes do not cease

As if they are clouds that roll

إِن تَنهَزِم خَيلٌ لَها

فَحَذارِ مِن أُخرى تَكُرُّ

If cavalry are defeated

Beware of others that recoil

قَمَرٌ يَلوحُ مُخَبِّراً

بِالهُلكِ أَو شَمسٌ تَذُرُّ

A moon appears informing

Of destruction or a sun that scatters

دُهماً تُوافَينا السُنو

نَ وَلَم يَكُن فيهِنَّ غُرُّ

Two years have reached us

And in them there was no deceit

وَالدِرعُ لا تُنجي الفَتى

وَكَأَنَّها في العَينِ كُرُّ

And the coat of mail does not save the young man

And it is as if there is blindness in the eye