إِسمَع مَقالَةَ ذي لُبٍّ وَتَجرُبَةٍ

يُفِدكَ في اليَومِ ما في دَهرِهِ عَلِما

Hear the words of one prudent and experienced;

what he knows may benefit you throughout your life.

إِذا أَصابَ الفَتى خَطبٌ يَضِرُّ بِهِ

فَلا يَظَنُّ جَهولٌ أَنَّهُ ظُلِما

When misfortunes befall a young man

let no fool think he has been unjustly treated.

قَد طالَ عُمرِيَ طولَ الظُفرِ فَاِتَّصَلَت

بِهِ الأَذاةُ وَكانَ الحَظُّ لَو قُلِما

My life has been long as a cycle of fortune,

so injuries have befallen me, though my lot might have been brief.