أَما عَرَفَ المُقيمُ بِأَرضِ مِصرٍ

وَميضَ بَوارِقٍ وَدَوِيَّ رَعدِ

Does not the dweller in Egypt's land know

Of lightning flashes and roaring thunder,

وَرُبَّ غَمامَةٍ نَشَأَت فَزالَت

وَلَيسَ ثَرى مَحَلَّتِنا بِجَعدِ

And many a cloud that arose and passed away,

While our land's soil remains not green?

إِذا رُزِقَ الفَتى في المَحلِ جَدّاً

رَعى ما شاءَ مِن ثَعدٍ وَمَعدِ

When a youth is afforded success in his home,

He may pasture whatever he wishes of goats and sheep.

وَما نالَت خِلافَتَها قُرَيشُ

وَأَرغِمَ سَعدُها إِلّا بِسَعدِ

And Quraysh only attained their supremacy

And their good fortune was constrained, except by their own good fortune.

فَإِنَّ لِهَذِهِ الدُنِّيا طَريقاً

عَلَيهِ يَمُرُّ مَن قَبلي وَبَعدي

For indeed this world has a path

Along which will pass those before me and those after me.

أَِذا وَعَدَتكَ خَيراً ما طَلَتهُ

وَهَل يُرجى لَها إِنجازُ وَعدِ

When it promises you good, whatever you seek from it,

Can any fulfillment of its promise be hoped for?

فَزَجِّ العَيشَ مِن صَفوٍ وَرَنقٍ

وَدَع شَجَنَيكَ مِن هِندٍ وَدَعدِ

So enjoy life with purity and joy,

And leave your sorrows to India and the steppe.

وَلا تَجلِس إِلى أَهلِ الدَنايا

فَإِنَّ خَلائِقَ السُفَهاءِ تُعدي

And sit you not with the people of this world,

For the traits of fools are bound to affect you.