خُذ ما اِستَطَعتَ مِنَ الدُنيا وَأَحليها

لَكِن تَعَلَّم قَليلاً كَيفَ تُعطيها

Take what you can from this life and its pleasures,

Take what you can from the world and its delights,

But learn just a little how to give back.

But learn a little how to give back to it.

كُن وَردَةً طيبُها حَتّى لِسارِقِها

لا دِمنَةً خُبثها حَتّى لِساقيها

Be a rose whose scent is sweet even to those who would pluck it,

Be like a rose that offers fragrance even to the one who steals it,

Not a thorn whose sting wounds even those who would water it.

Not like filth that is foul even to the one who waters it.

أَكانَ في الكَونِ نورٌ تَستَضيءُ بِهِ

لَوِ السَماءُ طَوَت عَنّا دَراريها

Was there any light in the universe that could illuminate us

Would there be any light in the universe to guide us,

If the sky denied us the light of its stars?

If the heavens folded away their shining stars from us?

أَو كانَ في الأَرضِ أَزهارٌ لَها أَرَجٌ

لَو كانَتِ الأَرضُ لا تُبدي أَقاحيها

Or any flowers on earth that could fill the air with fragrance

Or would there be flowers with fragrance upon the earth,

If the soil did not allow them to reveal their petals?

If the earth refused to display its chamomile blooms?

إِنَّ الطُيورَ الدُمى سِيّانَ في نَظَري

وَالوِرقُ إِن حَبَسَت هَذي أَغانيها

To me, birds of any feather are equal

To my eyes, living birds and lifeless dolls are the same,

And leaves that hold back their songs are the same.

As are the doves, if they withhold their songs.

إِن كانَتِ النَفسُ لا تَبدو مَحاسِنُهصا

في اليُسرِ صارَ غِناها مِن مَخازيها

If the soul does not reveal its beauties in times of ease,

If the soul does not reveal its virtues,

Its riches in times of hardship are worthless.

Then in times of plenty, its very wealth becomes its disgrace.

يا عابِدَ المالِ قُل لي هَل وَجَدتَ بِهِ

روحاً تُؤاسيكَ أَو روحاً تُؤاسيها

O worshipper of wealth, tell me, have you found in it

O worshipper of wealth, tell me: have you found in it

A soul to console you or a soul to console?

A soul to comfort you, or a soul for you to comfort?

حَتّى ما يا صاحِ تَخفيهِ وَتَطمُرُهُ

كَأَنَّما هُوَ سَوآتٍ تُواريها

That which you hide and bury deep,

How long, my friend, will you hide and bury it,

As if it were a disgrace meant to be concealed—

As though it were a shameful secret you seek to conceal?

وَتَحرُمُ النَفسَ لِذاتٍ لَها خُلِقَت

وَلَم تُصاحِبكَ يا هَذا لِتُؤذيها

And deny yourself things created for you,

You deprive the soul of the pleasures for which it was created,

Things that would not harm you, O you—

And it did not accompany you, O man, only for you to harm it.

أُنظُر إِلى الماءِ إِنَّ البَذلَ شيمَتُهُ

يَأتي الحُقولَ فَيَرويها وَيُحيِّها

Look to water—generosity is its nature.

Look at the water; indeed, generosity is its nature;

It comes to the fields and revives them.

It flows to the fields to quench and revive them.

فَما تَعَكَّرَ إِلّا وَهوَ مُنحَبِسٌ

وَالنَفسُ كَالماءِ تَحكيهِ وَيَحكيها

Only when trapped does it turn brackish and stagnant,

It does not become stagnant and foul unless it is confined,

And the soul is like water—you can take this from it.

And the soul is like water, mirroring its state.

السِجنُ لِلماءِ يُؤذيهِ وَيُفسِدُهُ

وَالسِجنُ لِلنَفسِ يُؤذيها وَيُضنيها

Imprisonment hurts and corrupts water;

Imprisonment harms and corrupts the water,

Imprisonment hurts and deprives the soul.

Just as imprisonment harms and withers the soul.

وَاِنظُر إِلى النارِ إِنَّ الفَتكَ عادَتُها

لَكِنَّ عادَتُها الشَنعاءَ تُرديها

And look at fire—destruction is its habit,

And look at the fire; indeed, destruction is its habit,

Yet in its dreadful habit lies its own ruin.

Yet its own heinous nature leads to its demise.

تَفني القِرى وَالمَغاني وَهيَ ضاحِكَةٌ

لِجَهلِها أَنَّ ما تَفنيهِ يُفنيها

It annihilates villages and pleasures while laughing,

It consumes villages and dwellings while laughing,

Not knowing that what it destroys destroys it.

Ignorant that what it consumes will eventually consume it.

أَرسَلتُ قَولِيَ تَمثيلاً وَتَشبيهاً

لَعَلَّ في القَولِ تَذكيراً وَتَنبيها

I have sent forth my words as parables and analogies,

I have sent forth my words as parables and metaphors,

Hoping they awaken and caution.

That perhaps in them lies a reminder and a warning.

لا شَيءَ يُدرَكُ في الدُنيا بِلا تَعَبٍ

مَنِ اِشتَهى الخَمرَ فَليَزرَع دَواليها

Nothing in this world can be grasped without effort.

Nothing in this world is attained without toil;

Whoever desires wine must plant its vines.

Whoever desires the wine must first plant the vines.