مَنْ يقرَبِ النَّارَ لا يَسلمْ منَ الحَرَقِ
فابعُدْ عنِ النَّاسِ واحذَرْهم ولا تَثِقِ
Whoever comes close to fire will surely burn,
So keep your distance from people and beware of them; do not trust.
واُصبرْ على نَكَدِ الدُّنيا وكُنْ بطَلاً
يَلقَى السُّيُوفَ غَداةَ الحربِ بالدَرَقِ
Be patient with the woes of this life, and be a hero
Who faces swords at the outbreak of war with armor.
إن كنتَ قد ضِقْتَ ذَرْعاً عن نوائِبها
فلا تَخَفْ إن لُطفَ اللهِ لم يَضِقِ
If you are utterly frustrated with its calamities,
Then do not fear, for God's kindness has no limit.
يَستدرِكُ المرْءُ ما يَبدُو لناظِرهِ
واللهُ يَصنعُ ما يَخَفى على الحَدَقِ
A man will make up for what is apparent to the observer,
While God does what is hidden from sight.
كم أرَعَدَ الجَوُّ فاهَتزَّتْ جَوانِبُهُ
ثُمَّ انتَهَى الرَّعدُ لم يفَعَلْ سَوَى القَلَقِ
How often has the sky rumbled and its edges quaked,
Then the thunder ceased, doing no more than causing anxiety.
ورُبَّما أطبَقَتْ سُحْبٌ فما قَطَرَتْ
إلا كما يَنقضِي البُحرَانُ بالعَرَقِ
At times thick clouds gather but they rain not
Except as the two seas evaporate into vapor.
لا يَيْأسَنَّ مريضٌ من سَلامِتهِ
ما دامَ في جِسمهِ شيءٌ من الرَّمَقِ
Let no sick person despair of recovery
As long as there is still some life left in his body.
كم ماتَ من كانَ يُرجَى عَيشُهُ فقَضَى
وعاشَ من كانَ يَخَشى موتُهُ فبَقِي
Many have died though their lives were hoped prolonged, but met their fate;
And many feared death, yet continued to live.
لِكلِّ لَيلٍ صَباحٌ نستَضيءُ بهِ
فلا تَدوُمُ علينا ظُلمةُ الغَسَقِ
Every night has a morning in which we seek light,
So the darkness of nightfall stays not forever upon us.
وآخرُ الأمرِ في ضُعفٍ كأوَّلِهِ
كما نَرى الشِبْهَ بينَ الصُّبحِ والشَفَقِ
In the end, weakness is like the beginning,
As we see the resemblance between dawn and twilight.
تَخالَفَ النَّاسُ في الدُنيا فما اتَّفَقوا
إلاّ على حُبِّها الخالي من المَلَقِ
People differ in this world, never agreeing
Except in their bare love for it, empty of sincerity.
تَسابَقَت نحو كَسْبِ المالِ أنفسهم
ورِفعةِ الجاهِ مثلَ الخيلِ في الطَلَقِ
Their souls raced toward acquiring wealth
And high status, like horses racing freely.
والفَقرُ أفضلُ من مالٍ حَمَلتَ بهِ
ثِقْلاً من الهَمِّ يُبلِي العينَ بالأرَقِ
Yet poverty is better than wealth which burdens you
With worries that keep the eyes sleepless at night.
والذُلُّ أحسَنُ من مجدٍ لَبِستَ بهِ
ذَمّاً منَ النَّاسِ مثلَ الطَّوق في العُنُقِ
And humiliation is better than glory that dresses you
In blame from people, like a collar round the neck.
لا خيرَ في خَمرةٍ تَحلُو لِشارِبها
طَعْماً ولكن تَلِيها غُصَّةُ الشَرَقِ
No good in a wine that tastes sweet to its drinker
But is followed by the bitterness of a headache.
من لا يُقلِّبُ طَرْفاً في عَواقِبهِ
فليسَ تأمنُ رِجلاهُ من الزَّلَقِ
Whoever does not consider the consequences
Should not expect his feet to be safe from stumbling.
قُلْ للذي مَزَّقَ الدِّيباجَ مُعتمِداً
وبات يرقَعُ منهُ باليَ الخِرَقِ
Say to one who tore silk confidently
And now patches it with worn shreds full of holes:
لا تفتحِ البابَ للضِّرغامِ محترزاً
من البعوض فهذا أعظمُ الحُمٌقِ
Do not open the door to hornets while taking precautions
Against mosquitoes−this is the epitome of foolishness.
شَرُّ الجَهالةِ ما كانَتْ على كِبَرٍ
تُسَوِّدُ الشَيْبَ مِثْلَ الحِبْرِ على الوَرَقِ
The worst ignorance is that which comes with age,
Blackening white hair like ink on paper.
وأيسَرُ الجَهلِ ما يَرتَدُّ صاحِبُهُ
عنهُ كمن هَبَّ مُنتاشاً منَ العُمُقِ
And the easiest ignorance to cure is that whose owner
Turns back from it like one waking up from deep slumber.
لا تَعجَبَنَّ لِسَكرانٍ تَراهُ صَحا
لكنْ لِمَنْ غاصَ في سُكرٍ فلم يُفِقِ
Do not be astonished by a drunk who you see sober,
But by one sunk in drunkenness who does not awaken.
إن الثَباتَ على عَيبٍ أقمْتَ بهِ
عيبٌ جَديدٌ سِوَى المَغرُوسِ في الخُلُقِ
Persisting in a fault you have committed
Is a new fault apart from that ingrained in your nature.
النَّاسُ بالوَضعِ أشباهٌ وقد نَشِبتْ
فيهم مُبايَنةٌ من أكثرِ الطُرُقِ
People in appearance are alike, though conflict has arisen
Among them in most ways.
ماذا نُؤَمِّلُ من نَفعٍ إذا اتَّفَقَتْ
أسماؤُنا والمُسمَّى غيرُ مُتَّفِقِ
What hope of benefit is there if our names agree
Yet the named ones themselves do not agree?
يا ليتَ لي بحرَ شُكرٍ كي أخُوضَ بهِ
لكنْ أخافُ على نفسي من الغَرَقِ
Oh, that I had a sea of thanks so I could plunge into it!
But I am afraid for myself of drowning.
شُكرُ الذي ما بِهِ عيبٌ سِوَى نِعَمٍ
تَتابَعَتْ منهُ مثلَ العطفِ ذي النَّسق
Gratitude for One with no defect but blessings
Which continuously flowed from Him like well-joined pearls;
ذاكَ الذي كُلَّما رُمتُ اللحاقَ بهِ
في الحُبِّ ألفَيتُهُ قد جَدَّ في السَبَقِ
He whom whenever I try to catch up with in love
I find He has raced ahead in taking the lead;
وكُلَّما كَدِرَتْ عينُ الزَّمانِ صَفا
وكُلَّما دَنِسَتْ نَفسُ الزَّمانِ نَقِي
And whenever the eye of time grew murky, it cleared,
And whenever the soul of time grew impure, it was purified;
دَلَّتْ على وُدِهِ الصَّافي صَنائِعُهُ
كالمِسكِ دَلَّتْ عليهِ نَفْحةُ العَبَقِ
His pure works point to His affection
As musk's fragrance points to the musk.
والحُبُّ إنْ كانَ لا يأتي بفائدةٍ
فَذاكَ كالغُصنِ لا يُجنِي سِوَى الوَرَقِ
And if love brings no benefit,
That is like a branch bearing naught but leaves.
نَرَى منَ النَّاسِ أقواماً مَوَدَّتُهُمْ
تُرضي الفَتَى بلسانٍ خادِعٍ مَلِقِ
We see some people whose affection
Contents a youth with a deceitful, smooth tongue.
تِلكَ الجَرادةُ في بحرٍ وليِمتُنا
مَن فاتَهُ اللحمُ فليِشْبعْ منَ المَرَقِ
They are like locusts in a sea of food−
Whoever misses the meat should be full on the broth.
