إِذا شاءَ يَوماً قادَهُ بِزِمامِهِ

وَمَن يَكُ في حَبلِ المَنيَّةِ يَنقَدِ

When Death wills one day, it leads him by his rein;

and whoever is within Death’s rope is led along.

إِذا أَنتَ لَم تَنفَع بِوِدِّكَ قُربَةً

وَلَم تَنكِ بِالبُؤسى عَدوَّكَ فَاِبعَدِ

If your affection brings no benefit to a kinsman,

and you do not afflict your enemy with misery, then stand aside.

أَرى المَوتَ لا يُرعي عَلى ذي قَرابَةٍ

وَإِن كانَ في الدُنيا عَزيزاً بِمَقعَدِ

I see Death heed no claim of kinship,

even if a man holds an honored station in this world.

وَلا خَيرَ في خَيرٍ تَرى الشَرَّ دونَهُ

وَلا قائِلٍ يَأتيكَ بَعدَ التَلَدُّدِ

There is no good in any good when you see evil standing before it,

nor in a speaker who comes to you only after wavering.

لَعَمرُكَ ما الأَيامُ إِلّا مُعارَةٌ

فَما اِسطَعتَ مِن مَعروفِها فَتَزَوَّدِ

By your life, the days are nothing but a loan;

so take as provisions whatever good from them you can.

عَنِ المَرءِ لا تَسأَل وَسَل عَن قَرينَهُ

فَكُلُّ قَرينٍ بِالمُقارِنِ يَقتَدي

Ask not about a man; ask about his companion,

for every companion follows the example of the one he accompanies.