إذا نكبات الدهرِ لم تعظِ الفتى

إذا نكبات الدهرِ لم تعظِ الفتى

وتقرع منه لم تعظّه عواذلُهْ

وتقرع منه لم تعظّه عواذلُهْ

If time’s calamities fail to admonish a young man

If the turns of fate do not make a youth wise,

and wear him down, his reproachers will not admonish him.

And its blows do not make him take heed,

ومن لم يؤدبه أبوه وأمه

ومن لم يؤدبه أبوه وأمه

تؤدَبهَ روعاتَ الردى وزلازلُهْ

تؤدَبهَ روعاتَ الردى وزلازلُهْ

And whoever is not disciplined by his father and mother,

And if he was not taught by his father and mother,

the terrors of death and its upheavals will discipline him.

He will be taught by the terrors of misfortune and its tremors.

فدع عنك ما لا تستطيعُ ولا تطِعْ

فدع عنك ما لا تستطيعُ ولا تطِعْ

هواك ولا يغلب بحقِّكَ باطِلُهْ

هواك ولا يغلب بحقِّكَ باطِلُهْ

So set aside what you cannot do, and do not obey

So abandon what you cannot attain, do not follow

your desire, nor let its falsehood prevail over your truth.

Your desires, and do not let falsehood prevail over your right.