1. أَقُولُ لِمَنْ يُصِيخُ إِلىَ اصْطِرَاخِي

    فخَيْرُ القَوْلِ يَرْسَخُ فِي الصِّمَاخِ

    I speak to whoever listens intently to my cry,

    for the best speech takes root in the ear.

  2. لأَِمْرِ اللهِ رَبِّكَ جَلَّ فَاقْصِدْ

    أَجَلَّ النَّاسِ مَنْ لِلأَمْرِ وَاخِ

    Aim toward the command of God, your exalted Lord;

    the noblest of people is one intent upon His command.

  3. وَأَصْلِحْ بَيْنَ نَفْسِكَ وَالسَّجَايَا الْ

    تِي تُرْجَى النَّجَاةَ بِهَا وَآخِ

    And reconcile your soul with the virtues

    through which salvation is hoped for, and befriend them.

  4. تَوَقَّ الشَّرَّ لاَ تَضْرِمْ لَظَاهُ

    فَشَرُّ النَّاسِ مَنْ لِلشَّرِّ سَاخِ

    Avoid evil; do not kindle its blaze,

    for the worst of people is one lavish with evil.

  5. وَعِرْضَكَ كُنْ بِهِ أَبَداً ضَنِيناً

    أَخَسُّ الْخَلْقِ مَنْ بِالْعِرْضِ سَاخِ

    And always guard your honor jealously;

    the basest of creatures is one lavish with his honor.

  6. سَخَاءَكَ إِنَّ عِرْضَكَ لَيْسَ يُنْقِي

    وَبِذَلِكَ لاَ يُجِيبُ أَخَا اصْطِرَاخِ

    Be generous; your honor provides no nourishment,

    and thereby it answers no one's cry for help.

  7. وَبِالتَّقْوَى على الأَزَماتِ تَقْوى

    فَأَهْوِنْ بِالرِّجالِ بِلاَ طَبَاخِ

    And through piety you grow strong against crises;

    how contemptible are men without vigor!

  8. وَلاَ تَشْمَخْ بِأَنْفِكَ يَا ابْنَ طِينٍ

    فَبِيسَ الْمَرْءُ شَخْصٌ ذُو جِفَاخِ

    Do not turn up your nose, O son of clay,

    for wretched is the man possessed of boastfulness.

  9. وَأَنْضِجْ مَا رَأَيْتَ بِنَارِ فِكْرٍ

    فَإِنَّ الأَكْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ اطِّبَاخِ

    And ripen what you envisage in the fire of thought,

    for eating comes after cooking.

  10. وَفَكِّرْ فيِ انْتِهَاءٍ فيِ ابْتِدَاءٍ

    وَشَاوِرْ ذَا الدَّهَاءِ لَدَى الْتِخَاخِ

    Consider the ending at the beginning,

    and consult the shrewd amid confusion.

  11. فَإِنْ أَبْدَى السَّدَادَ سِرَاجُ ذِهْنٍ

    فَأَخْوَفُ مَا تَكونُ مِنَ التَّراخِي

    If the lamp of the mind reveals the right course,

    then let delay be what you fear most.

  12. وَدِينَكَ لَنْ يَزِينَكَ غَيْرُ دِينٍ

    فَرَاعِ تَكُنْ لأَِنْفِ الْخُسْرِ لَاخِ

    As for your faith, nothing but faith will adorn you;

    so guard it, and you will strike loss upon the nose.

  13. وَذَيْلَ مُرُوءَةٍ فَاسْحَبْ وَجَانِبْ

    تَعِشْ بَرّاً مَوَدَّةَ ذِي انْتِفَاخِ

    Trail the hem of noble character, and shun—

    that you may live upright—the friendship of the pompous.

  14. وَبِالإِغْضَاءِ فَاقْتَنِصِ الْمَزَايَا

    عَنِ الْعَوْرَاءِ فَهْوَ مِنَ الْفِخَاخِ

    And capture benefits by turning a blind eye

    to offensive words, for this is one of the snares.

  15. وَبِالْعِلْمِ انْتَهِجْ سُبْلَ الْمَعَالِي

    فَإِنَّ ظَلامَ لَيْلِ الْجَهْلِ طَاخِ

    Through knowledge, follow the paths of eminence,

    for the darkness of ignorance's night is murky.

  16. تَعَفَّفْ فَالْعَفَافُ أَجَلُّ حِلْيٍ

    إذَا مَا الفَقْرُ عَمَّكَ بِالنِّضاخِ

    Practice restraint, for restraint is the noblest ornament

    when poverty engulfs you with its torrents.

  17. وَوَفِّرْ ماءَ وَجْهِكَ لاَ تُرِقْهُ

    تَرِدْ ماءَ الْمَحَامِدِ ذَا انْتِضَاخِ

    Preserve the water of your face; do not spill it,

    and you will reach the gushing waters of praise.

  18. لَعُرْقًوبٌ يَجِيءُ الشَّرُّ يَوْماً

    لِمُخَّتِهِ فَيُمْرَى بِامْتِخَاخِ

    Surely a hock-bone that harm reaches one day

    to its marrow, then milked by sucking the marrow out,

  19. أَخَفُّ عَلَى الْفَتَى مِنْ عًرْفِ فَدْمٍ

    يَمُنُّ عَلَى الوَضُوخِ مِنَ النُّقَاخِ

    is easier on a young man than a dullard's favor,

    who boasts of giving even a little clear water.

  20. وَرَبُّ الْكُوخِ وَالْقَصْرِ الْمُعَلَّى

    سَوَاءٌ وَالزَّمَانُ إِلَى انْسِلاخِ

    The masters of the hut and the lofty palace

    are alike, while time passes away.

  21. وَبَيْضُ السِّرِّ لاَ تُفْرِخْهُ يَوْماً

    فَشَرُّ الشَّرِّ سِرٌّ ذُو فِرَاخِ

    And never let the eggs of a secret hatch,

    for the worst of evils is a secret with chicks.

  22. وَلاَ تَخْضَمْ لِخَلْقٍ قَطُّ عِرْضاً

    فَيَبْقَى الْعِرْضُ مِنْكَ بِلاَ اتِّسَاخِ

    Never chew up anyone's honor,

    so your own honor remains unstained.

  23. وسِمْ أَفْرَاسَ صَبْرِكَ بِارْتِيَاضٍ

    وسُمْ أَضْرَاسَ غَدْرِكَ بِامْتِلاخِ

    Brand the steeds of your patience with training,

    and subject your treachery's molars to wrenching out.

  24. وَأَعْدِدْ لِلزَّمانِ لِباسَ بَأْسٍ

    وَكُنْ في الناسِ صَقْراً فيِ الإِراخِ

    Prepare a garment of valor for the times,

    and be among people a falcon amid young cattle.

  25. وَوافِقْهُمْ وَرافِقْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ

    مُرافَقَةَ الْبَيادِقِ لِلرِّخَاخِ

    Agree with them and keep their company, but

    as pawns accompany rooks.

  26. وَبِاللهِ اسْتَعِنْ وَاسْتَغْنِ عَنْهُمْ

    يَحِنْ رَأْسُ المَذَلَّةِ بِانْشِداخِ

    Seek God's help, and have no need of them;

    humiliation's head will meet its doom, crushed.

  27. وَحُكْمَهُمُ اُنْبُذَنَّ فَكُلُّ حُكْمٍ

    لَهُمْ يجْرِي على أَيْدي انْفْسَاخِ

    Cast aside their judgment, for every judgment

    of theirs passes through the hands of undoing.

  28. يَذُمُّونَ الْفَقِيرَ فَإِنْ أَتَاهُ

    غِنىً أطْرَوْهُ بِالقَوْلِ الجُلاخِ

    They disparage the poor man; but if there comes to him

    wealth, they extol him with clamorous speech.

  29. وَيُطْرًونَ الغَنِيَّ فَإِنْ تَرَدَّى

    بِفَقْرِ فَهْوَ مَهْجورُ الْمُنَاخِ

    And they extol the wealthy; but if he is cloaked

    in poverty, his encampment is shunned.

  30. وَيُضْحِي مِثْلَ لَحْمٍ مِنْ حُوَارٍ

    مُسيخاً لا يُطَيَّبُ بِانْطِباخِ

    And he becomes like the flesh of a suckling camel,

    tasteless, not made savory by cooking.

  31. بِهِ تَقَعُ الْمَصَائِبُ لاَ بِظَبْيٍ

    لَدَيْهِمْ فَاقِدِ العَيْشِ الرَّخاخِِ

    Calamities fall upon him—not upon a gazelle—

    in their eyes, one bereft of a life of ease.

  32. فَكُنْ بِاللهِ رَبِّ النَّاسِ طُرّاً

    فَغَيْرُ اللهِ ظِلٌّ ذُو انْتِسَاخِ

    So rely on God, the Lord of all people,

    for all besides God is a shadow that fades.

  33. وَأَقْدَامُ افْتِقارِ الْخَلْقِ فِيهِ

    لِبارِئِهِمْ عَلاَ ذَاتُ ارْتِسَاخِ

    And therein the feet of creatures' need

    for their exalted Maker stand firmly rooted.

  34. فَلاَ تُسْنِدْ لِغَيْرِ اللهِ نَفْعاً

    تَصُنْ رَأْسَ الْيَقِينِ مِنَ افْتِضَاخِ

    Attribute no benefit to anyone but God,

    and you will protect certainty's head from being shattered.

  35. وَطَلِّقْ بِنْتَ ضَيْرِكَ أُمَّ دَفْرٍ

    يُطَلِّقْكَ الْهَوَانُ بِلا تَرَاخِ

    Divorce the daughter of your harm, Umm Dafr, Mother of Stench,

    and humiliation will divorce you without delay.

  36. وَلاَ تَحْلُلْ مَحَلاًّ فِيهِ لُؤْمٌ

    فَعَذْبُ الْمَاءِ يَأْجَنُ فِي السِّبَاخِ

    Do not settle in a place of baseness,

    for sweet water turns foul in salt marshes.

  37. وَصَلِّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ تُرْفَدْ

    بِأَنْوَارِ الْيَقِينِ لَدَى ابْتِلاخِ

    Invoke blessings upon God's Messenger; you will be aided

    by the lights of certainty amid confusion.

  38. وَتُمْنَحْ بَعْدَ ضَيْقِكَ بِاتِّسَاعٍ

    وَتُنْقَلْ مِنْ حُزُونِكَ لِلسَّخاخِ

    And you will be granted spaciousness after your straits,

    and be moved from your rugged ground to soft earth.

  39. فَدُونَكَ فَاقْتَبِسْ مِنْهَا عُلُوماً

    وَدَعْ شِعْراً يُضَافُ إِلَى قُلاخِ

    Here, take it, and draw knowledge from it,

    and leave the poetry ascribed to Qulakh.

  40. وَزِنْهَا بِالْمُنَظَّمِ مِنْ كَلاَمٍ

    تَجِدْهَا كَالْغِنَاءِ مِنَ الصُّرَاخِ

    Weigh it against speech arranged in verse;

    you will find it as song is to screaming.