1. اللَهُ أَكرَمُ مَن يُناجى

    وَالمَرءُ إِن داجَيتَ داجى

    God is the most generous of those one confides in.

    And a man, if you dissemble with him, dissembles.

  2. وَالمَرءُ لَيسَ بِمُعظِمٍ

    شَيئاً يُقَضّي مِنهُ حاجا

    And a man does not hold in esteem

    a thing through which he fulfills his needs.

  3. كَدَرُ الصَفاءِ مِنَ الصَدي

    قِ فَما تَرى إِلّا مِزاجا

    The clouding of purity comes from a friend;

    so you see nothing but a mixture.

  4. وَإِذا الأُمورُ تَزاوَجَت

    فَالصَبرُ أَكرَمُها نِتاجا

    And when affairs are wedded,

    then patience yields the noblest offspring.

  5. وَالصِدقُ يَعقِدُ فَوقَ رَأ

    سِ حَليفِهِ لِلبِرِّ تاجا

    And truth sets upon the head

    of its ally a crown of righteousness.

  6. وَالصِدقُ يَثقُبُ زَندُهُ

    في كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ سِراجا

    And truth's firestick kindles

    a lamp in every quarter.

  7. وَلَرُبَّما صَدَعَ الصَفا

    وَلَرُبَّما شَعَبَ الزُجاجا

    And many a time it has split hard rock,

    and many a time it has mended glass.

  8. يَأبى المُعَلَّقُ بِالهَوى

    إِلّا رَواحاً وَادِّلاجا

    The one bound to passion refuses

    all but afternoon and pre-dawn journeys.

  9. اِرفُق فَعُمرُكَ عودُ ذي

    أَوَدٍ رَأَيتُ لَهُ اعوِجاجا

    Be gentle, for your life is a stick with

    a bend; I have seen its crookedness.

  10. وَالمَوتُ يَختَلِجُ النُفو

    سَ وَإِن سَهَت عَنهُ اختِلاجا

    And death snatches souls away,

    with a wrench, even if they are heedless of it.

  11. اِجعَل مُعَرَّجَكَ التَكَرُّ

    مَ ما وَجَدتَ لَهُ انعِراجا

    Make generosity your stopping-place,

    as long as you find a turning toward it.

  12. يا رُبَّ بَرقٍ شِمتُهُ

    عادَت مَخيلَتُهُ عَجاجا

    Ah, many a lightning flash I watched—

    its promise of rain turned to swirling dust.

  13. وَلَرُبَّ عَذبٍ صارَ بَع

    دَ عُذوبَةٍ مِلحاً أُجاجا

    And many a sweet thing has become, after

    sweetness, salty and bitter.

  14. وَلَرُبَّ أَخلاقٍ حِسا

    نٍ عُدنَ أَخلاقاً سِماجا

    And many fine traits

    have turned into ugly traits.

  15. هَوِّن عَلَيكَ مَضايِقَ الد

    ُنيا تَعُد سُبُلاً فِجاجا

    Ease for yourself the straits of the

    world; they will become broad, open roads.

  16. لا تَضجَرَنَّ لِضيقَةٍ

    يَوماً فَإِنَّ لَها انفِراجا

    Do not grow impatient with hardship

    on any day, for there is relief for it.

  17. مَن عاجَ مِن شَيءٍ إِلى

    شَيءٍ فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعاجا

    Whoever turns from one thing to

    another surely has a place to turn.