النَفسُ بِالشَيءِ المُمَنَّعِ مولَعَه

النَفسُ بِالشَيءِ المُمَنَّعِ مولَعَه

وَالحادِثاتُ أُصولُها مُتَفَرِّعَه

وَالحادِثاتُ أُصولُها مُتَفَرِّعَه

The soul is enamored of what is kept out of reach.

The soul craves forbidden things,

And the roots of events branch out.

And events have branching roots.

وَالنَفسُ لِلشَيءِ البَعيدِ مُريدَةٌ

وَالنَفسُ لِلشَيءِ البَعيدِ مُريدَةٌ

وَلِكُلِّ ما قَرُبَت إِلَيهِ مُضَيَّعَه

وَلِكُلِّ ما قَرُبَت إِلَيهِ مُضَيَّعَه

And the soul desires what is far away,

The soul yearns for distant things,

And neglects all that it has come close to.

And takes for granted what is near.

مَن عاشَ عاشَ بِخاطِرٍ مُتَصَرِّفٍ

مَن عاشَ عاشَ بِخاطِرٍ مُتَصَرِّفٍ

مُتَنَقِّلٍ في الضيقِ طَوراً وَالسَعَه

مُتَنَقِّلٍ في الضيقِ طَوراً وَالسَعَه

Whoever lives lives with a changing mind,

Whoever lives, lives with a fickle mind,

Shifting, now in hardship, now in ease.

Shifting between hardship and ease.

وَالمَرءُ يَضعُفُ عَن عَزيمَةِ صَبرِهِ

وَالمَرءُ يَضعُفُ عَن عَزيمَةِ صَبرِهِ

فَيَضيقُ عَن شَيءٍ وَعَنهُ بِهِ سَعَه

فَيَضيقُ عَن شَيءٍ وَعَنهُ بِهِ سَعَه

And a man falters in his resolve to be patient,

And one grows weak in perseverance,

So he feels constrained by a thing, though he has room to do without it.

So hardship constricts, though in it lies relief.

وَالمَرءُ يَغلَطُ في تَصَرُّفِ حالِهِ

وَالمَرءُ يَغلَطُ في تَصَرُّفِ حالِهِ

وَلَرُبَّما اِختارَ العَناءَ عَلى الدِعَه

وَلَرُبَّما اِختارَ العَناءَ عَلى الدِعَه

And a man errs in managing his affairs,

One errs in how he steers his state,

And often chooses hardship over ease.

And sometimes chooses trouble over peace.

كُلٌّ يُحاوِلُ حيلَةً يَرجو بِها

كُلٌّ يُحاوِلُ حيلَةً يَرجو بِها

دَفعَ المَضَرَّةِ وَاِجتِلابَ المَنفَعَه

دَفعَ المَضَرَّةِ وَاِجتِلابَ المَنفَعَه

Everyone seeks a stratagem, hoping through it

Each tries a trick, hoping

To ward off harm and draw in benefit.

To ward off harm and gain benefit.

وَالمَرءُ لا يَأتيهِ إِلّا رِزقُهُ

وَالمَرءُ لا يَأتيهِ إِلّا رِزقُهُ

فَاِقنَع بِما يَأتيكَ مِنهُ في دِعَه

فَاِقنَع بِما يَأتيكَ مِنهُ في دِعَه

And a man receives only his allotted sustenance,

And one receives only his provision.

So be content, at ease, with what comes to you of it.

So be content with what comes easily.