إذا توسَّلْتَ إلى حاجَةٍ

إذا توسَّلْتَ إلى حاجَةٍ

فبِالرُّشا فهيَ رِشاءُ النَّجاحْ

فبِالرُّشا فهيَ رِشاءُ النَّجاحْ

If you seek to fulfill a need,

If you plead for a need,

then use bribes, for they are the rope of success.

Then with bribery, for it is the path to success,

ولا تُعَوِّلْ غيرَها شافِعاً

ولا تُعَوِّلْ غيرَها شافِعاً

فكُلُّ ما دُونَ الرُّشا في الرِّياحْ

فكُلُّ ما دُونَ الرُّشا في الرِّياحْ

And rely on nothing else as an intercessor,

And do not rely on any other intercessor,

for everything other than bribes is lost in the winds.

For all else besides bribery is just hot air,

لِلنَّاسِ في أخراهُمُ جَنَّةٌ

لِلنَّاسِ في أخراهُمُ جَنَّةٌ

وجَنَّةُ الدُّنْيا سَمَرْقَنْدُ

وجَنَّةُ الدُّنْيا سَمَرْقَنْدُ

People have a paradise in their hereafter,

People have a paradise in their end days,

and the paradise of this world is Samarkand.

And the paradise of this world is apricot juice,

يا مَنْ يُساوي أرضَ بَلْخٍ بِها

يا مَنْ يُساوي أرضَ بَلْخٍ بِها

هلْ يَستَوي الحَنظَلُ والقَنْدُ

هلْ يَستَوي الحَنظَلُ والقَنْدُ

O you who equate the land of Balkh with it,

O you who makes the land of Balkh equal to it,

are bitter colocynth and sugar equal?

Can wormwood ever equal sugar candy?