أَطِعِ الهوى فالعقلُ خازٍ خازمُ

أَطِعِ الهوى فالعقلُ خازٍ خازمُ

والجهل يُغري وهو هازٍ هازمُ

والجهل يُغري وهو هازٍ هازمُ

Obey desire, for reason subdues and bridles.

Obey desire, for reason is worn out and defeated,

And ignorance entices, while mocking and vanquishing.

And ignorance entices while it is deluded and defeated,

واعْملْ فحرفُ الشَّرط صُنعُك والرَّدى

واعْملْ فحرفُ الشَّرط صُنعُك والرَّدى

عنه جوابٌ وهو جازٍ جازمُ

عنه جوابٌ وهو جازٍ جازمُ

And act, for your deed is the conditional particle, and death

And act, for the verb’s conditional particle is your making, and for it

Is its answer, requiting and decisive.

Is an answer, while it is going and resolute,

وإذا عَلَوْتَ فَواصِ بالعلمِ العُلى

وإذا عَلَوْتَ فَواصِ بالعلمِ العُلى

تَكْمُل فخيرُ القومِ عالٍ عالمُ

تَكْمُل فخيرُ القومِ عالٍ عالمُ

And when you rise, join high standing with knowledge;

And when you rise up, then command the highest knowledge,

You will be complete, for the best of people is lofty and learned.

You will be complete, for the best of people is high and learned,

وابْسُط يَدَيْك فإنّ قابض كَفِّه

وابْسُط يَدَيْك فإنّ قابض كَفِّه

في بَسْطَةِ الإثْراءِ عادٍ عادِمُ

في بَسْطَةِ الإثْراءِ عادٍ عادِمُ

And open both your hands, for one who clenches his palm

And spread open your hands, for one who closes his palm,

Amid abundant wealth is transgressive and destitute.

In the openness of wealth, is regressing and losing,

واكتُمْ نوالك فالكريم نوالُه

واكتُمْ نوالك فالكريم نوالُه

غَيثٌ وجُنْحُ الليلِ ساجٍ ساجمُ

غَيثٌ وجُنْحُ الليلِ ساجٍ ساجمُ

And conceal your bounty, for the generous man's bounty

And conceal your boons, for the generous one’s boons,

Is rain, while night's wing is still and rain-shedding.

Are rain, and the wing of night is covering and veiling,

وإذا شَكَوْتَ إلى امرئٍ وَشَكَمْتَه

وإذا شَكَوْتَ إلى امرئٍ وَشَكَمْتَه

كَرِهَ الندى لا كان شاكٍ شاكمُ

كَرِهَ الندى لا كان شاكٍ شاكمُ

And if you complain to a man and repay him,

And if you complain to a man, and blame him,

He will hate generosity—may no one who complains and repays exist!

He will dislike intimacy, no matter if he is complaining or blaming,

واسْلُ الدَّنايا تَسْلَمِ العُقْبى غداً

واسْلُ الدَّنايا تَسْلَمِ العُقْبى غداً

في مَنْزِلَيْك فكلُّ سالٍ سالمُ

في مَنْزِلَيْك فكلُّ سالٍ سالمُ

And leave base deeds behind: the final outcome will be safe tomorrow

And ask the worldly life for safety tomorrow,

In both your abodes, for whoever lets them go is safe.

In your dwellings, for all who ask are safe,

يا ساخِط الأقْسام يَأْمُلُ رزقةً

يا ساخِط الأقْسام يَأْمُلُ رزقةً

يَرْضَى بها والدهر قاسٍ قاسمُ

يَرْضَى بها والدهر قاسٍ قاسمُ

O you who resent allotted shares, hoping for sustenance

Oh disgruntled by portions, hoping for a sustenance,

That satisfies you, while time is harsh, an apportioner.

He will be content with, while time is dividing and apportioning,

اِقْنَعْ بجِيدٍ عاطلٍ وانْظِم له

اِقْنَعْ بجِيدٍ عاطلٍ وانْظِم له

عِقْدَ الصَّلاحِ فكلُّ حالٍ حالمُ

عِقْدَ الصَّلاحِ فكلُّ حالٍ حالمُ

Be content with an unadorned neck, and string for it

Be content with good, even if unemployed, and string for it,

The necklace of righteousness: everyone so adorned is forbearing.

A necklace of righteousness, for all conditions have hopes,

كم من فتىً جَعَلَ القناعة جُنَّةً

كم من فتىً جَعَلَ القناعة جُنَّةً

دون المطامع فهو غانٍ غانمُ

دون المطامع فهو غانٍ غانمُ

How many a young man has made contentment a shield

How many a youth made contentment a shield,

Against covetous desires: he is self-sufficient and triumphant.

From ambitions, so he is rich and winner,

وارفَعْ مَنارَ المُهتدي بك لا كمن

وارفَعْ مَنارَ المُهتدي بك لا كمن

يُولي ويُلْوي فهو هادٍ هادمُ

يُولي ويُلْوي فهو هادٍ هادمُ

And raise the beacon of one guided by you, not like one

And raise the minaret of one guided by you, not one,

Who bestows and turns away—a guide and a destroyer.

Who turns his back and twists, so he is guiding and destroying,

والهجو لا تَهْجُم على عِرْضٍ به

والهجو لا تَهْجُم على عِرْضٍ به

سَفَهَاً فشَرُّ الناسِ هاجٍ هاجمُ

سَفَهَاً فشَرُّ الناسِ هاجٍ هاجمُ

And as for satire, do not assail anyone's honor with it

And do not attack a person’s honor with foolishness,

In folly, for the worst of people is a satirist and assailant.

For the worst of people are those attacking and offending,

ترجو وترُجم غيرَ غافِرِ زَلَّةٍ

ترجو وترُجم غيرَ غافِرِ زَلَّةٍ

بِئسَ الفتى يا صاحِ راجٍ راجمُ

بِئسَ الفتى يا صاحِ راجٍ راجمُ

You hope, yet cast stones, forgiving no misstep;

You hope and praise other than the forgiver of slips,

How wretched, my friend, is a young man who hopes yet stones!

What a miserable lad you are, hoping and stoning,

حَسْبُ الظَّلوم على ذَميم مآلِه

حَسْبُ الظَّلوم على ذَميم مآلِه

باللؤم فهو بكلّ نادٍ نادمُ

باللؤم فهو بكلّ نادٍ نادمُ

Enough for the oppressor, besides his shameful end,

It suffices the wrongdoer, the disgrace of his outcome,

Is baseness: he is remorseful in every gathering.

With disgrace, for he is, in everything, regretting and sorrowful,

وإذا المُفيضُ دعا القِداح فإنّما

وإذا المُفيضُ دعا القِداح فإنّما

سَهْمُ المُسالم وهو ناجٍ ناجمُ

سَهْمُ المُسالم وهو ناجٍ ناجمُ

And when the lot-drawer calls for the arrows, only

And when the pouring one invites to bumpers, then,

The peaceable man's arrow comes forth, while he is safe.

The portion of the harmonious one is a draft, intimate and veiled,

وإذا وَقَيْتَ أخاك لم أرَ سُبَّةً

وإذا وَقَيْتَ أخاك لم أرَ سُبَّةً

وَقْمَ العِدى والشهمُ واقٍ واقمُ

وَقْمَ العِدى والشهمُ واقٍ واقمُ

And if you protect your brother, I see no disgrace

And when you protect your brother, I do not see a disgrace,

In subduing enemies: the noble-hearted man protects and subdues.

Like protecting against transgression and pride, and it is forbidding and preventing,

كُن كالحُسامِ كَلا الرَّفيقَ وحَدُّه

كُن كالحُسامِ كَلا الرَّفيقَ وحَدُّه

للضِّدِّ كَلْمٌ فهو كالٍ كالمُ

للضِّدِّ كَلْمٌ فهو كالٍ كالمُ

Be like the keen sword: it guards the companion, and its edge

Be like the sword, softening only its counterpart,

Is a wound to the foe: it protects and wounds.

To the contrary, it is talking, while it is going and speaking,

تُخُطي الحظوظُ ذوي النُّهى وينالُها

تُخُطي الحظوظُ ذوي النُّهى وينالُها

فَدْمٌ من الخَيرات عارٍ عارمُ

فَدْمٌ من الخَيرات عارٍ عارمُ

Fortune's favors miss the wise, yet are gained by

Those of bad habits miss opportunities, while the

A dullard, devoid of virtues and unruly.

Generous obtain them, barefaced and defeating,

والدهرُ يَحْكِي ثم يَحْكُم بعدما

والدهرُ يَحْكِي ثم يَحْكُم بعدما

يُلْقي المَعاذر فهو حاكٍ حاكمُ

يُلْقي المَعاذر فهو حاكٍ حاكمُ

And time recounts, then judges, after

And time narrates, then judges after,

Offering excuses: it is narrator and judge.

Casting justifications, while it is reasoning and judging,

ونعى إليك العيشُ نفسَك خادِعاً

ونعى إليك العيشُ نفسَك خادِعاً

لك بالنعومةِ فهو ناعٍ ناعمُ

لك بالنعومةِ فهو ناعٍ ناعمُ

And life has announced your own death to you, deceiving

And life intimated your death to you, deceiving,

You with comfort: it heralds death, yet is gentle.

You with luxury, while it is intimating and gentle,

فالغُفْل عند الخوف مُغْفٍ مُغْفِلٌ

فالغُفْل عند الخوف مُغْفٍ مُغْفِلٌ

والجَلْدُ عند الأمن حازٍ حازمُ

والجَلْدُ عند الأمن حازٍ حازمُ

For the heedless man, amid fear, is dozing and neglectful;

So negligence in fear is neglectful and heedless,

And the steadfast man, amid safety, is foresighted and prudent.

And patience in safety is prudent and resolute,