وهبتك النصح لو طاوعت من نصحا

فقد محضتك مني خلصة النصحا

I offered you counsel, if only you would heed one who counseled you.

For I have given you the pure essence of my counsel.

تقوى الاله فقد أَوصيك فاتقه

تفلح إِذا أَفلحت في الموقف الفلحا

I enjoin you to fear God, so fear Him;

you will prosper when you attain success at the final standing.

والوالدين فقد أَوصيك برهما

فاغضب إِذا غضبا واصفح إِذا صفحا

And your parents: I enjoin you to honor them both;

be angry when they are angry, and pardon when they pardon.

رضاهما من رضى الباري عليك فإِن

تغضبهما تلق من إغضابك الترحا

Their pleasure is part of the Creator's pleasure with you; if

you anger them, your provocation will bring you sorrow.

واطلب العلم لو بالصين مجتهداً

واغمض عليه بعقل راسب رزحا

Seek knowledge diligently, even if in China,

and delve deeply into it with a mind immersed and bowed beneath its weight.

وأَول العلم تعليم القرآن ففي

تعليمه كل منهاج الهدى وضحا

The first field of learning is teaching the Qur'an, for in

its teaching every path of guidance becomes clear.

فاحرص عليه ولا تضجر وكن فهما

وللمعلم كن عبداً وكن سمحا

So pursue it eagerly, do not grow weary, and be perceptive;

be a servant to your teacher, and be gracious.

إِن المعلم لم ينصح بغير رضى

واعلم بأنك إِن أَرضيته نصحا

A teacher does not give sincere counsel unless he is pleased;

know that if you please him, he will counsel you sincerely.

وإِن ختمت فجوِّده لتحفظه

ورابط الدرس في وقتي مسا وضحى

When you complete it, perfect its recitation so you may retain it,

and persevere in study at evening and forenoon.

والزم جماعة بيت الله مرتقباً

فيه الفروض وخل الدَمع منسفحا

Keep to the congregation in God's house, awaiting

the obligatory prayers there, and let your tears pour forth.

واقصد لمطلب علم الطب حيث به

يُقوم العقل ذو التكليف والسبحا

Turn to the pursuit of medical knowledge, since through it

the mind, bearer of moral responsibility, and activity are set right.

وخذ من النحو ما يكفي وخذ لغة

كيما تكون فصيحا مدره الفصحا

Take enough grammar to suffice, and learn language,

so you become eloquent, a spokesman among the eloquent.

ثم الأُصول أُصول الدين ثم تخذ

أَصل الفُروع وفرع الأَصل منشرحا

Then the foundations—the foundations of religion—and then take

the root of the branches and the branch of the root, with an open heart.

وما بقي من علوم ما استطعت فخذ

ولا تَكُن ضجراً منها وَلا طلحا

Of the sciences that remain, take whatever you can,

and do not grow impatient with them or exhausted.

وكن بأَهل التُقى والعلم مقترناً

وَعن آلي الجهل صاري الحبل منتوِحا

Stay joined to people of piety and knowledge,

and keep far from the people of ignorance, severing the rope.

صاحب أَخا العلم والتقوى وكن فهما

فيما يفيدك واحفظ كل ما شرحا

Befriend one of knowledge and piety, and be discerning

about what he imparts to you, and retain everything he explains.

أَهل العلوم نجوم يستضاء بها

إِذا تراكم ليل الجَهل وانسدحا

People of learning are stars by which one finds light

when ignorance's night gathers thick and spreads out.

تلقى بناديهم الخيرات حاضرة

والعقل والنور والبرهان والمنحا

In their gathering you find good things present,

and reason, light, proof, and gifts.

كن منهم حيثما كانوا على ثقة

واقطع سواهم وخذ في الوزن ما رجحا

Be one of them wherever they may be, with confidence;

cut off others, and choose what weighs heavier in the balance.

فالمرء يحشر مع من قد أَحب فكن

في الصالحين تلاقي اللَه مصطلحا

For a person will be gathered with those he has loved, so be

among the righteous, and meet God reconciled.

فكل مقرّب لِلّه مقترب

منهم ومنتزح عنهم فقد نزحا

Everyone brought near to God draws near

to them; whoever distances himself from them has gone far away.

وقيل إِن قرين المرء يشبهه

فاختر لنفسك إِن وفقت ما صلحا

It is said that a person's companion resembles him;

so choose what is good for yourself, if you are granted success.

إِن الحليم إِذا صاحبته نفحت

لك الخلائق منه كالكبا نفحا

Indeed, if you befriend the forbearing, there will waft

to you his qualities, like the fragrance of incense.

وذو اللامة إِن صافيته كدرت

أَخلاقه وإِذا حسنته قبحا

But if you befriend a base man, tainted are

his ways; if you improve him, he turns ugly.

عادي الحليم ولا تصحب أَخا حمق

هيهات ما السفهاء الحمقى كالصلحا

Oppose the forbearing, but do not befriend a fool;

far from it! The foolish and stupid are not like the righteous.

لا تأمن الأحمق الطياش نصحته

كم منه دارت على رأس الصديق رحا

Do not trust the reckless fool's counsel;

how often, through him, a millstone has turned upon a friend's head!

من يصحب الأَحمق الثرثار غودر في

بحر من الجهل يغرقه ولو سبحا

Whoever befriends a babbling fool is left in

a sea of ignorance that drowns him, even if he swims.

واحذر أَخوّة من لو شئت نصحته

عن جهله لم يحد كن عنه منتزحا

Beware of brotherhood with one who, even if you wished to counsel him,

would not turn aside from his ignorance; stay far from him.

إِن البضاعة لم تُجلب لموسمها

إِلا لانفاقها أَو ربُّها ربحا

Indeed, merchandise is not brought to its fair

except to be sold, or for its owner to profit.

وعز نفسك عما فات مطلبه

ولا تكن بنمو المقتنى فرحا

Console yourself over what has proved beyond reach,

and do not rejoice at the growth of your possessions.

وَإِن قدرت على خير لتفعله

أَسرع وخالف هو الشيطان والبرحا

If you are able to perform a good deed,

hasten, and oppose him—Satan—and affliction.

وإِن تعرض باب الشر منغلقاً

دعه وَأَغلقه إِن لاقاكَ مفتتحا

If the door of evil presents itself shut,

leave it so; close it if it meets you open.

وإِن توددعتَ اَسرارا فكن أُذنا

صماء ما سمعت في الحال ما شرحا

If you are entrusted with secrets, be an ear

deaf, as though it had heard none of what was explained at the time.

وَإِن قعدت بناد كن به جبلا

وإِن دعتك الورى كن بارقاً لمحا

If you sit in an assembly, be a mountain there;

if people call you, be lightning flashing in an instant.

وَإِن سكت فكن ذا فكرة وإِذا

نطقت فليبد منك المنطق الملحا

If you are silent, be thoughtful; and when

you speak, let charming words issue from you.

وقد يقال كلام المرء نسبته

إِن الإِناء بما في بطنه رشحا

It is said that a person's speech is his lineage:

a vessel seeps what it holds within.

ولاق ضيفك طلق الوجه مبتسماً

ولو تعبَّس وجه الدهر مكتلحا

Meet your guest open-faced and smiling,

even if the face of time scowls grimly.

فللكريم خلال يستدل بها

إِن سيل أَعطي ولم يمنن إِذا سمحا

For the generous man has traits by which he is recognized:

when asked, he gives, and does not remind others of his favors when generous.

واصبر على غصص الدنيا وكن جلدا

كم عارض قبل ما يسقي أمحى وصحا

Bear patiently the choking sorrows of this world, and be steadfast;

many a cloud has vanished and cleared before giving rain.

إِني امرؤ قد عرفت الدهر معرفة

أَكلاً وشرباً ومسموعا وملتمحا

I am a man who has come to know time well,

through eating and drinking, through what is heard and glimpsed.

وقد حلبت من الأَيام أَشطرها

وقد قدحت زناد الدَهر فاقتدحا

I have milked the days' teats,

and struck time's fire-sticks, which have sparked.

فكدت أَعلم ما كنت ضمائرهم

ولو أَردت بها التصريح لانصرحا

So I almost know what their hearts have concealed,

and if I wished to speak plainly of them, it would be laid bare.

دنياهم ميتة قد شمتُها بَرَكَت

وَخيرهم فهو كلب حولها نبحا

Their world is carrion; I have scented it where it lies,

and the best of them is a dog barking around it.

فاستعن باللَه عنهم هبه متكلا

عليه تنجح ويا فوز امرئ نجحا

So seek God's help to do without them; fear Him, relying

on Him, and you will succeed—what a triumph for one who succeeds!

وقد نصحتك يا بر الفؤاد وكم

من ناصح كان أَولى منك لو نُصحا

I have counseled you, O pure-hearted one; how many

a counselor has needed counsel more than you, if only he were counseled!

أَهداك أَعمى ومنهاج الهدى وضحا

فطاح في هوة الاضار وافتضحا

A blind man guided you, though the path of guidance was clear,

then fell into the abyss of harm and was disgraced.

يا رب عفوك أَجري غير منسمح

إِلا بلطفك يغدو الأَمر منسمحا

O Lord, Your pardon! My reward is not readily granted;

only through Your kindness does the matter become easy.

فاصفح عن المذنب الجاني فأنت به

أَولى وَأَجدر من أَعطى ومن سمحا

So pardon the sinful offender, for You have

the strongest claim on him, and are worthiest of all who give and are generous.