إِذا شِئتَ أَن تَرقى جِدارَكَ مَرَّةً

إِذا شِئتَ أَن تَرقى جِدارَكَ مَرَّةً

لِأَمرٍ فَآذِن جارَ بَيتِكَ مِن قَبلُ

لِأَمرٍ فَآذِن جارَ بَيتِكَ مِن قَبلُ

If you wish, on some occasion, to climb your wall

If you wish to transcend your wall one time

for some purpose, notify your neighbor beforehand.

For some matter, then first notify your neighbor

وَلا تَفجَأَنهُ بِالطُلوعِ فَرُبَّما

وَلا تَفجَأَنهُ بِالطُلوعِ فَرُبَّما

أَصابَ الفَتى مِن هَتكِ جارَتِهِ خَبَلُ

أَصابَ الفَتى مِن هَتكِ جارَتِهِ خَبَلُ

And do not surprise him by climbing up, for sometimes

And do not surprise him with your rising, lest

harm befalls a young man for violating his female neighbor's privacy.

The young man be stricken by your violating his privacy

وَمازالَ يَفتَنُّ اِمرُؤٌ في اِختِيالِهِ

وَمازالَ يَفتَنُّ اِمرُؤٌ في اِختِيالِهِ

وَفي مَشيهِ حَتّى مَشى وَلَهُ كَبلُ

وَفي مَشيهِ حَتّى مَشى وَلَهُ كَبلُ

And a man kept devising new ways to swagger

And man continues to be tempted by his imaginings

and to walk, until he walked with a shackle on him.

And his gait until he walked bound in shackles

وَإِِنَّ سَبيلَ الخَيرِ لِلمَرءِ واضِحٌ

وَإِِنَّ سَبيلَ الخَيرِ لِلمَرءِ واضِحٌ

إِلى يَومٍ يَقضي ثُمَّ تَنقَطِعُ السُبُل

إِلى يَومٍ يَقضي ثُمَّ تَنقَطِعُ السُبُل

And indeed, the path of goodness is clear to a man

Verily the path of good for a man is clear

until the day he dies; then the paths are cut off.

Until a day he settles, then the paths are cut off

وَيَسمَعُ أَقوالَ الرِجالِ تُعيبُهُ

وَيَسمَعُ أَقوالَ الرِجالِ تُعيبُهُ

وَأَهوَنُ مِنها في مَواقِعِها النَبلُ

وَأَهوَنُ مِنها في مَواقِعِها النَبلُ

And he hears men's words disparaging him,

And he hears the words of men blaming him

and arrows, where they strike, hurt less than those words.

While arrows in their settling are lighter than them

يَحُلُّ دِيارَ المُندِياتِ بِرُغمِهِ

يَحُلُّ دِيارَ المُندِياتِ بِرُغمِهِ

وَيَرحَلُ عَنها وَالفُؤادُ بِهِ تَبلُ

وَيَرحَلُ عَنها وَالفُؤادُ بِهِ تَبلُ

He dwells unwillingly in the abodes of shame,

He visits the abodes of beautiful women against their will

and leaves them with love's torment in his heart.

And departs from them while his heart within him melts

إِذا مُسَكُ العَيشِ اِنقَضَت وَتَقَضَّبَت

إِذا مُسَكُ العَيشِ اِنقَضَت وَتَقَضَّبَت

فَما يَسأَلُ الضِرغامُ ما فَعَلَ الشِبلُ

فَما يَسأَلُ الضِرغامُ ما فَعَلَ الشِبلُ

When the bonds sustaining life have ended and been severed,

When the pleasures of life have passed and withered

the lion does not ask what became of the cub.

The grown hyena asks not what the cub has done

عَلِقتُ بِحَبلِ العُمرِ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

عَلِقتُ بِحَبلِ العُمرِ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

فَقَد رَثَّ حَتّى كادَ يَنصَرِمُ الحَبلُ

فَقَد رَثَّ حَتّى كادَ يَنصَرِمُ الحَبلُ

I have clung to the rope of life for fifty years;

I clung to the rope of life for fifty pilgrimages

and it has frayed so much that the rope is about to snap.

So it frayed until it almost snapped

وَهَل يَنفَعُ الطَلُّ الَّذي هُوَ نازِلٌ

وَهَل يَنفَعُ الطَلُّ الَّذي هُوَ نازِلٌ

بِذاتِ رِمالٍ عِندَما جَحَدَ الوَبلُ

بِذاتِ رِمالٍ عِندَما جَحَدَ الوَبلُ

And can the dew that is falling be of any use

Does rainfall descending on shifting sands avail

in a sandy land when the downpour refuses to fall?

When the clouds have cruelly withheld their gift?