1. مِن قِلَّةِ اللُبِّ عِندَ النُصحِ أَن تَأبى

    وَأَن تَرومَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ إِعتابا

    It shows little sense to refuse when counsel is offered,

    and to seek amends from the days.

  2. خَلِّ الزَمانَ وَأَهليهِ لِشَأنِهِمُ

    وَعِش بِدَهرِكَ وَالأَقوامِ مُرتابا

    Leave time and its people to their own affairs,

    and live mistrustful of your times and of people.

  3. سارَ الشَبابُ فَلَم نَعرِف لَهُ خَبَراً

    وَلا رَأَينا خَيالاً مِنهُ مُنتابا

    Youth departed, and we heard no news of it,

    nor saw a phantom of it come to visit.

  4. وَحُقٌّ لِلعَيسِ لَو نالَت بِنا بَلَداً

    فيهِ الصِبا كَونُ عودِ الهِندِ أَقتابا

    And the pale camels would deserve, if they bore us to a land

    where youth dwells, pack saddles made of Indian aloeswood.

  5. أَلقى الكَبيرُ قَميصَ الشَرخِ رَهنَ بِلىً

    ثُمَّ اِستَجَدَّ قَميصَ الشَيبِ مُجتابا

    The old man cast off youth's shirt, a hostage to decay,

    then took a new shirt of gray hair and put it on.

  6. مازالَ يَمطُلُ دُنياهُ بِتَوبَتِهِ

    حَتّى أَتَتهُ مَناياها وَما تابا

    He kept making his world wait for his repentance,

    until its deaths overtook him, and he had not repented.

  7. خَطُّ اِستِواءٍ بَدا عَن نُقطَةٍ عَجَبٍ

    أَفنَت خُطوطاً وَأَقلاماً وَكُتّابا

    A straight line emerged from a wondrous point

    that annihilated lines, pens, and scribes.