إِيّاكَ أَن تَسخو بِوَع

إِيّاكَ أَن تَسخو بِوَع

دٍ لَيسَ عَزمُكَ أَن تَفي بِه

دٍ لَيسَ عَزمُكَ أَن تَفي بِه

Beware of freely offering a promise

Beware of making a promise, you have no intention to fulfill

you have no intention of keeping.

For honesty becomes a young man

فَالصِدقُ يَحسُنُ بِالفَتى

فَالصِدقُ يَحسُنُ بِالفَتى

وَالكِذبُ يُحسَبُ مِن عُيوبِه

وَالكِذبُ يُحسَبُ مِن عُيوبِه

For truthfulness becomes a young man,

And falsehood counts among his faults

and lying is counted among his faults.

And when you can be true to your word

وَإِذا قَدَرتَ عَلى الوَفا

وَإِذا قَدَرتَ عَلى الوَفا

ءِ فَعَدِّ عَن غَدرٍ وَذَيبِه

ءِ فَعَدِّ عَن غَدرٍ وَذَيبِه

And if you are able to keep your word,

Refrain from treachery and deceit

turn away from treachery and its disgrace.

Shall I complain of you or of time?

أَشكوكَ أَم أَشكو الزَما

أَشكوكَ أَم أَشكو الزَما

نَ لِأَنَّ مَطلَكَ مِن ذُنوبِه

نَ لِأَنَّ مَطلَكَ مِن ذُنوبِه

Shall I complain of you, or complain of Time,

For your procrastination counts among its sins

since your procrastination is among its sins?

Rather, I complain of it, for how often

بَل أَشتَكيهِ فَكَم دَفَع

بَل أَشتَكيهِ فَكَم دَفَع

تُ إِلى الغَرائِبِ مِن خُطوبِه

تُ إِلى الغَرائِبِ مِن خُطوبِه

Rather, I complain of it—how often I have been driven

Have I been driven to strange misfortunes by its calamities

into its strange calamities.