أشابَ الصّغيرَ وأفْنى الكبيـ

أشابَ الصّغيرَ وأفْنى الكبيـ

ـرَ كَرُّ اللّيالي ومَرٌّ العَشِيِّ

ـرَ كَرُّ اللّيالي ومَرٌّ العَشِيِّ

The young have been turned gray, and the old brought to their end,

The young perish and the old pass away

by the recurrence of nights and the passing of evenings.

The nights roll on and the evenings go by

إذا لَيْلَةُ هرّمَتْ يَومَها

إذا لَيْلَةُ هرّمَتْ يَومَها

أتى بَعْدَ ذلِكَ يومٌ فَتِي

أتى بَعْدَ ذلِكَ يومٌ فَتِي

When a night has aged its day,

When a night grows old, its day comes after

a youthful day comes after that.

A youthful day follows thereafter

نَروحُ وَنَغْدو لحاجاتِنا

نَروحُ وَنَغْدو لحاجاتِنا

وحاجَةُ مَنْ عاشَ لا تَنْقَضيْ

وحاجَةُ مَنْ عاشَ لا تَنْقَضيْ

We go at evening and at morning to meet our needs,

We come and go for our needs

and a living person's need never ends.

But the needs of one alive are endless

تموتُ مَعَ المَرْءِ حاجاتُه

تموتُ مَعَ المَرْءِ حاجاتُه

وتَبْقى له حاجةٌ ما بَقيْ

وتَبْقى له حاجةٌ ما بَقيْ

A man's needs die with him,

A man's needs die with him

yet a need remains for him as long as he lives.

Yet one need stays as long as he lives

إذا قُلتَ يوماً لمنْ قد تَرى

إذا قُلتَ يوماً لمنْ قد تَرى

ألم ترَ لُقمانَ أوصى أبنه

ألم ترَ لُقمانَ أوصى أبنه

If one day you say to those you may see,

If you say to one you see someday

Have you not seen how Luqman counseled his son?

"Have you not seen how Luqman advised his son?"

وأوصَيتُ عمراً ونِعمَ الوَصي

وأوصَيتُ عمراً ونِعمَ الوَصي

بُنَي بدا خِبُّ نَجوى الرجالِ

بُنَي بدا خِبُّ نَجوى الرجالِ

And I counseled Amr—what an excellent adviser!

I advised Umar, and how excellent was my advice:

My dear son, the schemer in men's private counsel has appeared;

"My son, men's secret talk has shown its evil,

فَكُن عِنْدَ سِركَ خِبَّ النَّجي

فَكُن عِنْدَ سِركَ خِبَّ النَّجي

وسِرُّكَ ما كان عِنْد امْرئٍ

وسِرُّكَ ما كان عِنْد امْرئٍ

so, concerning your secret, be the shrewd one among confidants.

So match their talk with guarded speech,

And your secret remains secret while held by one man,

And let your secret be with no other man,

وسِرُّ الثلاثةِ غيرُ الخفِي

وسِرُّ الثلاثةِ غيرُ الخفِي

فَكُلًّ سوادٍ وأن هِبتَهُ

فَكُلًّ سوادٍ وأن هِبتَهُ

but a secret shared by three is not hidden.

For the secret of three is no secret.

For every dark shape, even if you dread it,

All gloom equals the night you dread.

من اللّيل يُخشى كما تَختشي

من اللّيل يُخشى كما تَختشي

أرِدْ محكمَ الشعر إنْ قُلتَه

أرِدْ محكمَ الشعر إنْ قُلتَه

is feared in the night, just as you fear.

Seek rhyming verse if you speak it out,

Seek well-wrought poetry if you compose it,

For much speech lacks cadence.

فإن الكلامَ كثيرُ الروي

فإن الكلامَ كثيرُ الروي

أرُوني السَّريَّ أرَوْكَ الغَني

أرُوني السَّريَّ أرَوْكَ الغَني

for speech abounds in rhyme.

Show me the mysteries, and I'll show you riches,

"Show me the noble man"—they will show you the wealthy one.

As silence is nearer than some speech.

كما الصَّمتُ أدنْى لِبَعْضِ اللسانِ

كما الصَّمتُ أدنْى لِبَعْضِ اللسانِ

فَبَعْضُ التكلُّم أدْنى لِعِي

فَبَعْضُ التكلُّم أدْنى لِعِي

Just as silence is better suited to some tongues,

Let the soul shun following desire,

so some speaking is closer to inarticulacy.

For the youth gets not all he craves."

دَعِ النّفْسَ اتّباعِ الهّوى

دَعِ النّفْسَ اتّباعِ الهّوى

فَما للفتى كُلُّ ما يَشتهي

فَما للفتى كُلُّ ما يَشتهي

Keep the soul from following desire,

for a young man does not have all he desires.