1. أَمّا الجِيادُ فَكُلُّ الناسِ يَحفَظُها

    وَفي المَعيشَةِ أَشياءٌ مَناكيرُ

    As for fine verses, everyone knows them by heart.

    And in earning a living there are strange things.

  2. وَكُلُّ قِسمٍ فَلِلعُقبانِ أَكثَرُهُ

    وَالحَظُّ شَيءٌ عَلَيهِ الدَهرُ مَقصورُ

    And of every share, the eagles have the greater part.

    And fortune is a thing to which time is bound.