ما لم تكن ذا ثروة موفورةٍ

ما لم تكن ذا ثروة موفورةٍ

Unless you possess abundant wealth,

Unless you are extremely wealthy,

Beware of striving too hard for posterity,

إياك والسعي الجهيد إلى الخلف

إياك والسعي الجهيد إلى الخلف

beware of striving strenuously for offspring.

If a man with money restrains his children,

Wishing to hasten their inheritance through their demise,

ذو المال إن يمسك على أبنائه

ذو المال إن يمسك على أبنائه

If a man of wealth withholds from his children,

And if he gives in to their whims and desires,

He will find the river of wealth run dry from what it hemorrhaged,

ودوا له للإرث تعجيل التلف

ودوا له للإرث تعجيل التلف

they wish him a swift death for the inheritance.

Yet in any case, life ends

In barren extravagance and decadence,

وإذا أطاع هواهمو ومتاعه

وإذا أطاع هواهمو ومتاعه

And if he indulges their whims and his own pleasures,

As for the poor man, he may live off his son,

And if he is generous, he will have come upon a treasure,

سيحس نهر المال جف بما نزف

سيحس نهر المال جف بما نزف

he will feel the river of wealth has dried up from what was drained.

So if you raise a son to old age,

You have walked without love into senility,

لكنه في أي حال تنقضي

لكنه في أي حال تنقضي

Yet, in any case, what draws to a close

By God, duty, or progeny

That will provide for and bury your son,

منه الحياة على نفافي الترف

منه الحياة على نفافي الترف

is his life amid the remnants of luxury.

I wonder at those who grieve because

They left behind no offspring to become

أما الفقيرُ فقد يعيش على ابنه

أما الفقيرُ فقد يعيش على ابنه

As for the poor man, he may live off his son—

A tribe that, in their minds, remembers them,

Do not let it trouble you to be childless,

كلا فإن يكرم فقد وجد الصدف

كلا فإن يكرم فقد وجد الصدف

No! If he is treated generously, it is by chance.

Thinking their existence would remind you,

Perhaps the memory of the childless man has vanished

فإذا ادخرت ابنا إلى شيخوخة

فإذا ادخرت ابنا إلى شيخوخة

So if you save up a son for old age,

With an article he wrote and the ink of his pen,

My grandfather passed away, I feel no heartache

فلقد مشيت بلا حب نحو الخرف

فلقد مشيت بلا حب نحو الخرف

you have indeed walked without love toward senility.

At his loss, as he left nothing for me to look upon,

None mourn the deceased but their peers,

للَه رب أو الوجوب أو التي

للَه رب أو الوجوب أو التي

Rear a child for God, or for duty, or for her who

So their mourner remains, grieving his destiny,

When a generation and tribe are gone, none

ستجيء لابنك بالنتاج وبالقرف

ستجيء لابنك بالنتاج وبالقرف

will come to your son with offspring and disgust.

Tell of them, nor is there anyone to tell of,

How many brilliant men died, leaving behind

عجبي لقوم يحزنون لأنهم

عجبي لقوم يحزنون لأنهم

I marvel at people who grieve because

Renowned wisdom among us, though none made them famous,

If we relay it, it is quoted from some of them,

ما أعقبوا نسلاً ليصبح جمهره

ما أعقبوا نسلاً ليصبح جمهره

they have produced no offspring to become a multitude.

And these some have departed, with no value,

So leave behind a deed - if the world does not remember you

لا يشغلنك أن تكون مخلفاً

لا يشغلنك أن تكون مخلفاً

Do not be preoccupied with leaving behind

It will be recorded on a parchment that concealed you.

خلفا تظن وجودهم بك تذكره

خلفا تظن وجودهم بك تذكره

offspring whose existence you suppose will be a reminder of you.

فلربما ذكر العقيم قد انقضى

فلربما ذكر العقيم قد انقضى

For a childless person may be remembered after passing away,

بمقالة كتبت وعلم حبره

بمقالة كتبت وعلم حبره

through a written essay and knowledge he penned.

جدى توفى لا أحس بحرقة

جدى توفى لا أحس بحرقة

My grandfather died; I feel no burning grief

لوفاته إذ ما أقام لأنظره

لوفاته إذ ما أقام لأنظره

over his death, since he did not live on for me to see him.

لا يندب الموتى سوى خلطائهم

لا يندب الموتى سوى خلطائهم

None lament the dead except their companions;

فيظل نادبهم يؤبن سمره

فيظل نادبهم يؤبن سمره

so their mourner keeps eulogizing his evening companions.

فإذا انقضى الجيل العشير فلا روى

فإذا انقضى الجيل العشير فلا روى

And when the generation of close companions has passed, no one recounts

أحد له خبرا ولا من خبره

أحد له خبرا ولا من خبره

any news of him, nor does anyone who knew him.

كم ألمعي مات خلف حكمة

كم ألمعي مات خلف حكمة

How many a brilliant man has died, leaving a wise saying

مشهورة فينا ولا من شهره

مشهورة فينا ولا من شهره

famous among us, though no one has made him known.

فلئن رويناها نقل عن بعضهم

فلئن رويناها نقل عن بعضهم

For if we recount it, it is transmitted from 'one of them,'

والبعض هذا راح ما من قدره

والبعض هذا راح ما من قدره

and this 'one' is gone, with no one to esteem him.

خلف إذاً عملاً إذا لم تذكر الدنيا

خلف إذاً عملاً إذا لم تذكر الدنيا

Leave a deed behind, then; if the world does not remember it,

سيذكر في سجل رح تره

سيذكر في سجل رح تره

it will be remembered in a record—go, and you will see it.