إِنَّ الزمانَ وما يفنى له عجبٌ

إِنَّ الزمانَ وما يفنى له عجبٌ

أبقى لنا ذنباً واستؤصلَ الراسُ

أبقى لنا ذنباً واستؤصلَ الراسُ

Indeed, time—which never perishes—has its wonders:

Time and all it destroys are wonders,

It has left us a tail, while the head has been uprooted.

It left us with sin but destroyed the head.

أبقى لنا كلَّ مجهولٍ وفزعنا

أبقى لنا كلَّ مجهولٍ وفزعنا

بالحالمينَ فهم هامٌ وارماسُ

بالحالمينَ فهم هامٌ وارماسُ

It has left us every obscure man, and filled us with dread

It left us every unknown and our panic,

over the wise—for they are skulls and graves.

With the dreamers - confused and disoriented they are.

إِنَّ الجديدينِ في طولِ اختلافهما

إِنَّ الجديدينِ في طولِ اختلافهما

لا يفسدانِ ولكن يفسدُ الناسُ

لا يفسدانِ ولكن يفسدُ الناسُ

Indeed, the ever-new pair—day and night—in their long alternation

The two newcomers, with all their differences,

do not decay, and yet people decay.

Do not corrupt, but the people themselves corrupt.

فلا يغرّنك اضغانٌ مزمَلةٌ

فلا يغرّنك اضغانٌ مزمَلةٌ

قد يُركبُ الدبرُ الدامي بأحلاسِ

قد يُركبُ الدبرُ الدامي بأحلاسِ

So let no cloaked grudges deceive you:

So do not be fooled by pretending hypocrites

A bleeding, saddle-sore beast may be ridden with saddlecloths.

Who may mount the bloody back with spurs.

لا تطمعا طمعاً يُدني إلى طبعٍ

لا تطمعا طمعاً يُدني إلى طبعٍ

إِنَّ المطامعَ فقر والغنى الياسُ

إِنَّ المطامعَ فقر والغنى الياسُ

Do not, you two, indulge in greed that leads to disgrace.

Do not aspire to any desire that leads to evil nature,

Indeed, covetous hopes are poverty, and wealth is giving up hope.

For desires are poverty, and despair is wealth.

لِلناسِ مالٌ وَلي مالانِ مالَهُما

لِلناسِ مالٌ وَلي مالانِ مالَهُما

إِذا تَحارَسَ أَهلُ المالِ أَحراسُ

إِذا تَحارَسَ أَهلُ المالِ أَحراسُ

People have wealth, and I have two kinds of wealth that have no

People have money, and I have two monies not theirs,

guards when the owners of wealth guard one another.

When the people of money are guarded by guards.

مالي الرِضا بِالَّذي أَصبَحتُ أَملِكُهُ

مالي الرِضا بِالَّذي أَصبَحتُ أَملِكُهُ

وَمالِيَ اليَأسُ مِمّا يَملِكُ الناسُ

وَمالِيَ اليَأسُ مِمّا يَملِكُ الناسُ

My wealth is contentment with what I now own,

My money is contentment with what I have come to own,

and my wealth is giving up hope of what people own.

And my money is despair from what people own.