وَ الْمَوْعِظَةُ كَهْفٌ لِمَنْ وَعَاهَا وَ مَنْ أَطْلَقَ طَرْفَهُ كَثُرَ أَسَفُهُ وَ قَدْ أَوْجَبَ الدَّهْرُ شُكْرَهُ عَلَى مَنْ نَالَ سُؤْلَهُ وَ قَلَّ مَا يُنْصِفُكَ اللِّسَانُ فِي نَشْرِ قَبِيحٍ أَوْ إِحْسَانٍ وَ مَنْ ضَاقَ خُلُقُهُ مَلَّهُ أَهْلُهُ وَ مَنْ نَالَ اسْتَطَالَ وَ قَلَّ مَا تَصْدُقُكَ الْأُمْنِيَّةُ وَ التَّوَاضُعُ يَكْسُوكَ الْمَهَابَةَ وَ فِي سَعَةِ الْأَخْلَاقِ كُنُوزُ الْأَرْزَاقِ كَمْ مِنْ عَاكِفٍ عَلَى ذَنْبِهِ فِي آخِرِ أَيَّامِ عُمُرِهِ وَ مَنْ كَسَاهُ الْحَيَاءُ ثَوْبَهُ خَفِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَيْبُهُ Counselling is like a cave for the one who listens to it, and the one who does not restrain his eyes, his regrets increase.
And the (passage of) time has made it to be more than obligatory for the one who avails it, to thank it. The tongue does very little justice in displaying the ugly and the good. The one who constricts his ethics, his family get tired of him. And the one who seeks, achieves it for a long time, and very little of what is wished is sincere.
Modesty clothes you with dignity, and in the extensiveness of the morals is a treasure for the sustenance, and how many from the people remain in their sins until the end of their days. And the one who robes himself with bashfulness as his clothing his faults are hidden from the people.
وَ انْحُ الْقَصْدَ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّ مَنْ تَحَرَّى الْقَصْدَ خَفَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمُؤَنُ وَ فِي خِلَافِ النَّفْسِ رُشْدُكَ مَنْ عَرَفَ الْأَيَّامَ لَمْ يَغْفُلْ عَنِ الِاسْتِعْدَادِ أَلَا وَ إِنَّ مَعَ كُلِّ جُرْعَةٍ شَرَقاً وَ إِنَّ فِي كُلِّ أُكْلَةٍ غُصَصاً لَا تُنَالُ نِعْمَةٌ إِلَّا بِزَوَالِ أُخْرَى وَ لِكُلِّ ذِي رَمَقٍ قُوتٌ وَ لِكُلِّ حَبَّةٍ آكِلٌ وَ أَنْتَ قُوتُ الْمَوْتِ And intend moderation in your speech, for the one who intends it will incur light expenses, and in the opposition to the ego is guidance for you.
And the one who recognises the ‘days’ (his end) will never be oblivious from the preparation. Nay! Along with every sip (of drink) is (possibility of) choking, and in every morsel is (the possibility of) suffocation. Bounties cannot be achieved except by the decline of other (bounties), and for every breath is life, and for every grain is a consumer, and you are the morsel of the death.
اعْلَمُوا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنَّهُ مَنْ مَشَى عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ فَإِنَّهُ يَصِيرُ إِلَى بَطْنِهَا وَ اللَّيْلُ وَ النَّهَارُ يَتَنَازَعَانِ [يَتَسَارَعَانِ] فِي هَدْمِ الْأَعْمَارِ And know, O you people!