Humankind - Magtymguly Pyragy

Whether asleep or awake, he will always keep in his mind,
Whatever work is chosen by humankind,
The grief of being poor won’t make you depressed,
If a man becomes a beggar wishing to have a wife.
He who is not afraid to commit a sin will be in disgrace,
It will become known on Judgment Day,
If a human being agrees with his destiny,
He is the sultan, the king within his worldly estate.
The deeds of the lucky man will be seen beforehand,
If the entire world fits in one hand, it will appear to be strange.
All the deeds done in one’s youth will seem strange,
For a human becomes smarter after forty.
Everyone who did not understand the meaning of a word,
He who cannot find any remedy to the illness he has got,
On Judgment Day will regret all the demands he had made,
If a human being is happy with what God grants him.
Think of the paths of the world and its state;
Do not take for granted the state of the world,
Magtymguly, one will love his work,
If a human being can become younger after forty.

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Magtymguly Pyragy (1724 - 1783) Turkmenistan
Translated by Paul Michael Taylor
Source: Smithsonian Asian Cultural History Program