وَمِن شَرِّ أَخلاقِ الرِجالِ نَميمَةٌ

وَمِن شَرِّ أَخلاقِ الرِجالِ نَميمَةٌ

مَتى ما تَبِع يَوماً بِها العِرضَ يَنفقِ

مَتى ما تَبِع يَوماً بِها العِرضَ يَنفقِ

And among men's worst traits is talebearing:

Among the evil traits of men there is tale-bearing;

whenever you sell honor through it, it finds a ready market.

Whenever a man follows it, his honor is destroyed.

وَإِنَّ اِمرِءاً لا يَتَّقي سُخطَ قَومِهِ

وَإِنَّ اِمرِءاً لا يَتَّقي سُخطَ قَومِهِ

وَلا يَحفَظُ القُربى لغَير مُوَفَّقِ

وَلا يَحفَظُ القُربى لغَير مُوَفَّقِ

And a man who does not guard against his people's wrath

And truly a man does not avoid the wrath of his people,

and does not honor the bonds of kinship is surely not rightly guided.

Nor keep ties with his kin if he is not well-guided.

أَبَيتُ الَّذي يِأَتي الدَنِيَّ شَبيبَتي

أَبَيتُ الَّذي يِأَتي الدَنِيَّ شَبيبَتي

إِلى أَن عَلا وَخَطٌ مِنَ الشَيبِ مَفرِقي

إِلى أَن عَلا وَخَطٌ مِنَ الشَيبِ مَفرِقي

Throughout my youth I refused what the base man does,

I refused the one who did base acts in his reckless youth,

until flecks of gray appeared upon the parting of my hair.

Until age advanced and streaks of white split his hair.

فَلَستُ وَإِن كُنتُ اِغتَرَبتُ بَقائِلٍ

فَلَستُ وَإِن كُنتُ اِغتَرَبتُ بَقائِلٍ

طَفانينَ قَولٍ في مَكانٍ مُخَنَّقِ

طَفانينَ قَولٍ في مَكانٍ مُخَنَّقِ

So, though I have gone away from home, I am not one to utter

So I am not, though I went forth with a small bucket,

all manner of talk in a cramped place.

A narrow-mouthed waterskin in a choked-up place.