فَلا تُكثِرَنَّ القَولَ في غَيرِ وَقتِهِ

فَلا تُكثِرَنَّ القَولَ في غَيرِ وَقتِهِ

وَأَدمِن عَلى الصَمتِ المُزيِّنِ لِلعَقلِ

وَأَدمِن عَلى الصَمتِ المُزيِّنِ لِلعَقلِ

So do not speak too much at the wrong time,

Do not speak too much at the wrong time,

So do not speak excessively when the time is ill-suited,

And keep to silence, which adorns the intellect.

And accustom yourself to graceful silence, which adorns the mind.

And persist in the silence that adorns the intellect.

يَموتُ الفَتى مِن عَثرَةٍ بِلسانِهِ

يَموتُ الفَتى مِن عَثرَةٍ بِلسانِهِ

وَلَيسَ يَموتُ المَرءُ مِن عَثرَةِ الرِّجلِ

وَلَيسَ يَموتُ المَرءُ مِن عَثرَةِ الرِّجلِ

A young man dies from a slip of his tongue,

A young man dies from a slip of his tongue,

For a youth may die from a slip of his tongue,

But a man does not die from a stumble of the foot.

But no man dies from a slip of the foot.

Yet a man does not perish from a stumble of the foot.

فَعثرَتُهُ مَن فيهِ تَرمي بِرَأسِهِ

فَعثرَتُهُ مَن فيهِ تَرمي بِرَأسِهِ

وَعَثرَتهِ بِالرِّجلِ تَبَرا عَل مَهلِ

وَعَثرَتهِ بِالرِّجلِ تَبَرا عَل مَهلِ

For a slip from his mouth sends his head flying,

For the slip of the tongue throws him down headlong,

The stumble from his mouth casts down his head,

While a stumble of his foot heals slowly.

While the slip of the foot rights itself at leisure.

While the stumble of the foot heals over time.

وَلا تَكُ مِبثاثاً لِقَولِكَ مُفشياً

وَلا تَكُ مِبثاثاً لِقَولِكَ مُفشياً

فَتَستَجلِبِ البَغضاءَ مِن زَلَّةَ النَعلِ

فَتَستَجلِبِ البَغضاءَ مِن زَلَّةَ النَعلِ

And do not broadcast your words, divulging them,

Do not spread gossip with your unrestrained talk,

Do not be one who broadcasts words and divulges secrets,

Lest you draw hatred from a slip of the sandal.

And bring hatred upon yourself by a slip of the sandal.

Lest you attract hatred through the slipping of a sandal.