أَنتَ العَدُوُّ لِأَمرٍ أَنتَ جاهِلُهُ

أَنتَ العَدُوُّ لِأَمرٍ أَنتَ جاهِلُهُ

فَلِم يَقالُ صَديقُ المَرءِ عاذِلُهُ

فَلِم يَقالُ صَديقُ المَرءِ عاذِلُهُ

You are the enemy of a matter you do not understand.

You are the enemy of something you are ignorant of

Why, then, is it said that a man's friend is his reproacher?

So why is it said the friend of a man rebukes him?

هَذا وَعَذلُكَ مُحييهِ وَمُخرِجُهُ

هَذا وَعَذلُكَ مُحييهِ وَمُخرِجُهُ

مِنَ الثَرى فَحبيبُ الصَبِّ قاتِلُهُ

مِنَ الثَرى فَحبيبُ الصَبِّ قاتِلُهُ

This, while your reproach revives him and brings him forth

This, while your rebuke brings him to life and delivers him

from the dust—for the lovesick one's beloved is his killer.

From the earth, so the friend of youth slays him

قُل ما تَشاءُ وَقَولٌ أَنتَ قائِلُهُ

قُل ما تَشاءُ وَقَولٌ أَنتَ قائِلُهُ

ما فيهِ ما صَدَّ عَمّا المَرءُ فاعِلُهُ

ما فيهِ ما صَدَّ عَمّا المَرءُ فاعِلُهُ

Say what you wish; any utterance you make

Say what you will, you are the speaker of the words

contains nothing that deters a man from what he will do.

In them is not what deters from what a man does

فخَمِّرِ الرَأيَ وَاِستَوضِح أَواخِرَهُ

فخَمِّرِ الرَأيَ وَاِستَوضِح أَواخِرَهُ

فَالرَأيُ غَرّارَةٌ مِنهُ أَوائِلُهُ

فَالرَأيُ غَرّارَةٌ مِنهُ أَوائِلُهُ

So let your judgment mature, and discern its outcomes,

So guard your reason and clarify its ends

for the beginnings of judgment are deceptive.

For reason is deceptive, its beginnings from its ends