يفوقهمُ لأنَّ الجهلَ فيهم

يفوقهمُ لأنَّ الجهلَ فيهم

وجهلُ المرء يكفيه الملاما

وجهلُ المرء يكفيه الملاما

He surpasses them, for ignorance dwells in them;

They surpass them, for ignorance is in them,

And a man's ignorance is enough to earn him blame.

And a man's ignorance is enough to blame him.

فربَّ لئامِ قومٍ قد تسامَوْا

فربَّ لئامِ قومٍ قد تسامَوْا

بلؤمٍ عند ألأمهم كراما

بلؤمٍ عند ألأمهم كراما

For many base men of a people have risen high

So the blame of an ignoble people, they have excelled,

In baseness, noble beside the basest among them.

With vileness, in the eyes of their kind, honorable.

ومن يكُ للسوابقِ في رهانٍ

ومن يكُ للسوابقِ في رهانٍ

وراءَ يكنْ لِسِكِّيتٍ أَماما

وراءَ يكنْ لِسِكِّيتٍ أَماما

And whoever, compared with the leading horses in a race,

And whoever contends for the foremost place,

Is behind will be ahead of a last-place horse.

Behind, will be for keeping silent, ahead.