من قال في الناس قالوا فيه ما فيه

من قال في الناس قالوا فيه ما فيه

وحسبه ذاك من خزي ويكفيه

وحسبه ذاك من خزي ويكفيه

Whoever speaks of people, they will say of him whatever is in him;

Whoever speaks ill of others, they speak of the faults in him.

that is disgrace enough for him, and it suffices him.

And that is disgrace enough for him, and suffices him.

من نم في الناس لم تؤمن عقاربه

من نم في الناس لم تؤمن عقاربه

عن الصديق ولم تؤمن أفاعيه

عن الصديق ولم تؤمن أفاعيه

Whoever carries gossip among people—you cannot trust his scorpions

Whoever spreads gossip among people—his scorpions cannot be trusted,

to spare a friend, nor can you trust his vipers.

Even with a friend, nor can his vipers be trusted.

كالسيل يجري ولا يدري به أحدٌ

كالسيل يجري ولا يدري به أحدٌ

من أين ولا من أين يأتيه

من أين ولا من أين يأتيه

Like a torrent it flows, and no one knows

It flows like a torrent, and no one knows

where it comes from, nor whence it comes upon him.

From where it flows, or from where it comes to him.

لو فر من رزقه عبدٌ إلى جبلٍ

لو فر من رزقه عبدٌ إلى جبلٍ

دون السماءِ لألفى رزقهُ فيه

دون السماءِ لألفى رزقهُ فيه

Were a servant to flee his allotted sustenance to a mountain

If a servant fled from his sustenance to a mountain

beneath the sky, he would find his sustenance there.

Beneath the sky, he would find his sustenance there.