وَرُبَّ كَلامٍ قَد جَرى مِن مُمازِحٍ

فَساقَ إِلَيهِ سَهمَ حَتفٍ فَعَجَّلا

Many a jesting word has led

And many a word has flowed from a jester,

To death's swift dart, and hurried all too soon;

Driving a fatal arrow towards him in haste.

فَدَع عَنكَ قُربَ المَزحِ لا تَقرُبَنَّهُ

كَفى بِامرىءٍ وَعظاً إِذا ما تَكَهَّلا

Leave jesting then, approach it not again,

So leave aside the path of joking, do not approach it,

When once the locks are grey reproof suffices.

Sufficient admonition for a man is when he grows old.