إِن كُنتَ لا تَرهَبُ ذَمّي لِما

تَعلَمُ مِن صَفحي عَنِ الجاهِلِ

If you are not appalled by my blame

Since you know my pages are free of ignorance

فَاِخشَ سُكوتي إِذ أَنا مُنصِتٌ

فيكَ لِمَسموعِ خَنا القائِلِ

Then fear my silence, as I listen

To the slander from the speaker within you

فَسامِعُ الشَرِّ شَريكٌ لَهُ

وَمُطعِمُ المَأكولِ كَالآكِلِ

For the listener of evil is its partner

And the feeder of food is like the eater

مَقالَةُ السوءِ إِلى أَهلِها

أَسرَعُ مِن مُنحَدَرٍ سائِلِ

The utterance of evil to its people

Is faster than a flowing slope

وَمَن دَعا الناسَ إِلى ذَمِّهِ

ذَمّوهُ بِالحَقِّ وَبِالباطِلِ

And whoever invites people to blame him

They blame him rightfully and wrongfully

فَلا تَهِج إِن كُنتَ ذا إِربَةٍ

حَربَ أَخي التَجرِبَةِ الغافِلِ

So do not get angry if you are prone to outbursts

Waging war on my oblivious brother of experience

فَإِنَّ ذا العَقلِ إِذا هَيَّجتَهُ

هِجتَ بِهِ ذا خَبَلٍ خابِلِ

For the rational one, if you provoke him

You provoke with him one of fading folly

تُبصِرُ بِهِ في عاجِلٍ شَدّاتِهِ

عَلَيكَ غِبَّ الضَرَرِ الآجِلِ

You see through him in the present, his severity

Upon you, the latent harm of the postponed