عَوِّد لِسانَكَ قَولَ الخَيرِ تَنجُ بِهِ

عَوِّد لِسانَكَ قَولَ الخَيرِ تَنجُ بِهِ

مِن زَلَّةِ اللَفظِ بَل مِن زَلَّةِ القَدَمِ

مِن زَلَّةِ اللَفظِ بَل مِن زَلَّةِ القَدَمِ

Accustom your tongue to saying what is good, and you will thereby be saved

Train your tongue to say kind words, through them

from a slip of speech—nay, from a slip of the foot.

You will be saved from the slip of the tongue, or even the slip of the foot.

وَاِحرِز كَلامَكَ مِن خِلٍّ تُنادِمُهُ

وَاِحرِز كَلامَكَ مِن خِلٍّ تُنادِمُهُ

إِنَّ النَديمَ لَمُشتَقٌّ مِنَ النَدَمِ

إِنَّ النَديمَ لَمُشتَقٌّ مِنَ النَدَمِ

And guard your words from a close friend with whom you drink;

And guard your speech from any flaw you may regret,

indeed, “drinking companion” (nadīm) is surely derived from “regret” (nadam).

For the confidant is derived from regret.