صاحِبْهُمُ بترفّقٍ ما أصحَبُوا

صاحِبْهُمُ بترفّقٍ ما أصحَبُوا

وتَجافَ عن تَعنِيفهم إن اذنَبوا

وتَجافَ عن تَعنِيفهم إن اذنَبوا

Keep their company with tactful restraint, so long as they keep yours;

Keep their company gently as long as they are amenable.

And refrain from harshly rebuking them when they do wrong.

And refrain from rebuking them if they do wrong.

وِدَع العِتابَ إذا بدت لك زَلَّةٌ

وِدَع العِتابَ إذا بدت لك زَلَّةٌ

إنّ الهوى مُتَجرِّمٌ لا يُعتِبُ

إنّ الهوى مُتَجرِّمٌ لا يُعتِبُ

Set reproach aside whenever a lapse comes to your notice:

And abandon reproach when a lapse becomes apparent to you.

For passion is a culprit that never makes amends.

For love invents faults and makes no amends.

واحمِل لهُم جَورَ المَلالِ وحَملُه

واحمِل لهُم جَورَ المَلالِ وحَملُه

صَعبٌ ولكنّ القطيعةَ أصعبُ

صَعبٌ ولكنّ القطيعةَ أصعبُ

For their sake, bear the cruelty of their growing weary; bearing it

And bear for their sake the injustice of boredom; bearing it

Is hard—but severance is harder.

Is hard, but estrangement is harder.