أَلا إِنَّ خِلّانَ الفَتى إِن عَدَدتَهُم

أَلا إِنَّ خِلّانَ الفَتى إِن عَدَدتَهُم

كَثيرٌ وَلَكِن أَينَ خِلٌّ مُوافِقُ

كَثيرٌ وَلَكِن أَينَ خِلٌّ مُوافِقُ

Indeed, a young man's friends, if you count them,

Indeed, if you count a young man's friends

are many—but where is a congenial friend?

You'll find many, but where is a sincere friend?

فَغَمِّض عَلى قُبحِ المُراءاةِ مِنهُم

فَغَمِّض عَلى قُبحِ المُراءاةِ مِنهُم

فَما مِنهُمُ إِلّا مُراءٍ مُنافِقُ

فَما مِنهُمُ إِلّا مُراءٍ مُنافِقُ

So close your eyes to the ugliness of their dissembling,

So close your eyes to the ugliness of hypocrisy among them -

for none of them is anything but a dissembling hypocrite.

For among them is none but a hypocrite and sycophant.

أَلَم تَرَني صادَقتُ كُلَّ مُداهِنٍ

أَلَم تَرَني صادَقتُ كُلَّ مُداهِنٍ

فَإِن لَم أُصادِقهُ فَمَن ذا أُصادِقُ

فَإِن لَم أُصادِقهُ فَمَن ذا أُصادِقُ

Have you not seen me befriend every flatterer?

Have you not seen me being sincere with every flatterer?

For if I do not befriend him, whom, then, shall I befriend?

For if I am not sincere with him, then with whom can I be sincere?