أَخٌ وَحَريمٌ سَيِّئٌ إِن قَطَعتَهُ

أَخٌ وَحَريمٌ سَيِّئٌ إِن قَطَعتَهُ

فَقَطعُ سُعودٍ هَدمُها لَكَ هادِمُ

فَقَطعُ سُعودٍ هَدمُها لَكَ هادِمُ

A brother and a sacred bond—evil if you sever it;

A brother and kin who has turned evil, if you sever ties with him

For cutting off good fortune—its destruction is your undoing.

Then the destruction of bonds is for you a demolisher

وَقَفتَ عَلى ثِنتَينِ إِحداهُما دَمٌ

وَقَفتَ عَلى ثِنتَينِ إِحداهُما دَمٌ

وَأُخرى بِها مِنّا تُحَزُّ الغَلاصِمُ

وَأُخرى بِها مِنّا تُحَزُّ الغَلاصِمُ

You stand before two choices: one is blood,

You have stood at a fork, one path is blood

And in the other, our throats are slit.

The other, through which we restrain the mighty

فَما أَنتَ إِلّا بَينَ هاتَينِ غائِصٌ

فَما أَنتَ إِلّا بَينَ هاتَينِ غائِصٌ

وَكِلتاهُما بَحرٌ وَذو الغَيِّ نادِمُ

وَكِلتاهُما بَحرٌ وَذو الغَيِّ نادِمُ

So you are but a diver between these two,

You are naught but between these two, lost

And both are seas; whoever strays regrets it.

Both are an ocean, and he who erred will regret

فَمَنقَصَةٌ في هَذِهِ وَمَذَلَّةٌ

فَمَنقَصَةٌ في هَذِهِ وَمَذَلَّةٌ

وَشَرٌّ شِمِرٌّ بَينَكُم مُتَفاقِمُ

وَشَرٌّ شِمِرٌّ بَينَكُم مُتَفاقِمُ

So in this lie dishonor and humiliation,

So loss in this, and humiliation

And fierce evil between you, growing ever worse.

And evil, festering among you, growing rife

وَكُلُّ حِميمٍ أَو أَخٍ ذي قَرابَةٍ

وَكُلُّ حِميمٍ أَو أَخٍ ذي قَرابَةٍ

لَكَ اليَومَ حَتّى آخِرِ الدَهرِ لائِمُ

لَكَ اليَومَ حَتّى آخِرِ الدَهرِ لائِمُ

And every close friend or brother bound by kinship

And each dear friend or brother by blood

Reproaches you today, until the end of time.

Will blame you today until the end of time

فَأَخِّر فَإِنَّ الشَرَّ يَحسُنُ آخِراً

فَأَخِّر فَإِنَّ الشَرَّ يَحسُنُ آخِراً

وَقَدِّم فَإِنَّ الحُرَّ لِلغَيظِ كاظِمُ

وَقَدِّم فَإِنَّ الحُرَّ لِلغَيظِ كاظِمُ

So put it off, for evil is best left till last;

So wait, for evil is seemly late

And put [good] first, for a noble man restrains his anger.

And rush, for the noble can tame their rage