وَرُبَّ كَلامٍ قَد جَرى مِن مُمازِحٍ

وَرُبَّ كَلامٍ قَد جَرى مِن مُمازِحٍ

فَساقَ إِلَيهِ سَهمَ حَتفٍ فَعَجَّلا

فَساقَ إِلَيهِ سَهمَ حَتفٍ فَعَجَّلا

And many a word has issued from a man in jest,

Many a jesting word has led

And many a word has flowed from a jester,

Then brought upon him an arrow of death and hastened his end.

To death's swift dart, and hurried all too soon;

Driving a fatal arrow towards him in haste.

فَدَع عَنكَ قُربَ المَزحِ لا تَقرُبَنَّهُ

فَدَع عَنكَ قُربَ المَزحِ لا تَقرُبَنَّهُ

كَفى بِامرىءٍ وَعظاً إِذا ما تَكَهَّلا

كَفى بِامرىءٍ وَعظاً إِذا ما تَكَهَّلا

So keep away from jesting; never approach it.

Leave jesting then, approach it not again,

So leave aside the path of joking, do not approach it,

For a man, reaching middle age is admonition enough.

When once the locks are grey reproof suffices.

Sufficient admonition for a man is when he grows old.