اتقِ الأحمق أَن تصحبه

اتقِ الأحمق أَن تصحبه

إِنَّما الأَحمق كالثوب الخلق

إِنَّما الأَحمق كالثوب الخلق

Beware the fool; do not take him for a companion.

Beware of keeping a fool's company.

The fool is nothing but a threadbare garment:

A fool is just like a worn-out garment:

كُلما رقعت منه جانباً

كُلما رقعت منه جانباً

حرّكته الريح وهناً فانخرق

حرّكته الريح وهناً فانخرق

whenever you patch one part of it,

Whenever you patch one side of it,

the wind stirs it ever so lightly, and it tears.

The wind shakes it in its frailty, and it tears.

أَو كصدع في زجاج فاحش

أَو كصدع في زجاج فاحش

هَل ترى صدع زجاج متفق

هَل ترى صدع زجاج متفق

Or like an ugly, gaping crack in glass—

Or like a gaping crack in glass—

have you ever seen a crack in glass knit itself closed?

Do you ever see a crack in glass joined together?

وَإِذا جالسته في مجلسٍ

وَإِذا جالسته في مجلسٍ

أَفسد المجلس منه بالخرق

أَفسد المجلس منه بالخرق

And when you sit with him in a gathering,

And when you sit with him in a gathering,

he spoils the gathering with his boorish folly.

He spoils the gathering with his foolishness.

وإِذا نهنهته كي يرعوي

وإِذا نهنهته كي يرعوي

زاد جهلا وَتَمادى في الحمق

زاد جهلا وَتَمادى في الحمق

And if you rebuke him, hoping he will come to his senses,

And when you restrain him so that he may desist,

he only grows more ignorant and persists in folly.

He grows more ignorant and persists in folly.

واذا الفاحش لاقى فاحشاً

واذا الفاحش لاقى فاحشاً

فهناكم وافق الشن الطبق

فهناكم وافق الشن الطبق

And when one foul-mouthed man meets another,

And when one foul-mouthed man meets another,

there the old waterskin finds its fitting cover.

There, then, the old waterskin meets its matching cover.

إِنَّما الفحش ومن يعتاده

إِنَّما الفحش ومن يعتاده

كَغُراب السوء ما شاء نعق

كَغُراب السوء ما شاء نعق

Foul speech, and whoever makes a habit of it,

Indeed, obscenity and whoever makes a habit of it

are like an ill-omened crow: whenever it pleases, it caws.

Are like an ill-omened crow, cawing whenever it pleases.

أَو حمار السوء إِن أَشبعته

أَو حمار السوء إِن أَشبعته

رمح الناس وان جاع نهق

رمح الناس وان جاع نهق

Or a vicious donkey: if you feed it its fill,

Or a vicious donkey: if you feed it its fill,

it kicks people; and if it goes hungry, it brays.

It kicks people; and if it goes hungry, it brays.

وَغلام السوء إِن جوَّعته

وَغلام السوء إِن جوَّعته

سرق الجار وان يشبع فسق

سرق الجار وان يشبع فسق

And a wicked servant-boy: if you starve him,

And a wicked boy: if you starve him,

he steals from the neighbor; and if sated, he turns wanton.

He robs his neighbor; and if well fed, he becomes dissolute.

أَو كغيري رفعت من ذيلها

أَو كغيري رفعت من ذيلها

ثم أَرخته ضراطاً فانمزق

ثم أَرخته ضراطاً فانمزق

Or like someone—not me—who lifted some of her hem,

Or like a jealous woman who lifted part of her hem,

then let it down with a fart—and it tore.

Then let it down, farting, and it tore apart.

أَيُّها السائل عما قد مَضى

أَيُّها السائل عما قد مَضى

هَل جديد مثل ملبوس خلق

هَل جديد مثل ملبوس خلق

O questioner asking about what has passed,

O you who ask about what has already passed,

can anything new be like a threadbare garment?

Is something new like a worn, threadbare garment?

أَنا مسكين لمن انكرني

أَنا مسكين لمن انكرني

ولمن يعرفني جد نطق

ولمن يعرفني جد نطق

I am Miskīn to anyone who fails to recognize me;

I am Miskin—a poor fellow—to those who do not know me,

and whoever knows me has spoken in earnest.

And to those who know me, earnest and eloquent.

لا أَبيع الناس عرضي إِنَّني

لا أَبيع الناس عرضي إِنَّني

لَو أَبيع الناس عرضي لنفق

لَو أَبيع الناس عرضي لنفق

I do not sell people my honor—although, in truth,

I do not sell my honor to people; indeed,

were I to sell people my honor, it would readily sell.

Were I to sell my honor to people, it would find buyers.