The most profitable of trades

إذا لم أجد ربحا فلست بخاسر	وجدت سـكوتي متجرا فلزمتــه
وتاجره يعلو على كل تاجــر	وما الصمت إلا في الرجال متاجر

I found silence something profitable so I held firmly onto it,

And even if I don’t find profit then I am not a loser.

And verily silence is for men but something profitable,

And its trader will rise above all other traders.

The poem is likening silence to a profitable transaction. It is a safe investment in that little harm can come to you when you have said nothing. It is a profitable transaction in the long term too, as eventually the one who speaks too much without thought will get bitten by something he or she said. As for the safe silent one, he will be able to gradually build up a reputation for speaking the truth and not being one who indulges in vain talk. His words will accordingly be given much greater respect.