1. A hot-headed man implored me to protect his honor among the people
So I said to him, "I respond to you whenever you call upon me"
١. دَعاني اِمرُؤٌ أَحمى عَلى الناسِ عِرضَهُ
فَقُلتُ لَهُ لَبَّيكَ لَمّا دَعانِيا
2. The lands of Iraq rose against him yet in all of ancient history
They found no succession among themselves but calamity
٢. هَجَتهُ يَرابيعُ العِراقِ وَلَم يَجِد
لَها في قَديمِ الدَهرِ إِلّا التَوالِيا
3. So if you desire, O son of a dog, to gain Darim
Ceaselessly trying throughout time but never attaining your wishes
٣. فَإِن تَسعَ يا اِبنَ الكَلبِ تَطلُبُ دارِماً
لِتُدرِكَهُ لا تَفتَأِ الدَهرَ عانِيا
4. Do you seek to fight one whose house God has built
As mighty while God did not make you a builder
٤. أَتَطلُبُ عادِياً بَنى اللَهُ بَيتَهُ
عَزيزاً وَلَم يَجعَل لَكَ اللَهُ بانِيا
5. You struggled in your youth but could not overpower them
Now when time has become fleeting will you prevail?
٥. سَعَيتَ شَبابَ الدَهرِ لَم تَستَطِعهُمُ
أَفَالآنَ لَمّا أَصبَحَ الدَهرُ فانِيا
6. Away from the family of Darim, O son of a dog’s womb
For you will never scale those heights
٦. أَصِخ يا اِبنَ ثَفرِ الكَلبِ عَن آلِ دارِمٍ
فَإِنَّكَ لَن تَسطيعَ تِلكَ الرَوابِيا
7. Even if you marched with your tribe the whole night
You will not greet the morn among the respected of any people
٧. وَإِنَّكَ لَو أَسرَيتَ لَيلَكَ كُلَّهُ
بِقَومِكَ لَم تُصبِح مِنَ القَومِ دانِيا
8. With false hopes you charged to gain Darim
Led astray by the delusions granted you
٨. نَخَستَ بِيَربوعٍ لِتُدرِكَ دارِماً
ضَلالاً لِمَن مَنّاكَ تِلكَ الأَمانِيا
9. Do you insult a people who ennobled you through Darim?
Without them you would be slaves in servitude melded together
٩. أَتَشتِمُ قَوماً أَثَّلوكَ بِدارِمٍ
وَلَولاهُمُ كُنتُم كَعُكلٍ مُوالِيا
10. Slaves, camel-drivers, and donkey-leaders joined together
When the people draw near to water, you are driven
١٠. مَوالِيَ حَدّاجي الرَوايا وَساسَةَ ال
حَميرِ وَتَبّاعينَ تِلكَ التَوالِيا
11. Away from the water until the pond lies empty
We have never met a warrior in battle
١١. إِذا اِحتَضَرَ الناسُ المِياهَ نُفيتُمُ
عَنِ الماءِ حَتّى يُصبِحَ الحَوضُ خالِيا
12. Who clashed with us and slipped away unscathed
Our enemies are not protected from us by caution
١٢. أَجَحّافُ ما مِن كاشِحٍ ذاقَ حَربَنا
فَيُفلِتَ إِلّا اِزدادَ عَنّا تَناهِيا
13. Rather they meet devastation and annihilation from us
On the day Bani Samaa clashed, our steeds charged
١٣. وَما تَمنَعُ الأَعداءَ مِنّا هَوادَةٌ
وَلَكِنَّهُم يَلقَونَ مِنّا الدَواهِيا
14. Into the blood of Bani Thakwan pure and freely flowing
Our warfare left them as carrion for the kites in Hawazin
١٤. وَيَومَ بَني الصَمعاءَ خاضَت جِيادُنا
دِماءَ بَني ذَكوانَ رَنقاً وَصافِيا
15. And they do not take truth but instead find only falsehood
We killed Ghaniyy protected by slaves but we gained
١٥. فَقَد تَرَكَتهُم في هَوازِنَ حَربُنا
وَما يَأخُذونَ الحَقَّ إِلّا تَلافِيا
16. No remedy for burning fever by killing a rich man
And it was but reluctance to fight a warrior
١٦. قَتَلنا غَنِيّاً بِالمَوالي فَلَم نَجِد
بِقَتلِ غَنِيٍّ لِلحَرارَةِ شافِيا
17. Else their slaughter would have sated the hungry jackals
You shielded Bani Abs from their eyes but when
١٧. وَنَصراً وَلَولا رَغبَةٌ عَن مُحارِبٍ
لَأَشبَعَ قَتلاها الضِباعَ العَوافِيا
18. A whiff of my scolding hits you it will not miss
You blamed me for outstripping you before
١٨. وَغُضّوا بَني عَبسٍ لَها مِن عُيونِكُم
وَلَمّا تُصِبكُم نَفحَةٌ مِن هِجائِيا
19. Then I flashed my bridle from it second to none
The day at Samaa was but a pretext
١٩. فَقَد كِلتُموني بِالسَوابِقِ قَبلَها
فَبَرَّزتُ مِنها ثانِياً مِن عَنانِيا
20. For those who would molest and rape slave girls
Bani Samaa insulted me but the excuse lies beyond them
٢٠. وَما كانَتِ الصَمعاءُ إِلّا تَعِلَّةً
لِمَن كانَ يَعتَسُّ الإِماءَ الزَوانِيا
21. One who insults me will find no joy
٢١. هَجاني بَنو الصَمعاءِ وَالبيدُ دونَها
وَما كانَ يَلقى غِبطَةً مَن هَجانِيا