1. My mother berates me for men I do not see,
Except the generous brother through his generosity.
١. يُعيِّرُني أمِّي رِجالٌ لا أَرى
أَخا كَرَمٍ إلِاّ بِأَن يَتَكَرَّما
2. And he who had an honorable reputation but did not protect it,
His lineage cannot avail him, so he is despised and contemptible.
٢. وَمَن كانَ ذا عِرضٍ كَريمٍ فَلم يَصُن
لَهُ حَسَباً كانَ اللَئيمَ المُذَمَّما
3. O Harith! If our blood was spilled
It would flow until no blood touched blood.
٣. أَحارِثُ إِنّا لَو تُشاطُ دِماؤُنا
تَزَيَّلنَ حَتّى لا يَمَسَّ دَمٌ دَما
4. Do you think me transferred from the clan of Buhtah?
Nay! I am of them wherever I may be.
٤. أَمُنتَقِلاً مِن آلِ بُهثَةَ خِلتَني
أَلا إِنَّني مِنهُم وَإِن كُنتُ أَينَما
5. Nay! I am of them and my honor is their honor,
As a nose guards its nose lest it be flattened.
٥. أَلا إنَّني مِنهُم وَعِرضِيَ عِرضَهُمُ
كَذي الأَنفِ يَحمي أَنفَهُ أَن يُكَشَّما
6. And my lineage, if you ask, and my clan
Are living people who own the embroidered.
٦. وَإِنَّ نِصابي إِن سَألتَ وَأُسرَتي
مِنَ الناسِ حَيٌّ يَقتَنونَ المُزَنَّما
7. And we used to, when the tyrant scowled,
Set straight for him his crookedness.
٧. وَكُنّا إِذا الجَبّارُ صَعَّرَ خَدَّهُ
أَقَمنا لَهُ مِن مَيلِهِ فَتَقَوَّما
8. If one day Rabee’ah disagreed, they would find for us
A just arbitrator and a heavily armed army.
٨. إِذا اِختَلَفَت يَوماً رَبيعَةُ صادَفَت
لَنا حَكَماً عَدلاً وَجَيشاً عَرَمرَما
9. For the forbearing, before this day, the stick was not struck
Nor was man taught but to learn.
٩. لِذي الحِلمِ قَبلَ اليَومِ ما تُقرَعُ العَصا
وَما عُلِّمَ الإِنسانُ إِلا لِيَعلَما
10. And if others than my uncles had wanted my blemish,
I would have made for them, above the hills, a cleft.
١٠. وَلو غَيرُ أَخوالي أَرادوا نَقيصَتي
جَعَلتُ لَهُم فَوقَ العَرانينِ ميسَما
11. Is there for me a mother other than she, if I leave her?
God has decreed that I must be her son.
١١. وَهَل لِيَ أُمٌّ غَيرُها إِن تَرَكتُها
أَبَى اللَهُ إِلاّ أَن أَكونَ لَها اِبنَما
12. I was but like the cutter of his hand
With a hand that he has cut off and so became mutilated.
١٢. وَما كُنتُ إِلا مِثلَ قاطِعِ كَفِّهِ
بِكَفٍّ لَهُ أُخرى فَأَصبَحَ أَجذَما
13. When the hand was healed by the hand, he found
No means for them to be distinguished, so he hesitated.
١٣. فَلَمّا اِستَقادَ الكَفَّ بِالكَفِّ لَم يَجِد
لَهُ دَرَكاً في أَن تَبِينا فَأَحجَما
14. This hand reached the doom of that hand
So the other did not find cause to advance over it.
١٤. يَداهُ أَصابَت هَذِهِ حَتفَ هذهِ
فَلَم تَجِدِ الأُخرى عَلَيها مُقَدَّما
15. He bowed with the resignation of the valiant, but if
The valiant saw an outlet for his tusks, he would be resolute.
١٥. فَأَطرَقَ إِطراقَ الشُجاعِ وَلو يَرَى
مَساغاً لِنابَيهِ الشُجاعُ لَصَمَّما
16. I had hoped to be a protector for their posterity,
But I was not dragged into speaking.
١٦. وَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو أَن أَكونَ لِعَقبِهِم
زَنيماً فَما أُجرِرتُ أَن أَتَكَلَّما
17. To bequeath after me a tradition to be imitated
And to deter those of suspect intention from fancying.
١٧. لِأُورِثَ بَعدي سُنَّةً يُقتَدَى بِها
وَأَجلوَ عَن ذي شُبهَةٍ أَن تَوَهَّما
18. I see protection from aiding Buhtah,
And it drives me away from the clan of Zayd, so miserable!
١٨. أَرى عُصَماً مِن نَصرِ بُهثَةَ دانِياً
وَيَدفَعُني عَن آلِ زَيدٍ فَبِئسَما
19. When the rope of the two dear ones continues to coil,
A day must come when the stronger will be severed.
١٩. إِذا لَم يَزَل حَبلُ القَرينَينِ يَلتَوي
فَلا بُدَّ يَوماً مِن قُوىً أَن تُجَذَّما
20. When the leather of a people dons the vesture of decrepitude,
It separates, even if you patch it, and becomes cracked.
٢٠. إِذا ما أَديمُ القَومِ أنَهَجَهُ البِلَى
تَفَرَّى وَإِن كَتَّبتَهُ وَتَخَرَّما