لو نسبْناكَ في بني عبدِ شمسِ

لو نسبْناكَ في بني عبدِ شمسِ

ورفعناكَ في ذؤابةِ قيسِ

ورفعناكَ في ذؤابةِ قيسِ

Were we to trace your lineage to the sons of ʿAbd Shams,

If we ascribed you among the clan of Abd Shams

and raise you to the very crest of Qays,

And raised you among the banner of Ka'b bin Zuhair

لأبَى أصلُك المؤصّلُ إلا

لأبَى أصلُك المؤصّلُ إلا

أن يُعلّي عليكَ رايةَ لَيْسِ

أن يُعلّي عليكَ رايةَ لَيْسِ

your firmly rooted stock would insist on nothing but

Your noble origin would refuse

raising over you the banner of “Not”:

Except to raise over you the banner of no clan

نفسُ مستنبحٍ ونسبةُ بغلٍ

نفسُ مستنبحٍ ونسبةُ بغلٍ

ومحيّا فرْدٍ ولحيةُ تَيْسِ

ومحيّا فرْدٍ ولحيةُ تَيْسِ

the soul of one who rouses dogs to bark, and a mule’s pedigree,

A soul that yearns for praise and a lineage of mules

and a solitary one’s face, and a billy goat’s beard.

And the face of a lone wolf and the beard of a billy-goat