أَجَريرُ إِنَّكَ وَالَّذي تَسمو لَهُ

أَجَريرُ إِنَّكَ وَالَّذي تَسمو لَهُ

كَأَسيفَةٍ فَخَرَت بِحِدجِ حَصانِ

كَأَسيفَةٍ فَخَرَت بِحِدجِ حَصانِ

O Jarir, you—and the man whose stature you aspire to—

O Jarir, you and what you aspire to

are like a slave woman who boasted of a chaste lady’s camel-litter.

are like a bondwoman boasting of a chaste woman's litter.

حَمَلَت لِرَبَّتِها فَلَمّا عولِيَت

حَمَلَت لِرَبَّتِها فَلَمّا عولِيَت

نَسَلَت تُعارِضُها مَعَ الأَظعانِ

نَسَلَت تُعارِضُها مَعَ الأَظعانِ

She carried it for her mistress; then, when the mistress was lifted aboard,

She carried it for her mistress; when her mistress was raised aloft,

she slipped along beside her among the departing litters.

she scurried alongside her among the women in their litters.

أَتَعُدُّ مَأثُرَةً لِغَيرِكَ ذِكرُها

أَتَعُدُّ مَأثُرَةً لِغَيرِكَ ذِكرُها

وَسَناؤُها في سالِفِ الأَزمانِ

وَسَناؤُها في سالِفِ الأَزمانِ

Do you count as a glorious deed what another possesses the fame of,

Do you claim a noble achievement whose renown belongs to others,

and whose splendor belongs to ages gone?

and whose splendor was theirs in ages long past?

تاجُ المُلوكِ وَصِهرُها في دارِمٍ

تاجُ المُلوكِ وَصِهرُها في دارِمٍ

أَيّامَ يَربوعٌ مَعَ الرُعيانِ

أَيّامَ يَربوعٌ مَعَ الرُعيانِ

The crown of kings, and their kinsman by marriage, was in Darim

The kings' crown and their marriage ties belong to Darim,

back when Yarbuʿ was among the shepherds—

in the days when Yarbu‘ was among the shepherds,

مُتَلَفَّفٌ في بُردَةٍ حَبَقِيَّةٍ

مُتَلَفَّفٌ في بُردَةٍ حَبَقِيَّةٍ

بِفَناءِ بَيتِ مَذَلَّةٍ وَهَوانِ

بِفَناءِ بَيتِ مَذَلَّةٍ وَهَوانِ

wrapped in a ḥabaqī cloak

wrapped in a Habaqi cloak,

in the courtyard of a house of abasement and shame,

in the courtyard of a house of humiliation and disgrace.

يَغذو بَنيهِ بِثَلَّةٍ مَذمومَةٍ

يَغذو بَنيهِ بِثَلَّةٍ مَذمومَةٍ

وَيَكونُ أَكبَرَ هَمِّهِ رِبقانِ

وَيَكونُ أَكبَرَ هَمِّهِ رِبقانِ

feeding his sons from a paltry, discredited flock,

He feeds his sons from a despised flock,

with a pair of tethers as his greatest care.

and his greatest concern is two tethering ropes.

سَبَقوا أَباكَ بِكُلِّ مَدفَعِ تَلعَةٍ

سَبَقوا أَباكَ بِكُلِّ مَدفَعِ تَلعَةٍ

بِالمَجدِ عِندَ مَواقِفِ الرُكبانِ

بِالمَجدِ عِندَ مَواقِفِ الرُكبانِ

They outstripped your father at every outlet of the uplands,

They surpassed your father at every ravine's outlet,

in glory, wherever the riders took their stand.

in glory at the riders' stopping places.

فَإِذا رَأَيتَ مُجاشِعاً قَد أَقبَلَت

فَإِذا رَأَيتَ مُجاشِعاً قَد أَقبَلَت

فَاِهرُب إِلَيكَ مَخافَةَ الظِرّانِ

فَاِهرُب إِلَيكَ مَخافَةَ الظِرّانِ

If you see Mujāshiʿ coming forward,

So when you see Mujashi‘ approaching,

flee back to your own side, fearing the two adversaries.

flee away, for fear of the flint stones.

وَإِذا وَرَدتَ الماءَ كانَ لِدارِمٍ

وَإِذا وَرَدتَ الماءَ كانَ لِدارِمٍ

عَفَواتُهُ وَسُهولَةُ الأَعطانِ

عَفَواتُهُ وَسُهولَةُ الأَعطانِ

And when you come to the water, Darim possesses

And when you reach the water, Darim has

its choicest untouched draughts and its easy watering-grounds.

its choicest waters and easy access to the camels' watering grounds.

فَاِخسَأ كُلَيبُ إِلَيكَ إِنَّ مُجاشِعاً

فَاِخسَأ كُلَيبُ إِلَيكَ إِنَّ مُجاشِعاً

وَأَبا الفَوارِسِ نَهشَلاً أَخَوانِ

وَأَبا الفَوارِسِ نَهشَلاً أَخَوانِ

Back, Kulayb—back with you! For Mujāshiʿ

So slink back, Kulayb; indeed, Mujashi‘

and Nahshal, sire of horsemen, are brothers:

and Nahshal, father of horsemen, are brothers.

قَومٌ إِذا خَطَرَت عَلَيكَ فُحولُهُم

قَومٌ إِذا خَطَرَت عَلَيكَ فُحولُهُم

جَعَلَتكَ بَينَ كَلاكِلٍ وَجِرانِ

جَعَلَتكَ بَينَ كَلاكِلٍ وَجِرانِ

a people whose stallions, when they swagger against you,

A people whose bull camels, when they swagger against you,

would set you between mighty chests and throats.

force you between their chests and lower necks.

وَإِذا وَضَعتَ أَباكَ في ميزانِهِم

وَإِذا وَضَعتَ أَباكَ في ميزانِهِم

رَجَحوا وَشالَ أَبوكَ في الميزانِ

رَجَحوا وَشالَ أَبوكَ في الميزانِ

And when you place your father in their balance,

And if you place your father in their scales,

they weigh it down, while your father flies upward in the scales.

they weigh heavier, and your father rises in the scales.

فَلَقَد تَجارَيتُم إِلى أَحسابِكُم

فَلَقَد تَجارَيتُم إِلى أَحسابِكُم

وَبَعَثتُمُ حَكَماً مِنَ السُلطانِ

وَبَعَثتُمُ حَكَماً مِنَ السُلطانِ

You have indeed raced each other back through your lines of descent

For you have competed over your ancestral honors,

and summoned an arbiter from the ruler.

and dispatched an arbiter from the ruler.

وَقَضَيتُ بَينَكُما قَضاءً فَيصَلاً

وَقَضَيتُ بَينَكُما قَضاءً فَيصَلاً

في الناسِ مِثلَ تَبَيُّنِ الفُرقانِ

في الناسِ مِثلَ تَبَيُّنِ الفُرقانِ

I have judged between you both with a clear and final verdict,

And I gave a decisive judgment between you two,

plain among the people as the Furqān’s own clarification:

among the people, as clear as the Criterion:

فَإِذا كُلَيبٌ لا تُوازِنُ دارِماً

فَإِذا كُلَيبٌ لا تُوازِنُ دارِماً

حَتّى يُوازَنَ حَرزَمٌ بِأَبانِ

حَتّى يُوازَنَ حَرزَمٌ بِأَبانِ

Kulayb cannot balance Darim

so behold: Kulayb cannot match Darim,

unless Ḥarzam be weighed against Abān.

until Harzam can be weighed against Aban.