لَهانَ عَلى فِتيانِ بَكرِ اِبنِ وائِلِ

لَهانَ عَلى فِتيانِ بَكرِ اِبنِ وائِلِ

وَتَغلِبَ إِصعادٌ بِذاتِ الجَحافِلِ

وَتَغلِبَ إِصعادٌ بِذاتِ الجَحافِلِ

For the young men of Bakr ibn Wa'il, it would surely have been easy,

The youths of Bakr ibn Wa'il were humiliated

and for Taghlib, to go uphill with the thick-lipped beast.

And the hosts of Is'ad were victorious

سَما لِمَراعيها تُوَيلٌ بِفِتيَةٍ

سَما لِمَراعيها تُوَيلٌ بِفِتيَةٍ

فَأَلوى بِها عَن بَيتِ أَعزَلَ تافِلِ

فَأَلوى بِها عَن بَيتِ أَعزَلَ تافِلِ

Tuwayl rose toward her pastures with a band of young men,

Guarding their pastures were valiant youth

and took her away from an unarmed, foul-smelling man's home,

Who made them forget the house of one secluded in his tent

كَأَن لَم تُبَرَّك بِالقُنَينِيِّ مَرَّةً

كَأَن لَم تُبَرَّك بِالقُنَينِيِّ مَرَّةً

وَلَم يُرتَكَب مِنها لِرَمكاءَ حافِلِ

وَلَم يُرتَكَب مِنها لِرَمكاءَ حافِلِ

as though she had never once been made to kneel with al-Qunayni,

As if the valley had never been blessed by al-Qunaini

nor had any outrage been committed through her against a dun-colored, milk-laden female,

Nor had it been traversed by a large caravan

شَديدَةِ أَنَّ الآخَرينَ كَأَنَّها

شَديدَةِ أَنَّ الآخَرينَ كَأَنَّها

إِذا اِبتَدَّها العِلجانِ زُجلَةُ قافِلِ

إِذا اِبتَدَّها العِلجانِ زُجلَةُ قافِلِ

whose two hind teats groaned loudly—as though she were,

So fierce that others were as if

when the two burly men took her from either side, a homebound traveler's waterskin.

When the camels bellow they are a leaving caravan

فَلَو كُنتُمُ مِنّا أَخَذنا بِأَخذِكُم

فَلَو كُنتُمُ مِنّا أَخَذنا بِأَخذِكُم

وَلَكِنَّما الأَوحادُ أَسفَلُ سافِلِ

وَلَكِنَّما الأَوحادُ أَسفَلُ سافِلِ

Had you belonged to us, we would have followed your way;

If you had been of us, we would have done as you did

but those who stand alone are the lowest of the low.

But the isolated ones are the lowest of the low