هَنيءَHanīʾ أَجيبيanswer دَعوَةًa summons إِنif سَمِعتِهاyou hear it
هَنيءَ أَجيبي دَعوَةً إِن سَمِعتِها
وَلاand do not تُكثِريoverdo أَمناًa sense of safety هَنيءَHanīʾ وَلاnor ذُعراterror
وَلا تُكثِري أَمناً هَنيءَ وَلا ذُعرا
Hanīʾ, answer a summons if you hear it.
Answer my call, my love, should you hear it,
And do not feel too safe, Hanīʾ, nor too terrified.
Don't be constantly happy or in dread.
وَكونواand be كَأَنَّas though الذُعرَthe terror لَمnot تَشعُرواyou felt بِهِit
وَكونوا كَأَنَّ الذُعرَ لَم تَشعُروا بِهِ
إِذاwhen لَقِيَتmet بَكرٌBakr عَلىin حَنَقٍwrath بَكراBakr
إِذا لَقِيَت بَكرٌ عَلى حَنَقٍ بَكرا
And act as though you had not felt the terror,
Be as if you never felt dread,
When Bakr meets Bakr in wrath.
Whenever an angry virgin meets a virgin.
وَكونواand be عَلىin مَخشِيَّةٍfear مِنof رِماحِناour spears
وَكونوا عَلى مَخشِيَّةٍ مِن رِماحِنا
بَنيsons of عَبدِʿAbd بَكرٍBakr فَاِنظُرواso look نَظَراًa glance شَزراhostilely askance
بَني عَبدِ بَكرٍ فَاِنظُروا نَظَراً شَزرا
And live in fear of our spears,
Yet keep in awe of our spears,
Sons of ʿAbd Bakr; cast a hostile, sidelong glance
O sons of Abd Bakr, and gaze intently.
لِقَومٍat a people أَلَظّوكُمpersistently harried you بِبُؤسىwith misery كَأَنَّكُمas though you were
لِقَومٍ أَلَظّوكُم بِبُؤسى كَأَنَّكُم
نَشاوىdrunk وَلَمand not تُسقَواyou were given to drink طِلاءًboiled grape must وَلاnor خَمراwine
نَشاوى وَلَم تُسقَوا طِلاءً وَلا خَمرا
At a people who harried you with misery, as though you were
At a people who have treated you harshly, as though
Drunk, though you were given neither boiled grape must nor wine.
You were thirsty, given no milk or wine.
وَلاand do not تَزعُمواyou claim بِالوَعرِthrough rugged terrain أَنthat قَدalready مَنَعتُمyou secured protection
وَلا تَزعُموا بِالوَعرِ أَن قَد مَنَعتُم
وَلَمand not تَمنَعواyou protected بِالوَعرِthrough rugged terrain بَطناًa belly وَلاnor ظَهراa back
وَلَم تَمنَعوا بِالوَعرِ بَطناً وَلا ظَهرا
And do not claim that you have secured protection through rugged terrain;
Do not allege it was the rugged land protected you,
You have protected neither belly nor back through rugged terrain.
When the rugged land protected neither belly nor back.
فَماfor not أَنتُمُyou بِالمانِعينَdefenders وَأَنتُمُwhile you
فَما أَنتُمُ بِالمانِعينَ وَأَنتُمُ
تُؤَدّونَهاyou pay it مِنfrom كُلِّevery فائِجَةٍbroad mountain gap قَسراunder compulsion
تُؤَدّونَها مِن كُلِّ فائِجَةٍ قَسرا
For you are no defenders, while you
You cannot prevent it, yet you
Pay it from every broad pass under compulsion.
Are still made to pay it, willy nilly.
شَدَدناwe charged عَلَيكُمupon you شَدَّةًa fierce charge فَكَأَنَّماso it was as though
شَدَدنا عَلَيكُم شَدَّةً فَكَأَنَّما
طَرَدناwe chased بِوَدمٍat Wadm وَالنَخابِقَةِand al-Nakhābiqah الحُمراthe red ones
طَرَدنا بِوَدمٍ وَالنَخابِقَةِ الحُمرا
We charged upon you so fiercely, it was as though
We have pressed you hard, as though
We were chasing the red ones at Wadm and al-Nakhābiqah.
We hunted oryx and gray rabbits with hounds.
وَماand not رِمتُمُyou departed البَطحاءَal-Baṭḥāʾ, the gravelly plain حَتّىuntil رَدَدتُمُyou returned
وَما رِمتُمُ البَطحاءَ حَتّى رَدَدتُمُ
هِجانَwhite, purebred camels اِبنِson of حَربٍḤarb وَالشَآمِيَّةَand the Syrian ones الصُفراyellow
هِجانَ اِبنِ حَربٍ وَالشَآمِيَّةَ الصُفرا
And you did not leave al-Baṭḥāʾ until you returned
Nor did you shoot arrows into the plain, saving when
Ibn Ḥarb’s white camels and the yellow Syrian ones.
You repulsed the attack of Ibn Harb and the yellow Syrian woman.
وَبِالمَرءِand about the man أُفنونٍUfnūn فَسائِلso inquire وَرَهطِهِand his clan
وَبِالمَرءِ أُفنونٍ فَسائِل وَرَهطِهِ
فَماfor not ضَرَّhe harmed فيin الهَيجاbattle أَباناًAbān وَلاnor كِسراKisrā
فَما ضَرَّ في الهَيجا أَباناً وَلا كِسرا
And ask about the man Ufnūn and his clan:
By a man of diverse skills, both inquirer and his friends,
For in battle he harmed neither Abān nor Kisrā.
No harm was done them in battle, nor any shame.
وَسَلand ask حَنَشاًḤanash عَنabout حَربِناour war وَاِبنَand the son of مالِكٍMālik
وَسَل حَنَشاً عَن حَربِنا وَاِبنَ مالِكٍ
وَجَدُّكَand by your fortune لَمnot يُرجِعhe brought back سَواماًgrazing livestock وَلاnor وَفراabundant wealth
وَجَدُّكَ لَم يُرجِع سَواماً وَلا وَفرا
And ask Ḥanash about our war, and Ibn Mālik too.
Ask [our enemies] Hanash and Ibn Malik
And, by your fortune, he brought back neither grazing livestock nor riches.
About our war, and your grandfather did not return fleers or cavalry.
نَفَيناهُwe banished him فيinto أَرضِthe land of العَدُوِّthe enemy فَأَصبَحَتand so became
نَفَيناهُ في أَرضِ العَدُوِّ فَأَصبَحَت
وُجوهُthe faces of صُفَيٍّṢufayy مِنfrom عَداوَتِناour enmity صُفراyellow
وُجوهُ صُفَيٍّ مِن عَداوَتِنا صُفرا
We banished him into the enemy’s land, and so
We drove him off into enemy land, till the faces
Ṣufayy’s faces turned yellow from our enmity.
Of [his clan] Sufyan turned sallow because of us.
فَلَوso if كانَhad been حَبلُthe rope of اِبنَيthe two sons of طَريفٍṬarīf مُعَلَّقاًhung
فَلَو كانَ حَبلُ اِبنَي طَريفٍ مُعَلَّقاً
بِأَحقيto the waists of كِرامٍnoble men أَحدَثواthey would have brought about فيهِماconcerning those two أَمراsome action
بِأَحقي كِرامٍ أَحدَثوا فيهِما أَمرا
For had the rope of Ṭarīf’s two sons been hung
Had the rope of the sons of Tarif been hanging
From noble men’s waists, they would have dealt with those two.
On my most honorable kinsmen, they would have stirred up trouble against them.
لَقَدindeed كانَwere جاراهُمtheir two protégés قَتيلاًslain وَخائِفاًand afraid
لَقَد كانَ جاراهُم قَتيلاً وَخائِفاً
أَصَمَّdeaf فَقَدfor indeed زادواthey added مَسامِعَهُto his ears وَقراheaviness of hearing
أَصَمَّ فَقَد زادوا مَسامِعَهُ وَقرا
Indeed, their two protégés were one slain, the other afraid—
Verily their neighbor was a slain man and a fearful one
Deaf—for they had added yet more heaviness to his ears.
Deaf — they increased his deafness and repelled him.
Sol 6.1