لَعَمري لَئِن أَمسى مِنَ الحَيِّ شاخِصا

لَعَمري لَئِن أَمسى مِنَ الحَيِّ شاخِصا

لَقَد نالَ خَيصاً مِن عُفَيرَةَ خائِصا

لَقَد نالَ خَيصاً مِن عُفَيرَةَ خائِصا

By my life, if by evening he has departed from the tribe,

By my life! If he survives from the living tribe

he has surely obtained a scant, paltry share from 'Ufayra.

He has certainly gained something special from a special woman

إِذا جُرِّدَت يَوماً حَسِبتَ خَميصَةً

إِذا جُرِّدَت يَوماً حَسِبتَ خَميصَةً

عَلَيها وَجِريالاً يُضيءُ دُلامِصا

عَلَيها وَجِريالاً يُضيءُ دُلامِصا

When she is stripped one day, you would imagine a dark cloak

If she is stripped naked one day, you would think

upon her, and a glossy, radiant crimson sheen.

Her chemise and cloak illuminate with shining stars

تَقَمَّرَها شَيخٌ عِشاءً فَأَصبَحَت

تَقَمَّرَها شَيخٌ عِشاءً فَأَصبَحَت

قُضاعِيَةً تَأتي الكَواهِنَ ناشِصا

قُضاعِيَةً تَأتي الكَواهِنَ ناشِصا

An old man took her by moonlight one evening; by morning she was

An old man enjoyed her intimately at night, so she became

a woman of Quda'a, fleeing to the soothsayers.

A Kudha'i woman, coming to soothsayers as a sign

فَأَقصَدَها سَهمي وَقَد كانَ قَبلَها

فَأَقصَدَها سَهمي وَقَد كانَ قَبلَها

لِأَمثالِها مِن نِسوَةِ الحَيِّ قارِصا

لِأَمثالِها مِن نِسوَةِ الحَيِّ قارِصا

So my arrow struck her dead; before her it had already been

So I targeted her with my arrows, and before her

stinging others like her among the women of the tribe.

I used to target the likes of her among the women of the living tribe

أَتاني وَعيدُ الحوصِ مِن آلِ جَعفَرٍ

أَتاني وَعيدُ الحوصِ مِن آلِ جَعفَرٍ

فَيا عَبدَ عَمرٍ لَو نَهيتَ الأَحاوِصا

فَيا عَبدَ عَمرٍ لَو نَهيتَ الأَحاوِصا

A threat reached me from al-Hus, of the house of Ja'far;

The threat of Al-Huwais came to me from the family of Ja'far

so, O 'Abd 'Amr, if only you would restrain al-Ahawis!

So O slave of ‘Amr, if only you would forbid those who threaten harm

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَبَكرَ بنَ وائِلٍ

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَبَكرَ بنَ وائِلٍ

مَتى كُنتُ فَقعاً نابِتاً بِقَصائِصا

مَتى كُنتُ فَقعاً نابِتاً بِقَصائِصا

So I said, unable to hold myself back: O Bakr ibn Wa'il,

So I said, while I did not refrain from insulting Bakr ibn Wail:

when was I a truffle growing among truffle-bearing plants?

When was I ever a sprouting weed among withered trees?

وَقَد مَلَأَت بَكرٌ وَمَن لَفَّ لَفَّها

وَقَد مَلَأَت بَكرٌ وَمَن لَفَّ لَفَّها

نُباكاً فَأَحواضَ الرَجا فَالنَواعِصا

نُباكاً فَأَحواضَ الرَجا فَالنَواعِصا

And Bakr and all who rallied to her have filled

Bakr and those who sought her have filled her

Nubak, then the pools of al-Raja, then al-Nawa'is.

With weeping, so the cisterns and courtyards overflow with tears

أَعَلقَمُ قَد حَكَّمتَني فَوَجَدتَني

أَعَلقَمُ قَد حَكَّمتَني فَوَجَدتَني

بِكُم عالِماً عَلى الحُكومَةِ غائِصا

بِكُم عالِماً عَلى الحُكومَةِ غائِصا

O 'Alqam, you made me arbiter, and found me

O ‘Alqamah, you have judged me so you found me

knowing you well, delving deeply into arbitration.

Knowledgeable regarding governance, though deficient

كِلا أَبَوَيكُم كانَ فَرعاً دِعامَةً

كِلا أَبَوَيكُم كانَ فَرعاً دِعامَةً

وَلَكِنَّهُم زادوا وَأَصبَحتَ ناقِصا

وَلَكِنَّهُم زادوا وَأَصبَحتَ ناقِصا

Each of your two fathers was a lofty branch, a pillar;

No, both your fathers were branches supporting a tree

yet they grew greater, while you became lesser.

But they increased while you became diminished

هُمُ الطَرَفُ الناكو العَدُوِّ وَأَنتُم

هُمُ الطَرَفُ الناكو العَدُوِّ وَأَنتُم

بِقُصوى ثِلاثٍ تَأكُلونَ الوَقائِصا

بِقُصوى ثِلاثٍ تَأكُلونَ الوَقائِصا

They are the foremost men who wound the foe, whereas you

They are well-fed enemies while you

at the far end of Thilath eat beasts that died with broken necks.

Eat crumbs of dried dates and leftovers

تَبيتونَ في المَشتى مِلاءً بُطونُكُم

تَبيتونَ في المَشتى مِلاءً بُطونُكُم

وَجاراتُكُم جَوعى يَبِتنَ خَمائِصا

وَجاراتُكُم جَوعى يَبِتنَ خَمائِصا

You pass the winter nights with your bellies full,

You sleep satiated while your neighbors

while your women neighbors pass their nights hungry and hollow-bellied.

Go hungry, spending the night famished

يُراقِبنَ مِن جوعٍ خِلالَ مَخافَةٍ

يُراقِبنَ مِن جوعٍ خِلالَ مَخافَةٍ

نُجومَ السَماءِ العاتِماتِ الغَوامِصا

نُجومَ السَماءِ العاتِماتِ الغَوامِصا

From hunger, amid fear, they watch

Out of hunger's desperation, they observe

the late-appearing, faint stars of heaven.

The dark, clustered stars of the gloomy sky

أَتوعِدُني أَن جاشَ بَحرُ اِبنِ عَمِّكُم

أَتوعِدُني أَن جاشَ بَحرُ اِبنِ عَمِّكُم

وَبَحرُكَ ساجٍ لا يُواري الدَعامِصا

وَبَحرُكَ ساجٍ لا يُواري الدَعامِصا

Do you threaten me because your cousin's sea has surged,

Do you threaten me that the sea of your cousin's son will surge

while your sea lies still and cannot hide the tadpoles?

While your sea is calm, not stirring the pillars?

فَلَو كُنتُمُ نَخلاً لَكُنتُم جُرامَةً

فَلَو كُنتُمُ نَخلاً لَكُنتُم جُرامَةً

وَلَو كُنتُمُ نَبلاً لَكُنتُم مَعاقِصا

وَلَو كُنتُمُ نَبلاً لَكُنتُم مَعاقِصا

So if you were date palms, you would be the harvest's leavings;

If you were date palms, you would be pollinated female trees

and if you were arrows, you would be crooked shafts.

If you were arrows, you would be blunted

رَمى بِكَ في أُخراهُمُ تَركُكَ العُلى

رَمى بِكَ في أُخراهُمُ تَركُكَ العُلى

وَفَضَّلَ أَقواماً عَلَيكَ مَراهِصا

وَفَضَّلَ أَقواماً عَلَيكَ مَراهِصا

Your abandoning lofty deeds cast you to their rear,

He discarded you among the lowest of them and

and set other peoples above you, tier upon tier.

Preferred other tribes over you, though defective

فَغَضَّ جَديدَ الأَرضِ إِن كُنتَ ساخِطاً

فَغَضَّ جَديدَ الأَرضِ إِن كُنتَ ساخِطاً

بِفيكَ وَأَحجارَ الكُلابِ الرَواهِصا

بِفيكَ وَأَحجارَ الكُلابِ الرَواهِصا

So bite the earth's surface, if you are angry,

So restrain your burning anger if you are discontent

with your mouth—and al-Kulab's foot-bruising stones.

And the rocks pelted by rabid dogs

فَإِن تَتَّعِدني أَتَعِدكَ بِمِثلِها

فَإِن تَتَّعِدني أَتَعِدكَ بِمِثلِها

وَسَوفَ أَزيدُ الباقِياتِ القَوارِصا

وَسَوفَ أَزيدُ الباقِياتِ القَوارِصا

If you threaten me, I shall threaten you in kind,

If you threaten me, I will reciprocate alike

and I shall add enduring, biting verses:

And I will increase the remaining severe rhymes

قَوافِيَ أَمثالاً يُوَسِّعنَ جِلدَهُ

قَوافِيَ أَمثالاً يُوَسِّعنَ جِلدَهُ

كَما زِدتَ في عَرضِ القَميصِ الدَخارِصا

كَما زِدتَ في عَرضِ القَميصِ الدَخارِصا

proverbial rhymes that stretch his skin,

Rhymes into proverbs that will expand his skin

as you added gussets to the width of a shirt.

As you have expanded the width of your too-large shirt

وَقَد كانَ شَيخانا إِذا ما تَلاقَيا

وَقَد كانَ شَيخانا إِذا ما تَلاقَيا

عَدُوَّينِ شَتّى يَرمِيانِ الفَرائِصا

عَدُوَّينِ شَتّى يَرمِيانِ الفَرائِصا

And our two elders, whenever they met, were

Our two elders, when they met as enemies

foes at odds, shooting at each other's flanks.

Would pelt one another with virtuosic compositions

وَما خِلتُ أَبقى بَينَنا مِن مَوَدَّةٍ

وَما خِلتُ أَبقى بَينَنا مِن مَوَدَّةٍ

عِراضُ المَذاكي المُسنِفاتِ القَلائِصا

عِراضُ المَذاكي المُسنِفاتِ القَلائِصا

And I never thought any affection between us had been preserved

No affection remains between us

by broad-bodied, mature steeds that outstrip young she-camels.

The camel litters of protracted hostilities are torn

فَهَل أَنتُمُ إِلّا عَبيداً وَإِنَّما

فَهَل أَنتُمُ إِلّا عَبيداً وَإِنَّما

تُعَدّونَ خوصاً في الصَديقِ لَوامِصا

تُعَدّونَ خوصاً في الصَديقِ لَوامِصا

Are you anything but slaves? You are only

Are you anything but slaves, though you are counted

reckoned as sunken-eyed men, backbiting your friends.

Among the sincere friends, slyly wriggling away?

تَخامُصُكُم عَن حَقِّكُم غَيرُ طائِلٍ

تَخامُصُكُم عَن حَقِّكُم غَيرُ طائِلٍ

عَلى ساعَةٍ ما خِلتُ فيها تَخامُصا

عَلى ساعَةٍ ما خِلتُ فيها تَخامُصا

Your shrinking back from your due is useless

Your evasion from your rights is futile

at an hour when I imagined no shrinking back.

I have not evaded at all for a moment

فَإِن يَلقَ قَومي قَومَهُ تَرَ بَينَهُم

فَإِن يَلقَ قَومي قَومَهُ تَرَ بَينَهُم

قِتالاً وَأَكسارَ القَنا وَمَداعِصا

قِتالاً وَأَكسارَ القَنا وَمَداعِصا

For if my people meet his people, you will see between them

If my people meet your people, you will see

battle, shattered lance-shafts, and thrusting spears.

Fighting between them, broken spears and bloodshed

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ العَرضَ أَصبَحَ بَطنُها

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ العَرضَ أَصبَحَ بَطنُها

نَخيلاً وَزَرعاً نابِتاً وَفَصافِصا

نَخيلاً وَزَرعاً نابِتاً وَفَصافِصا

Have you not seen that al-'Ard's valley-floor has become

Do you not see that the pleased land

date palms, sprouting crops, and alfalfa,

Has become palms and crops, sprouting and growing

وَذا شُرُفاتٍ يُقصِرُ الطَيرُ دونَهُ

وَذا شُرُفاتٍ يُقصِرُ الطَيرُ دونَهُ

تَرى لِلحَمامِ الوُرقِ فيهِ قَرامِصا

تَرى لِلحَمامِ الوُرقِ فيهِ قَرامِصا

and a battlemented building that birds cannot reach?

With lofty stalks, beneath which birds cannot reach?

You see nesting hollows there for grey pigeons.

You see doves nestled among the leaves