فِدىًa ransom لِبَنيfor the sons of ذُهلِDhuhl اِبنِson of شَيبانَShayban ناقَتيmy she-camel
فِدىً لِبَني ذُهلِ اِبنِ شَيبانَ ناقَتي
وَراكِبُهاand her rider يَومَon the day of اللِقاءِbattle وَقَلَّتِand it is a small offering
وَراكِبُها يَومَ اللِقاءِ وَقَلَّتِ
My she-camel be a ransom for the sons of Dhuhl ibn Shayban,
May my she-camel be a ransom for the sons of Dhuhl ibn Shayban,
and her rider too, on the day of battle—small though the ransom be.
and her rider on the day of battle—little though the offering is.
هُمُthey ضَرَبواstruck بِالحِنوِat al-Hinw حِنوِHinw of قُراقِرٍQuraqir
هُمُ ضَرَبوا بِالحِنوِ حِنوِ قُراقِرٍ
مُقَدِّمَةَthe vanguard of الهامَرزِal-Hamarz حَتّىuntil تَوَلَّتِit turned away
مُقَدِّمَةَ الهامَرزِ حَتّى تَوَلَّتِ
They were the ones who struck, at al-Hinu—Hinu Quraqir—
They struck at al-Hinw, Hinw Quraqir,
the vanguard of al-Hamarz, until it turned and fled.
al-Hamarz's vanguard, until it turned and fled.
فَلِلَّهِso, to God عَيناthe two eyes of مَنwhoever رَأىsaw مِنany عِصابَةٍa band
فَلِلَّهِ عَينا مَن رَأى مِن عِصابَةٍ
أَشَدَّharder عَلىon أَيديthe hands of السُقاةِthe cupbearers مِنَthan الَّتيthe one that
أَشَدَّ عَلى أَيدي السُقاةِ مِنَ الَّتي
God bless the eyes of whoever saw a band
God bless the eyes of whoever has seen a band
more formidable to the cupbearers’ hands than that one,
harder on the cupbearers' hands than the one
أَتَتهُمcame to them مِنَfrom البَطحاءِal-Batha يَبرُقُgleams بَيضُهاits helmets
أَتَتهُم مِنَ البَطحاءِ يَبرُقُ بَيضُها
وَقَدand already رُفِعَتwere raised راياتُهاits banners فَاِستَقَلَّتِthen rose aloft
وَقَد رُفِعَت راياتُها فَاِستَقَلَّتِ
which came upon them from al-Batha, its white helmets flashing,
that came upon them from al-Batha, its helmets flashing,
its standards already raised, then swept forward.
and its banners, already raised, soared aloft.
فَثارواthen they sprang up وَثُرناand we sprang up وَالمَنِيَّةُand death بَينَناbetween us
فَثاروا وَثُرنا وَالمَنِيَّةُ بَينَنا
وَهاجَتand raged عَلَيناover us غَمرَةٌan engulfing tumult فَتَجَلَّتِthen cleared
وَهاجَت عَلَينا غَمرَةٌ فَتَجَلَّتِ
They wheeled, and we wheeled, with death between us;
Then they sprang up, and we sprang up, with death between us;
the battle’s engulfing tumult surged over us, then cleared.
and an engulfing tumult raged over us, then cleared.
وَقَدand already شَمَّرَتraged fiercely بِالناسِamong men شَمطاءُa gray-haired one لاقِحٌpregnant
وَقَد شَمَّرَت بِالناسِ شَمطاءُ لاقِحٌ
عَوانٌoft-renewed (war) شَديدٌharsh هَمزُهاher goading فَأَضَلَّتِso she led astray
عَوانٌ شَديدٌ هَمزُها فَأَضَلَّتِ
War, grey-haired and pregnant, had bared its arms against the people,
And war, gray-haired and pregnant, had raged among men—
full-grown and fierce; its goading led men astray.
oft-renewed, harsh in her goading—and so led them astray.
كَفَواthey sufficed إِذwhen أَتىcame الهامَرزُal-Hamarz تَخفِقُfluttering فَوقَهُabove him
كَفَوا إِذ أَتى الهامَرزُ تَخفِقُ فَوقَهُ
كَظِلِّlike the shadow of العُقابِthe eagle إِذwhen هَوَتit swooped down فَتَدَلَّتِthen hung low
كَظِلِّ العُقابِ إِذ هَوَت فَتَدَلَّتِ
They checked al-Hamarz when he came, a standard fluttering above him
They met the threat when al-Hamarz came, his banner fluttering above him,
like an eagle’s shadow when it stoops and hangs low.
like an eagle's shadow when it swooped down and hung low.
وَأَحمَواand they protected حِمىthe sanctuary of ماwhat يَمنَعونَthey defend فَأَصبَحَتso there came to be
وَأَحمَوا حِمى ما يَمنَعونَ فَأَصبَحَت
لَناfor us ظُعُنٌwomen in howdahs كانَتhad been وُقوفاًstanding still فَحَلَّتِthen alighted
لَنا ظُعُنٌ كانَت وُقوفاً فَحَلَّتِ
They held inviolate the sanctuary they were defending; and by morning
And they guarded the sanctuary of what they defend, and so
women in traveling litters who had stood halted were ours, and then alighted.
our women in howdahs, once standing still, came to rest.
أَذاقوهُمُthey made them taste كَأساًa cup مِنَof المَوتِdeath مُرَّةًbitter
أَذاقوهُمُ كَأساً مِنَ المَوتِ مُرَّةً
وَقَدand already بَذَخَتgrew haughty فُرسانُهُمtheir horsemen وَأَذَلَّتِand humbled others
وَقَد بَذَخَت فُرسانُهُم وَأَذَلَّتِ
They made them taste a bitter cup of death;
They made them taste a bitter cup of death,
their horsemen had towered proudly, and it brought them low.
and their horsemen had grown haughty and humbled others.
سَوابِغُهُمtheir full-length coats of mail بيضٌwhite خِفافٌlight وَفَوقَهُمand above them
سَوابِغُهُم بيضٌ خِفافٌ وَفَوقَهُم
مِنَof البيضِthe helmets أَمثالُthe likes of النُجومِthe stars اِستَقَلَّتِrose aloft
مِنَ البيضِ أَمثالُ النُجومِ اِستَقَلَّتِ
Their ample coats of mail were white and light, and above them
Their full-length coats of mail were white and light, and above them
white helmets rose like stars.
helmets like stars rose aloft.
وَلَمand did not يَبقَremain إِلّاexcept ذاتُone with رَيعٍa long hem مُفاضَةٌample (mail)
وَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا ذاتُ رَيعٍ مُفاضَةٌ
وَأَسهَلَand took to the plain مِنهُمof them عُصبَةٌa band فَأَطَلَّتِthen came into view
وَأَسهَلَ مِنهُم عُصبَةٌ فَأَطَلَّتِ
None remained but a tall figure sheathed in flowing mail,
And nothing remained but ample, long-skirted mail;
while a band of them came down to level ground and appeared.
and a band of them took to the plain, then came into view.
فَصَبَّحَهُمthen attacked them at dawn بِالحِنوِat al-Hinw حِنوِHinw of قُراقِرٍQuraqir
فَصَبَّحَهُم بِالحِنوِ حِنوِ قُراقِرٍ
وَذيand at Dhi قارِهاits Qar مِنهاfrom it الجُنودُthe armies فَفُلَّتِthen were routed
وَذي قارِها مِنها الجُنودُ فَفُلَّتِ
At dawn he fell upon them at al-Hinu—Hinu Quraqir—
At al-Hinw, Hinw Quraqir, they were attacked at dawn,
and at its Dhu Qar; through it the armies were shattered.
and at its Dhi Qar, by armies from there, which were routed.
عَلىupon كُلِّevery مَحبوكِfirmly knit السَراةِin the back كَأَنَّهُas though it were
عَلى كُلِّ مَحبوكِ السَراةِ كَأَنَّهُ
عُقابٌan eagle هَوَتswooped down مِنfrom مَرقَبٍa lookout إِذwhen تَعَلَّتِit rose high
عُقابٌ هَوَت مِن مَرقَبٍ إِذ تَعَلَّتِ
on every steed with a tightly knit back, as though it were
Upon every firm-backed steed, as though it were
an eagle swooping from a lookout after soaring high.
an eagle swooping from a lookout after rising high.
فَجادَتthen poured abundantly عَلىupon الهامَرزِal-Hamarz وَسطَamid بُيوتِهِمtheir dwellings
فَجادَت عَلى الهامَرزِ وَسطَ بُيوتِهِم
شَآبيبُshowers of مَوتٍdeath أَسبَلَتstreamed down وَاِستَهَلَّتِand poured forth
شَآبيبُ مَوتٍ أَسبَلَت وَاِستَهَلَّتِ
Then upon al-Hamarz, amid their tents, there poured
Then upon al-Hamarz, amid their dwellings, poured
torrents of death, streaming down and bursting forth.
showers of death, streaming down and pouring forth.
تَناهَتhalted بَنوthe sons of الأَحرارِfree men إِذwhen صَبَرَتstood firm لَهُمagainst them
تَناهَت بَنو الأَحرارِ إِذ صَبَرَت لَهُم
فَوارِسُhorsemen مِنfrom شَيبانَShayban غُلبٌthick-necked فَوَلَّتِso they turned away
فَوارِسُ مِن شَيبانَ غُلبٌ فَوَلَّتِ
The Sons of the Free were checked when there stood firm against them
The sons of free men halted when there stood firm against them
mighty, thick-necked horsemen of Shayban; then they fled.
thick-necked horsemen from Shayban—and the sons turned and fled.
وَأَفلَتَهُمand escaped them قَيسٌQays فَقُلتُso I said لَعَلَّهُperhaps he
وَأَفلَتَهُم قَيسٌ فَقُلتُ لَعَلَّهُ
يَبِلُّwill recover لَئِنif indeed كانَتhad بِهِbeneath him النَعلُthe sandal زَلَّتِslipped
يَبِلُّ لَئِن كانَت بِهِ النَعلُ زَلَّتِ
Qays escaped them, and I said, “Perhaps he will
And Qays escaped them; I said, 'Perhaps he
recover, even if the sandal beneath him slipped.”
will recover, if his sandal has indeed slipped beneath him.'
فَماso, not بَرِحواthey ceased حَتّىuntil اِستُحِثَّتwere urged to hurry نِساؤُهُمtheir women
فَما بَرِحوا حَتّى اِستُحِثَّت نِساؤُهُم
وَأَجرَواand they let fly عَلَيهاat them بِالسِهامِwith arrows فَذَلَّتِso they were humbled
وَأَجرَوا عَلَيها بِالسِهامِ فَذَلَّتِ
They did not let up until their women urged them on,
So they did not desist until their women were driven on,
and they drove against it with arrows until it yielded.
and they let arrows fly at them, so they were humbled.
لَعَمرُكَby your life ماnothing شَفَّwore down الفَتىthe young man مِثلُlike هَمِّهِhis worry
لَعَمرُكَ ما شَفَّ الفَتى مِثلُ هَمِّهِ
إِذاwhen حاجَةٌa need بَينَwithin الحَيازيمِthe breast جَلَّتِgrew great
إِذا حاجَةٌ بَينَ الحَيازيمِ جَلَّتِ
By your life, nothing wears a young man down like his own concern
By your life, nothing wears down a young man like his own worry,
when a pressing need grows grave within his breast.
when a need looms large within his breast.
Sol 6.1