ديارُ الحيِّ تَضرِبُها الطِّلالُ

ديارُ الحيِّ تَضرِبُها الطِّلالُ

من الخافي بها أَهلٌ ومالُ

من الخافي بها أَهلٌ ومالُ

The clan’s abandoned dwellings, lashed by gentle rains—

Fine rains beat upon the tribe's dwellings,

their people and possessions among all that has vanished.

At al-Khafi, where there are people and livestock.

وأجذَمَ ذَبُّها عَوداً وبَدءاً

وأجذَمَ ذَبُّها عَوداً وبَدءاً

بدَفَّيهِ تَعَبقَرَتِ السِّخالُ

بدَفَّيهِ تَعَبقَرَتِ السِّخالُ

I cross their campsite, going and returning;

And its wild bull sped, time and again;

along its two sides, the young creatures have grown strong.

At his flanks, the calves flourished.

بها الفُدُرُ الرِّيادُ وكلُّ هِقل

بها الفُدُرُ الرِّيادُ وكلُّ هِقل

كبيتِ الرُّفقَةِ احترقوا فقالوا

كبيتِ الرُّفقَةِ احترقوا فقالوا

Full-grown wild beasts graze there, and every towering ostrich.

There roam mature ibex and every male ostrich,

Like travelers whose camp caught fire, they cried:

Like the tent of travelers who were scorched and said:

أما ومُعَلِّمِ التوراةِ موسى

أما ومُعَلِّمِ التوراةِ موسى

ومَن صلَّى وصامَ له بِلالٌ

ومَن صلَّى وصامَ له بِلالٌ

“By Moses, teacher of the Torah,

Indeed, by Him who taught Moses the Torah,

and by Him to whom Bilal prayed and fasted!

And by Him for whom Bilal prayed and fasted,

لقد كانَت تَوَدُّكَ أُمُّ عَممروٍ

لقد كانَت تَوَدُّكَ أُمُّ عَممروٍ

بذاتِ الصَّدرِ إذ نُسِيَ الخِلالُ

بذاتِ الصَّدرِ إذ نُسِيَ الخِلالُ

Umm ʿAmr once truly cherished you,

Umm ʿAmr did indeed love you,

at Dhāt al-Ṣadr, when other bonds were forgotten.

With all her heart, when friendship was forgotten.

وبَيض يجعلونَ الهامَ فيها

وبَيض يجعلونَ الهامَ فيها

إِذا ابيضَّت من الخلل النِّصالُ

إِذا ابيضَّت من الخلل النِّصالُ

And gleaming blades made heads tumble there,

And helmets in which they place their heads,

when spearpoints flashed white through the cavalry’s gaps.

When blades flash white through the gaps.

ولمّا ان دَعَوا كعباً وقالوا

ولمّا ان دَعَوا كعباً وقالوا

نَزَالِ وعادةٌ لهُمُ نزالِ

نَزَالِ وعادةٌ لهُمُ نزالِ

And when they summoned Kaʿb and cried,

And when they called upon Kaʿb and said,

‘Down to battle!’—for battle was ever their custom—

“Come down and fight!”—and “Come down and fight!” is their custom.

أتانا بالعقيقِ صريخُ كَعبٍ

أتانا بالعقيقِ صريخُ كَعبٍ

فَحَنَّ النَّبعُ والأَسَلُ النِّهالُ

فَحَنَّ النَّبعُ والأَسَلُ النِّهالُ

at al-ʿAqīq a crier seeking aid for Kaʿb came to us;

Kaʿb's caller for help came to us at al-ʿAqiq,

then the nabʿ-wood bows groaned, and thirsty spears yearned.

And the nabʿ-wood bows and thirsty spears sang out,

ثلاثاً ثُمَّ وَجَّهنا إلَيهِم

ثلاثاً ثُمَّ وَجَّهنا إلَيهِم

رَحىً للموتِ ليس لها ثِفالُ

رَحىً للموتِ ليس لها ثِفالُ

Three times; then against them we set turning

Thrice; then we sent against them

a mill of death, with no catch-cloth beneath it.

A mill of death with no cloth beneath it.

وحالَفنا السيوفَ وصافِناتٍ

وحالَفنا السيوفَ وصافِناتٍ

سواءٌ هُنَّ فينا والعِيالُ

سواءٌ هُنَّ فينا والعِيالُ

We made comrades of swords and poised mares;

And we made a pact with swords and poised steeds,

to us, they stand equal with our children—

They and our families are held equal among us:

بناتُ بناتِ أَعوَجَ طامِحاتٍ

بناتُ بناتِ أَعوَجَ طامِحاتٍ

مدى الأبصارِ جِلَّتُها الفِحالُ

مدى الأبصارِ جِلَّتُها الفِحالُ

daughters of daughters of ʿAʿwaj, high-spirited,

Granddaughters of Aʿwaj, stretching forward

covered by stallions as far as sight could reach.

To the limits of sight; their largest are stallions.

شعيرٌ زادُها وفتيتُ قَتٍّ

شعيرٌ زادُها وفتيتُ قَتٍّ

ومن ماءِ الحديدِ لها نِعالُ

ومن ماءِ الحديدِ لها نِعالُ

Barley was their provision, with crumbled qatt-fodder,

Barley is their fodder, and crumbled alfalfa hay,

and shoes for them forged from the very substance of iron.

And their shoes are made from molten iron.

وكَردَسَتِ الحريشُ فعارضُونا

وكَردَسَتِ الحريشُ فعارضُونا

بخَيلٍ في فوارِسِها اختِيالُ

بخَيلٍ في فوارِسِها اختِيالُ

Al-Ḥarīsh formed compact squadrons and confronted us

And al-Harish formed squadrons and confronted us,

with cavalry whose horsemen rode in pride;

With horses whose riders were full of pride.

وسالت من أباطِحِها قُشَيرٌ

وسالت من أباطِحِها قُشَيرٌ

بِمِثلِ أَتِيِّ بِيشَة حين سَالوا

بِمِثلِ أَتِيِّ بِيشَة حين سَالوا

and Qushayr streamed down from its broad valley floors,

And Qushayr poured forth from its gravelly valleys,

like the flood of Bīsha when they surged forth.

Like Bishah's oncoming flood as they streamed forth.

نقودُ الخيلَ كُلَّ أَشَقَّ نَهدٍ

نقودُ الخيلَ كُلَّ أَشَقَّ نَهدٍ

وكلَّ طِمِرَّةٍ فيها اعتدالُ

وكلَّ طِمِرَّةٍ فيها اعتدالُ

We led the horses—every rangy, full-chested steed,

We lead the horses: every long-bodied, powerful steed,

and every compact mare, balanced in build.

And every swift mare of balanced proportions.

تكادُ الجِنُّ بالغَدَواتِ منَّا

تكادُ الجِنُّ بالغَدَواتِ منَّا

إِذا اصطَفَّت كتائِبُنا تُهالُ

إِذا اصطَفَّت كتائِبُنا تُهالُ

At morning, even the jinn would almost, on our account—

At dawn, even the jinn, because of us, are almost

when our battalions formed ranks—be struck with terror.

Struck with terror when our battalions form ranks.

فَبتنَ على العُسَيلَةِ مُمسكاتٍ

فَبتنَ على العُسَيلَةِ مُمسكاتٍ

لَهُنَّ غُدَيَّةً رَهَجٌ جُفالُ

لَهُنَّ غُدَيَّةً رَهَجٌ جُفالُ

So they spent the night at al-ʿUsayla, reined in and ready;

So they spent the night at al-ʿUsaylah, held in check;

at daybreak, theirs would be a dust-cloud of rout.

At early dawn, a billowing cloud of dust was theirs.

فلمَّا شَقَّ أَبيَضُ ذو حَواشٍ

فلمَّا شَقَّ أَبيَضُ ذو حَواشٍ

له حالٌ وللظلماءِ حالُ

له حالٌ وللظلماءِ حالُ

Then, when a white dawn with bright-fringed skirts split the dark—

Then, when a white light with fringed edges broke through—

it wore one guise, and darkness another—

It had its aspect, and darkness had its own—

صبحناهُم نواصِيَهُن شُعثاً

صبحناهُم نواصِيَهُن شُعثاً

بِهِنَّ حرارةٌ وبنا اغتِلالُ

بِهِنَّ حرارةٌ وبنا اغتِلالُ

we fell upon them at dawn, our mares’ forelocks disheveled;

We raided them at dawn, the mares' forelocks tousled,

the mares were noble, and vengeance boiled within us.

Heat was in them, and burning thirst in us.

فلمّا جُحدِلَت مِئتانِ منهم

فلمّا جُحدِلَت مِئتانِ منهم

وَفرَّ حنانُهُم عنهم فزالوا

وَفرَّ حنانُهُم عنهم فزالوا

When two hundred of their men had been struck down

Then, when two hundred of them were felled

and their resolve fled them, they turned and vanished.

And their Hanan fled from them, they scattered,

وصاروا بينَ مُمتَنٍّ عليهِ

وصاروا بينَ مُمتَنٍّ عليهِ

ومنصوبٍ له جِذعٌ طُوَالُ

ومنصوبٍ له جِذعٌ طُوَالُ

They ended divided between some beyond our reach

And they were divided between those shown mercy

and others for whom a tall trunk had been raised.

And those for whom a towering tree-trunk was raised.

تُكَفِّنُهُم حَنِيفَةُ بعد حَولٍ

تُكَفِّنُهُم حَنِيفَةُ بعد حَولٍ

وكيفَ يُكَفَّنُونَ وقد أَحالوا

وكيفَ يُكَفَّنُونَ وقد أَحالوا

Ḥanīfa would shroud them after a full year—

Hanifah shrouds them a year afterward;

but how can they shroud men over whom a year has passed?

And how can they be shrouded when they have decayed?

أمِنكُم يا حنيفَ نَعَم لَعَمرِي

أمِنكُم يا حنيفَ نَعَم لَعَمرِي

لِحىً مَخضوبَةٌ ودَمٌ سِجَالُ

لِحىً مَخضوبَةٌ ودَمٌ سِجَالُ

Are they of your people, O Ḥanīfa? Yes, by my life:

Are these yours, O Hanif? Yes, by my life:

beards dyed red, and blood pouring in torrents.

Dyed beards, and blood flowing in torrents.

ولولا الرِّيحُ أَسمَعَ أَهلَ حَجرٍ

ولولا الرِّيحُ أَسمَعَ أَهلَ حَجرٍ

صِياحَ البَيضِ تَقَرَعُها النِّصالُ

صِياحَ البَيضِ تَقَرَعُها النِّصالُ

But for the wind, their folk in Ḥajar would have heard

Were it not for the wind, the people of Hajr would have heard

the ringing cry of bright blades as spearpoints struck them.

The shriek of helmets as blades struck them.

كأنّ الخيل طالِعَةً عليهم

كأنّ الخيل طالِعَةً عليهم

بفُرسانِ الصَّباحِ قَطاً رِعالُ

بفُرسانِ الصَّباحِ قَطاً رِعالُ

It was as though the horses sweeping down upon them,

As though the horses, advancing upon them,

bearing dawn-raiders, were sandgrouse, flock upon flock.

With dawn's riders, were sandgrouse in flocks.