أتانيcame to me مِنfrom الأسدِAsad النَذيرةُthe warning بعدماafter
أتاني مِن الأسدِ النَذيرةُ بعدما
تناشدَrecited to one another قولاًa verse بالعِراقِin Iraq المجالِسُthe gatherings
تناشدَ قولاً بالعِراقِ المجالِسُ
A warning came to me from Asad, after
The lion's harbinger came to me after
the gatherings in Iraq had recited a verse to one another.
The gatherings in Iraq implored a saying
فقالواso they said عليكَyou should turn to ابنَthe son of الزُّبيرal-Zubayr فَعُذso seek refuge بهwith him
فقالوا عليكَ ابنَ الزُّبير فَعُذ به
أبىrefused اللهُGod أنthat اخزىI be disgraced وعَزَّand prevailed خنابِسُKhunabis (a fierce lion)
أبى اللهُ أن اخزى وعَزَّ خنابِسُ
They said, "Turn to Ibn al-Zubayr; seek refuge with him."
So they said, “Take refuge in Ibn al-Zubayr,”
God forbid that I be disgraced while Khunabis prevails.
But God refused that I be shamed and the bugs triumphed
وإنيand I امرؤٌa man فيin العُودِthe timber منّيof me صَلابَةٌhardness
وإني امرؤٌ في العُودِ منّي صَلابَةٌ
وفيand in جَبَلَيthe two mountains of بَكرٍBakr وتغلبَand Taghlib حابِسُa protector
وفي جَبَلَي بَكرٍ وتغلبَ حابِسُ
I am a man whose timber has hardness,
And I am a man whom, from the lute, severity
and in the twin mountains of Bakr and Taghlib is a protector.
And in my mountains of Bakr and Taghlib, a restrainer
وماand not جَعَلmade اللهُGod المهلبَal-Muhallab فارساًa horseman
وما جَعَل اللهُ المهلبَ فارساً
ولكنّand yet امثالَmen like الهُذيلِal-Hudhayl الفوارِسُthe horsemen
ولكنّ امثالَ الهُذيلِ الفوارِسُ
God did not make al-Muhallab a horseman,
And God did not make al-Muhallab a knight
but men like al-Hudhayl are the horsemen.
Rather the likes of al-Hudhayl are the knights
أخوa brother of الحَربِwar اماwhen صادِراًwithdrawing فوسيقُهُthen his plunder
أخو الحَربِ اما صادِراً فوسيقُهُ
جميلٌsplendid وإمّاand when وارداًentering فمغامِسُthen one who plunges in
جميلٌ وإمّا وارداً فمغامِسُ
A brother of war: when he withdraws, his plunder
A brother of war, coming he is finely geared
is splendid; when he enters, he plunges deep.
And going he dives in the fray
يَجُرّhe drives الخناذيدَthe noble stallions الجيادَthe swift علىdespite الوجاhoof soreness
يَجُرّ الخناذيدَ الجيادَ على الوجا
تُواعِسُthey press through rough ground فيin ظلمائهاits darkness ماas long as تُواعِسُthey press through rough ground
تُواعِسُ في ظلمائها ما تُواعِسُ
He drives the noble, swift steeds despite their sore hooves;
He drags the slender steeds over the dunes
they press through its darkness, pressing ever on.
Prowling in its darkness what prowls
تعادrace المراخيthe swift-running horses ضُمَّراًlean فيin جنوبهاtheir flanks
تعاد المراخي ضُمَّراً في جنوبها
وَهُنَّand they منwith respect to الشَطِّيِّShatti cloth عارٍbare ولابِسُand clothed
وَهُنَّ من الشَطِّيِّ عارٍ ولابِسُ
The swift runners race, lean along their flanks,
The tent pegs recoil in their sides
some bare of Shatti cloth and some clothed in it,
And they are, from the Shati, dishonored and dressed
علىon كُلِّevery مَحبوكِtightly knit السراةِthe back مُقَلَّصٍlean and tucked-up
على كُلِّ مَحبوكِ السراةِ مُقَلَّصٍ
تخببَhas wasted away عنهfrom him لحمُهhis flesh المتكاوِسُheaped-up
تخببَ عنه لحمُه المتكاوِسُ
on every lean steed with a tightly knit back,
On every spindle-shanked steed, shrunken
whose heaped-up flesh has wasted away.
Its flesh melted away from it, accumulated
يُطالِبنَthey demand ديناًa debt فيfrom قُضاعَةَQuda'a لمnot يَكُنcould be
يُطالِبنَ ديناً في قُضاعَةَ لم يَكُن
ليمعَكَهُto defer its payment الألوىthe evasive one ولاnor المتكادِسُthe procrastinator
ليمعَكَهُ الألوى ولا المتكادِسُ
They demand a debt from Quda'a that could not
They claim a debt in Qudha’ah that did not exist
be deferred by the evasive man or the procrastinator.
For the banners to confiscate it and the allies
تركنthey left عُبيدَUbayd اللهِAllah يومon the day لقينَهُthey met him
تركن عُبيدَ اللهِ يوم لقينَهُ
وفيand in النَّفسِthe soul منfrom أرماحِthe spears of تغلبَTaghlib هاجِسُa haunting fear
وفي النَّفسِ من أرماحِ تغلبَ هاجِسُ
They left Ubayd Allah, the day they met him,
They left the worshipers of God on the day they met Him
with dread of Taghlib's spears haunting his soul.
And in the soul from the spears of Taghlib, apprehension
Sol 6.1