عَفَت فَردَةٌ مِن أَهلِها فَجَنابُها

عَفَت فَردَةٌ مِن أَهلِها فَجَنابُها

فَحَرَّةُ لَيلى سَهلُها وَهِضابُها

فَحَرَّةُ لَيلى سَهلُها وَهِضابُها

Fardah lies desolate, bereft of its people, and its environs too,

A free woman has parted from her people, so her absence is hard

and Harrat Layla, its plain and its hills,

The desert of Layla, its plains and hills

فَرُمّانُ إِلّا كُلَّ أَسفَعَ ناشِطٍ

فَرُمّانُ إِلّا كُلَّ أَسفَعَ ناشِطٍ

فَأَعناءُ سَلمى ميثُها فَلِصابُها

فَأَعناءُ سَلمى ميثُها فَلِصابُها

and Rumman, save for every dark-faced, roaming wild bull,

Shooting stars, except every towering smooth rock

and Salma's outskirts, its soft plains and narrow ravines.

The groves of Salma, its covenant and promises

فَيا لَأَبي بَكرٍ وَيا لَجَحَوَّشٍ

فَيا لَأَبي بَكرٍ وَيا لَجَحَوَّشٍ

وَلِلَّهِ مَولى دَعوَةٍ لا يُجابُها

وَلِلَّهِ مَولى دَعوَةٍ لا يُجابُها

So, help, Abu Bakr! And help, Jahawwash!

Oh Abi Bakr, Oh Juhaysh

And God help a kinsman whose appeal goes unanswered!

By God, the prayer of the unanswered call

أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لا تَزالُ كَتيبَةٌ

أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لا تَزالُ كَتيبَةٌ

عُقَيلِيَّةٌ يَهفو عَلَيكُم عُقابُها

عُقَيلِيَّةٌ يَهفو عَلَيكُم عُقابُها

Must there still be, every day, a war-band

Does not a day go by, that a battalion

of Uqayl, its eagle-banner fluttering over you,

Of Banu Uqayl swoop down upon you

وَأَنتُم عَديدٌ في حَديدٍ وَشَفرَةٍ

وَأَنتُم عَديدٌ في حَديدٍ وَشَفرَةٍ

وَغابِ رِماحٍ يَكسِفُ الشَمسَ غابُها

وَغابِ رِماحٍ يَكسِفُ الشَمسَ غابُها

while you are many, clad in iron and bearing blades,

While you are many, armed with iron and blade

and amid thickets of spears whose forest eclipses the sun?

And spear shafts that eclipse the sun with their thickness

يُسَقّى إِبنُ بِشرٍ ثُمَّ يَمسَحُ بَطنَهُ

يُسَقّى إِبنُ بِشرٍ ثُمَّ يَمسَحُ بَطنَهُ

وَحَولي رِجالٌ ما يَسوغُ شَرابُها

وَحَولي رِجالٌ ما يَسوغُ شَرابُها

Ibn Bishr is served drink, then rubs his belly,

Ibn Bishr's son is given drink, then pats his belly

while around me are men whose drink will not go down.

While around me are men for whom it is not proper to drink it

لَهُم جَزَرٌ مِنكُم عَبيطٌ كَأَنَّهُ

لَهُم جَزَرٌ مِنكُم عَبيطٌ كَأَنَّهُ

وَقاعُ المُلوكِ فَتكُها وَإِغتِصابُها

وَقاعُ المُلوكِ فَتكُها وَإِغتِصابُها

They have fresh slaughter from among you, as though it were

They have prizes from you, stupid as if they were

the warfare of kings—their treacherous killing and forcible seizure.

The halls of kings, their havoc and plunder

فَما الشَرُّ كُلَّ الشَرِّ لاخَيرَ بَعدَهُ

فَما الشَرُّ كُلَّ الشَرِّ لاخَيرَ بَعدَهُ

على الناسِ إِلّا أَن تَذِلَّ رِقابُها

على الناسِ إِلّا أَن تَذِلَّ رِقابُها

For evil—utter evil, with no good after it—

Not all harm is harm, no good after it

is, for people, nothing but having their necks humbled.

For the people except to humiliate them

نِساءُ إِبنِ بِشرٍ بُدَّنٌ وَنِساأُنا

نِساءُ إِبنِ بِشرٍ بُدَّنٌ وَنِساأُنا

بَلايا عَلَيها كُلَّ يَومٍ سِلابُها

بَلايا عَلَيها كُلَّ يَومٍ سِلابُها

Ibn Bishr's women are plump, while our women

The women of Ibn Bishr are heavy and ours

are wasted she-camels, wearing their mourning robes each day.

Are calamities upon them each day their plunder