شَرُّ الحِزاميِّينَ ذو السِنِّ مِنهُم

شَرُّ الحِزاميِّينَ ذو السِنِّ مِنهُم

وَخَيرُ الحِزاميِّينَ يَعدِلُهُ الكَلبُ

وَخَيرُ الحِزاميِّينَ يَعدِلُهُ الكَلبُ

The worst of the Hizamites is the old man among them;

The worst of the belt-wearers are the old among them,

And the best of the Hizamites is equaled by a dog.

And the best of the belt-wearers, a dog equals him.

فَإِن جِئتَ شَيخاً مِن حِزامٍ وَجَدتَهُ

فَإِن جِئتَ شَيخاً مِن حِزامٍ وَجَدتَهُ

مِنَ النَوكِ والتَقصير لَيسَ لَهُ قَلبُ

مِنَ النَوكِ والتَقصير لَيسَ لَهُ قَلبُ

For if you approach an elder of Hizam, you will find him

So if you come upon an old man wearing a belt, you find

Bereft of understanding through foolishness and failings.

He is lacking in dignity and deficient, he has no heart.

فَلَو سَبَّني عَونٌ إِذاً لَسَبَبتُهُ

فَلَو سَبَّني عَونٌ إِذاً لَسَبَبتُهُ

بِشعريَ أَو بَعضُ الأُلى جَدُّهُم كَعبُ

بِشعريَ أَو بَعضُ الأُلى جَدُّهُم كَعبُ

If Awn reviled me, I would then revile him

So if a scoundrel were to insult me, I would then insult him

With my verse—or if one of those whose forefather is Ka'b did so.

With my poetry or some of the nobles, their ancestor is Ka'b.

أولَئكَ أَكفاءٌ لِبَيتي بُيوتُهُم

أولَئكَ أَكفاءٌ لِبَيتي بُيوتُهُم

وَلا تَستَوي الأَعلاثُ والأَقدُحُ القُضبُ

وَلا تَستَوي الأَعلاثُ والأَقدُحُ القُضبُ

Those men's houses are equal in rank to my house;

They are peers to my house, their houses,

Nor are shafts of unknown wood equal to freshly cut arrow shafts.

And the highbred cannot be equal to the lowly rabble.