نَوائِبُ دَهرٍ أَيُّهُنَّ أُنازِلُ

نَوائِبُ دَهرٍ أَيُّهُنَّ أُنازِلُ

بِعَزمِيَ أَو مِن أَيِّهِنَّ أُوائِلُ

بِعَزمِيَ أَو مِن أَيِّهِنَّ أُوائِلُ

Calamities of time—which of them shall I confront

The vicissitudes of fate, which of them are fated

with my resolve, or from which shall I seek refuge?

By my will or which of them are fortuitous

بُليتُ بِمَدحِ الباخِلينَ كَأَنَّني

بُليتُ بِمَدحِ الباخِلينَ كَأَنَّني

عَلى الأَجوَدينَ الغُرِ بِالشِعرِ باخِلُ

عَلى الأَجوَدينَ الغُرِ بِالشِعرِ باخِلُ

I am afflicted with praising misers, as though I

I was afflicted by praising the misers as if I

were stingy with verse toward the illustrious, most generous men.

Among the generous with poetry was miserly

وَكُنتُ وَقَد أَمَّلتُ مُرّاً لِنائِلٍ

وَكُنتُ وَقَد أَمَّلتُ مُرّاً لِنائِلٍ

كَطالِبِ جَدوى خُلَّةٍ لا تُواصِلُ

كَطالِبِ جَدوى خُلَّةٍ لا تُواصِلُ

And I, having hoped for a gift from Murr,

And I had hoped for good from a recipient

was like one seeking favor from a beloved who will not return affection.

Like a seeker of communion with one who won't reciprocate

تَقاعَسَ دونَ المَكرُماتِ وَبَلَّدَت

تَقاعَسَ دونَ المَكرُماتِ وَبَلَّدَت

خَلائِقُ مِنهُ لا تَزالُ تُواكِلُ

خَلائِقُ مِنهُ لا تَزالُ تُواكِلُ

He hung back from noble deeds, and sluggish grew

He fell short of generosity and his manners

his traits, forever leaving matters to others.

Remain constantly failing

وَكَيفَ تَنالُ المَجدَ كَفٌّ مُوَضَّعِ

وَكَيفَ تَنالُ المَجدَ كَفٌّ مُوَضَّعِ

لَهُ في اِستِهِ شُغلٌ عَنِ المَجدِ شاغِلُ

لَهُ في اِستِهِ شُغلٌ عَنِ المَجدِ شاغِلُ

And how can a base man's hand attain glory,

And how can a hand busy

when business in his arse keeps him from glory?

With its own interests attain glory from glory's pursuit

فَلا زِلتُ أُهدي بَعدَ ما كانَ بَينَنا

فَلا زِلتُ أُهدي بَعدَ ما كانَ بَينَنا

لِطَيءٍ نَذيرَ سوءَ ما أَنا قائِلُ

لِطَيءٍ نَذيرَ سوءَ ما أَنا قائِلُ

So may I never cease sending, after what passed between us,

So I continued to send after what was between us

to Tayy the words I utter as a warning of ill.

To Tayy a harbinger of ill that I was saying

هُمُ سَرَقوا طِرفي وَقَد جِئتُ مادِحاً

هُمُ سَرَقوا طِرفي وَقَد جِئتُ مادِحاً

لَهُم إِنَّ بَعضَ المَدحِ إِفكٌ وَباطِلُ

لَهُم إِنَّ بَعضَ المَدحِ إِفكٌ وَباطِلُ

They stole my fine steed, though I had come to praise

They stole my gaze yet I came praising

them; indeed, some praise is fabrication and falsehood.

Them though some praise is falsehood and invalid

ضِفَنّونَ مِن تَحتِ الدُروعِ كَأَنَّهُم

ضِفَنّونَ مِن تَحتِ الدُروعِ كَأَنَّهُم

إِذا رَكِبوا الخَيلَ النِساءُ الحَوامِلُ

إِذا رَكِبوا الخَيلَ النِساءُ الحَوامِلُ

Paunchy beneath their armor, as though they,

Braves from beneath armor as if they

when they ride horses, were pregnant women.

When mounting mares were pregnant women

وَلَستُ أُحابي في الهِجاءِ عَشيرَتي

وَلَستُ أُحابي في الهِجاءِ عَشيرَتي

بِشَيءٍ سِوى أَلّا تُراعَ الحَلائِلُ

بِشَيءٍ سِوى أَلّا تُراعَ الحَلائِلُ

And I show my clan no favoritism in satire,

And I do not approve in satire my clan

in anything, save that their wives be spared alarm.

With anything but to not violate what is sacrosanct

فِداءُ التَليدِيّنَ نَفسي فَإِنَّهُم

فِداءُ التَليدِيّنَ نَفسي فَإِنَّهُم

تَليدونَ في العَلياءِ بيضٌ أَفاضِلُ

تَليدونَ في العَلياءِ بيضٌ أَفاضِلُ

My soul be a ransom for the Talidiyyin, for they

The ransom of the ancient ones is my soul for they

are long-rooted in eminence, fair-faced and distinguished.

Are ancestrally noble, kind and virtuous

مُقيمونَ بِالثَغرِ المَخوفِ تَحُضُّهُم

مُقيمونَ بِالثَغرِ المَخوفِ تَحُضُّهُم

عَلى الطَعنِ عاداتُ الجُدودِ الأَوائِلُ

عَلى الطَعنِ عاداتُ الجُدودِ الأَوائِلُ

Dwelling on the feared frontier, they are urged

Abiding at the formidable border, spurred on

to spear-thrusts by the customs of their earliest forebears.

By ancestral traditions to thrust and charge

إِذا اِجتَمَعَت أَيديهُمُ في مُلِمَّةٍ

إِذا اِجتَمَعَت أَيديهُمُ في مُلِمَّةٍ

فَأَهوِن بِما تُطوى عَلَيهِ القَبائِلُ

فَأَهوِن بِما تُطوى عَلَيهِ القَبائِلُ

When their hands unite in a calamity,

When their hands join in battle

then how little counts all that the tribes enfold!

The least of what they fold over are the tribes

وَقَد غَنِيَت أَرضُ الجِبالِ فَما يُرى

وَقَد غَنِيَت أَرضُ الجِبالِ فَما يُرى

يَمانٍ بِها إِلّا هُمُ وَالمَناصِلُ

يَمانٍ بِها إِلّا هُمُ وَالمَناصِلُ

And the mountain land has prospered; none is seen

And the land of mountains had become rich so there was not seen

from Yemen there but them and the sword-blades.

In it except them and piercing blades

إِذا شِئتُ في حِبتونَ أَدّى خُفارَتي

إِذا شِئتُ في حِبتونَ أَدّى خُفارَتي

إِلى الجانِبِ الغَربِيِّ أَروَعُ باسِلُ

إِلى الجانِبِ الغَربِيِّ أَروَعُ باسِلُ

When I wish, in Hibtun my safe-conduct is provided

If I wanted to keep guard over Hibatun

to the western side by an awe-inspiring, valiant man.

To the west side is my unrivaled hero

وَأَيُّ اِمرِئٍ يَخشى الأَعادي وَدونَهُ

وَأَيُّ اِمرِئٍ يَخشى الأَعادي وَدونَهُ

حِجابُ اِبنِ عَمرٍو وَالرِماحُ الذَوابِلُ

حِجابُ اِبنِ عَمرٍو وَالرِماحُ الذَوابِلُ

And what man fears foes, when between him and them stand

And what man fears enemies when his defense is

Ibn Amr's barrier and the slender spears?

The shield of Ibn 'Amr and spears that pierce