حُسامٌ أنت لكن شَفْرتاهُ

حُسامٌ أنت لكن شَفْرتاهُ

عزايمهُ وصفحتُه وَقارُ

عزايمهُ وصفحتُه وَقارُ

You are a sword—but its two edges

You are a keen sword, but its two edges

are your resolves, and its broad side is dignity.

are its firm resolves, and its flat is dignity.

وغيثٌ أنت لكن الأيادي

وغيثٌ أنت لكن الأيادي

سواكبُه إذا حُبِسَ القِطارُ

سواكبُه إذا حُبِسَ القِطارُ

And you are a raincloud—but your generous hands

And you are rain, but your bounties

are its downpours when the rain is withheld.

are its downpours when the rains are withheld.

وليث أنت لكن الضَّواري

وليث أنت لكن الضَّواري

لها من فَرْط هيبته حِذارُ

لها من فَرْط هيبته حِذارُ

And you are a lion—but the beasts of prey

And you are a lion, but the beasts of prey

stand wary of it, so overwhelming is its awe.

are afraid of his overwhelming majesty.

تجمَّع عندك الضِّدانُ مجداً

تجمَّع عندك الضِّدانُ مجداً

وجمعُهما لمعتبرٍ فَخارُ

وجمعُهما لمعتبرٍ فَخارُ

In you two opposites unite in glory,

In you the two opposites unite in glory,

and their union is a source of pride to one who reflects:

and their union is a source of pride to the discerning.

فبرْدُ الجودِ للْعافينَ ماءٌ

فبرْدُ الجودِ للْعافينَ ماءٌ

وحَرُّ البأسِ للأعْداءِ نارُ

وحَرُّ البأسِ للأعْداءِ نارُ

the coolness of generosity is water to those seeking favor,

So generosity's coolness is water to seekers of bounty,

and the heat of valor is fire to enemies.

and martial might's heat is fire to enemies.

ويومٌ تظمأ الأرواحُ فيه

ويومٌ تظمأ الأرواحُ فيه

وتَرْوى منْ جماجمه الشِّفارُ

وتَرْوى منْ جماجمه الشِّفارُ

And on a day when souls thirst,

And on a day when souls thirst,

sword-edges drink their fill from its skulls;

and blades slake their thirst on its skulls,

تضيقُ بخيله فِيحُ المَوامي

تضيقُ بخيله فِيحُ المَوامي

ويكسف شمس ضحْوتهُ الغُبارُ

ويكسف شمس ضحْوتهُ الغُبارُ

the broad desert wastes grow cramped with his cavalry,

the broad deserts are cramped by its cavalry,

and dust eclipses the sun of its high morning.

and dust eclipses its forenoon sun,

كأن رماحَهُ أشْطانُ جدْلٍ

كأن رماحَهُ أشْطانُ جدْلٍ

تُرنحها من الطُّولِ البئارُ

تُرنحها من الطُّولِ البئارُ

His spears seem long, twisted ropes

as though its spears were plaited well-ropes,

which the wells set swaying because of their length.

set swaying by the wells, so long are they,

تسابقُ طيرهُ زُرْقَ العَوالي

تسابقُ طيرهُ زُرْقَ العَوالي

إلى مُقلٍ فطعْنٌ وانْتسارُ

إلى مُقلٍ فطعْنٌ وانْتسارُ

His birds race the steel-blue lanceheads

its birds race the blue spear-points

toward eyes—for thrusting and victory.

toward eyes—piercing and plucking.

تكافأ فيه جيشاهُ بطعْنٍ

تكافأ فيه جيشاهُ بطعْنٍ

وضربٍ فاستمرَّ به الغِمارُ

وضربٍ فاستمرَّ به الغِمارُ

There the two armies matched each other, thrust for thrust

Its two armies were evenly matched in spear-thrusts

and blow for blow, while the battle surged around him.

and blows, so the battle's turmoil raged on.

فَصلتهما بطعنةِ شَمَّريٍّ

فَصلتهما بطعنةِ شَمَّريٍّ

يودُّ مَضاَ عزْمتهِ الغِرارُ

يودُّ مَضاَ عزْمتهِ الغِرارُ

Then with one resolute thrust you split them apart,

You parted them with a bold warrior's thrust,

a thrust whose resolve had a keenness the sword-edge itself would covet.

whose resolve's keenness the sword's edge covets.

ومن مثلُ الغِياثِ إذا تمطَّتْ

ومن مثلُ الغِياثِ إذا تمطَّتْ

عِتاقُ الخيلِ وادُّرِعَ الحِذارُ

عِتاقُ الخيلِ وادُّرِعَ الحِذارُ

And who can equal al-Ghiyāth when the horses stretch into full gallop—

And who is like Ghiyath when they stretch forth—

noble steeds—while caution itself dons armor?

the noble steeds—and caution is worn as armor?

يخفُّ إلى الصَّريخ إذا دَعاهُ

يخفُّ إلى الصَّريخ إذا دَعاهُ

وفيه تحت رايته اصْطبارُ

وفيه تحت رايته اصْطبارُ

He hastens to the one crying for aid whenever he calls,

He hastens to the one crying for help when called,

and steadfast endurance abides in him beneath his banner.

and beneath his banner he shows steadfast endurance.

سواءٌ في حفيظتهِ لديه

سواءٌ في حفيظتهِ لديه

رَخيُّ العيش غَضّاً والخِطارُ

رَخيُّ العيش غَضّاً والخِطارُ

In the protective ardor he bears, all are alike in his eyes:

In his zeal for honor, he regards alike

the ease-loving man, the angry man, and the daredevil.

life's fresh ease and peril.

ونِعْمَ مُبيتُ طرَّاقِ الليالي

ونِعْمَ مُبيتُ طرَّاقِ الليالي

إذا بخلتْ بِدَرَّتها الغِزارُ

إذا بخلتْ بِدَرَّتها الغِزارُ

How excellent the lodging he gives those who arrive by night,

And what a fine lodging for visitors by night,

when the copious rainclouds withhold their abundant flow.

when rich-milking camels withhold their milk.

إذا أمنتْ صوارمُه الأعادي

إذا أمنتْ صوارمُه الأعادي

بليلٍ باتَ تخشاها العِشارُ

بليلٍ باتَ تخشاها العِشارُ

When his enemies feel safe from his swords,

When his foes are safe from his keen swords,

ten-month pregnant she-camels spend the night fearing them.

at night, the pregnant she-camels spend it fearing them.

فيبكي من وغاهُ ومِنْ قِراهُ

فيبكي من وغاهُ ومِنْ قِراهُ

وليدُ الحيِّ يُتْماً والحِوارُ

وليدُ الحيِّ يُتْماً والحِوارُ

Thus, because of both his warfare and his hospitality, there weep

Thus his warfare and his hospitality bring tears

the tribe’s child, orphaned, and the camel-calf.

to the tribe's infant, orphaned, and the camel calf.

لبيقُ العِطْف بالنعماءِ عَذْبٌ

لبيقُ العِطْف بالنعماءِ عَذْبٌ

مكاسِرُه إذا طالَ الحِوارُ

مكاسِرُه إذا طالَ الحِوارُ

Deft in turning toward beneficence, sweet

Graceful in bestowing favors, sweet

are his rejoinders when discourse runs long.

is his disposition when conversation grows long.

يفوحُ ثناؤُه في كل وادٍ

يفوحُ ثناؤُه في كل وادٍ

كأنَّ أريجَ مِدْحته عِطارُ

كأنَّ أريجَ مِدْحته عِطارُ

His praise wafts fragrantly through every valley,

Praise of him wafts through every valley,

as though the fragrance of his eulogy were itself a perfumer.

as though the fragrance of his praise were perfume.

وما عَذْبٌ مواردهُ بَرودٌ

وما عَذْبٌ مواردهُ بَرودٌ

له بالرَّعْن جَرْيٌ وانحدارُ

له بالرَّعْن جَرْيٌ وانحدارُ

Nor is any sweet-watered stream—its watering places thronged by those who come to drink—

And no sweet draught, cool at its drinking-places,

coursing and descending through both regions,

with a flow and descent along the mountain spur,

أصاب بمَرِّهِ عُلْويّ وَقْبٍ

أصاب بمَرِّهِ عُلْويّ وَقْبٍ

تقاصَرَ عن تناولهِ التِّجارُ

تقاصَرَ عن تناولهِ التِّجارُ

reaching, as it passes, uplander and lowlander alike,

that in passing reached the upper part of a rocky hollow

though merchants fall short of attaining it,

beyond the merchants' reach,

حديثُ المجِّ منْ كرماء رَعْيٍ

حديثُ المجِّ منْ كرماء رَعْيٍ

لهنَّ بكل ناضِرةٍ مَطارُ

لهنَّ بكل ناضِرةٍ مَطارُ

fresh in glory among noble stock at pasture,

freshly disgorged by noble grazers

for whom every verdant tract is a roaming-ground,

that fly about every fresh bloom,

لهُ خَصَرٌ ونسمتهُ اعْتلالٌ

لهُ خَصَرٌ ونسمتهُ اعْتلالٌ

إذا ما اسْتوقد الشِّعْري النهارُ

إذا ما اسْتوقد الشِّعْري النهارُ

possessed of coolness and a languorous breeze

with a chill and a languid breeze,

when Sirius sets the day ablaze—

when the day draws fire from Sirius,

بأعذبَ منْ غياث الدين ودّاً

بأعذبَ منْ غياث الدين ودّاً

إذا ما عَلْقَم البَرِمَ النِّفارُ

إذا ما عَلْقَم البَرِمَ النِّفارُ

any sweeter in affection than Ghiyāth al-Dīn

is sweeter in affection than Ghiyath al-Din,

when aversion embitters the peevish man.

when aversion makes the peevish man bitter as colocynth.