يا أَخَوَينا مِن أَبينا وَأُمِّنا

يا أَخَوَينا مِن أَبينا وَأُمِّنا

ذَروا مَولَيَينا مِن قُضاعَةَ يَذهَبا

ذَروا مَولَيَينا مِن قُضاعَةَ يَذهَبا

O our two brothers, of our father and our mother,

O our brothers from our father and mother

let our two allies from Quda'ah depart.

Leave our masters alone from Quda'a to go

فَإِن أَنتُمُ لَم تَفعَلوا لا أَبا لَكُم

فَإِن أَنتُمُ لَم تَفعَلوا لا أَبا لَكُم

فَلا تُعلِقونا ما كَرِهنا فَنَغضَبا

فَلا تُعلِقونا ما كَرِهنا فَنَغضَبا

For if you do not do so—may you have no father!—

For if you do not do so, you have no father

then do not entangle us in what we loathe, lest we grow angry.

So do not impose on us what we hate so we get angry

وَنَحنُ بَنو سَهمِ بنِ مُرَّةَ لَم نَجِد

وَنَحنُ بَنو سَهمِ بنِ مُرَّةَ لَم نَجِد

لَنا نَسَباً عَنهُم وَلا مُتَنَسَّبا

لَنا نَسَباً عَنهُم وَلا مُتَنَسَّبا

And we are the sons of Sahm son of Murrah; we have not found

And we are the sons of Sahm son of Murrah, we did not find

any lineage for ourselves apart from them, nor any other ancestry to claim.

For us a lineage from them or attributed

مَتى نَنتَسِب تَلقَوا أَبانا أَباكُمُ

مَتى نَنتَسِب تَلقَوا أَبانا أَباكُمُ

وَلَن تَجِدونا لِلفَواحِشِ أَقرَبا

وَلَن تَجِدونا لِلفَواحِشِ أَقرَبا

Whenever we trace our descent, you will find our father is yours,

When shall we attribute, you found our father your father

and you will not find us more inclined to shameful deeds.

And you will not find us closer to immoralities

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ السَبرَ لَيسَ بِنافِعي

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ السَبرَ لَيسَ بِنافِعي

وَإِن كانَ يَوماً ذا كَواكِبَ أَشهَبا

وَإِن كانَ يَوماً ذا كَواكِبَ أَشهَبا

And when I saw that probing was of no use to me,

And when I saw sobriety was not beneficial to me

though it was an ashen-gray day, studded with stars,

And if it was once a day with shooting stars

شَدَدنا عَلَيهِم ثَمَّ بِالجَوِّ شَدَّةً

شَدَدنا عَلَيهِم ثَمَّ بِالجَوِّ شَدَّةً

فَلا لَكُمُ أُمّاً دَعَونا وَلا أَبا

فَلا لَكُمُ أُمّاً دَعَونا وَلا أَبا

we charged them there at al-Jaww with a fierce charge

We were tough on them, then with the air very tough

(so leave us be—may you have neither mother nor father!),

So you have neither a mother we called nor a father

بِكُلِّ رُقاقِ الشَفرَتَينِ مُهَنَّدٍ

بِكُلِّ رُقاقِ الشَفرَتَينِ مُهَنَّدٍ

وَأَسمَرَ عَرّاصِ المَهَزَّةِ أَرقَبا

وَأَسمَرَ عَرّاصِ المَهَزَّةِ أَرقَبا

with every Indian-forged sword, thin at both edges,

With all the softness of the two lips of Muhanad

and a brown spear, quivering when shaken, stout-necked.

And dark skinny necked, long necked

فَما فَزِعوا إِذ خالَطَ القَومُ أَهلَهُم

فَما فَزِعوا إِذ خالَطَ القَومُ أَهلَهُم

وَلَكِن رَأَوا صِرفاً مِنَ المَوتِ أَصهَبا

وَلَكِن رَأَوا صِرفاً مِنَ المَوتِ أَصهَبا

So they did not take fright when the warriors mingled with their kin,

So they did not panic when the people mixed with their families

but they saw pure death, tawny-red.

But they saw a diversion from death, unlucky

وَلا غَروَ إِلّا حينَ جاءَت مُحارِبٌ

وَلا غَروَ إِلّا حينَ جاءَت مُحارِبٌ

إِلَينا بِأَلفٍ حارِدٍ قَد تَكَتَّبا

إِلَينا بِأَلفٍ حارِدٍ قَد تَكَتَّبا

And there was no wonder, save when Muharib came

And no wonder except when a warrior came

against us with a thousand raging men, already formed in ranks,

To us with a thousand attacking, who wrote

مَوالي مَوالينا لِيَسبوا نِساءَنا

مَوالي مَوالينا لِيَسبوا نِساءَنا

أَثَعلَبَ قَد جِئتُم بِنَكراءَ ثَعلَبا

أَثَعلَبَ قَد جِئتُم بِنَكراءَ ثَعلَبا

allies of our allies, to take our women captive.

My master, our masters to capture our women

O Tha'lab, you have indeed done a monstrous deed, Tha'lab!

O fox, have you come with an unknown fox

وَقُلتُ لَهُم يا آلَ ذُبيانَ ما لَكُم

وَقُلتُ لَهُم يا آلَ ذُبيانَ ما لَكُم

تَفاقَدتُمُ لَم تَذهَبوا العامَ مَذهَبا

تَفاقَدتُمُ لَم تَذهَبوا العامَ مَذهَبا

And I said to them, 'O house of Dhubyan, why—

And I said to them, O people of wolves what is wrong with you

may you lose one another!—have you gone nowhere this year?'

Did you miss, you did not go the way this year

تَداعى إِلى شَرِّ الفَعالِ سَراتُها

تَداعى إِلى شَرِّ الفَعالِ سَراتُها

فَأَصبَحَ مَوضوعٌ بِذَلِكَ مُلتَبا

فَأَصبَحَ مَوضوعٌ بِذَلِكَ مُلتَبا

Its chiefs called one another to the worst of deeds,

It called for the evilest deeds of its elite

so Mawdu' became thronged because of that.

So it became placed with that disheveled