إِذا ما جاءَني رَجُلٌ حُذامٌ

إِذا ما جاءَني رَجُلٌ حُذامٌ

فَإِنَّ القَولَ ما قالَت حَذامِ

فَإِنَّ القَولَ ما قالَت حَذامِ

If a decisive man comes to me,

Whenever an uncouth man comes my way,

then the true word is what Ḥadhām said.

I say: the words that uncouthness would say.

أَرى سَيفَ بنِ ذي يَزَنٍ فَرَتهُ

أَرى سَيفَ بنِ ذي يَزَنٍ فَرَتهُ

صُروفُ الدَهرِ بِالسَيفِ الهُذامِ

صُروفُ الدَهرِ بِالسَيفِ الهُذامِ

I see Sayf, son of Dhī Yazan, torn apart

I see the sword of Ibn Dhi Yazan unsheathed -

by time’s vicissitudes, with the cleaving sword.

The turns of fate by the sharp sword are cleaved.

وَأَذوَت غاضِراً وَرَمَت حِبالاً

وَأَذوَت غاضِراً وَرَمَت حِبالاً

سَليلَ أَخي طُلَيحَةَ بِاِنجِذامِ

سَليلَ أَخي طُلَيحَةَ بِاِنجِذامِ

And they withered Ghāḍir and struck Ḥibāl—

It moaned bitterly and cast a rope,

the son of Ṭulayḥa’s brother—with a severing blow.

A kinsman of Tulaibah with fraying rope.

وَما زَيدُ بنُ حارِثَةٍ حَبيباً

وَما زَيدُ بنُ حارِثَةٍ حَبيباً

إِلى الحَيِّ المُصَبَّحِ مِن جُذامِ

إِلى الحَيِّ المُصَبَّحِ مِن جُذامِ

And Zayd, son of Ḥāritha, was not dear

And Zayd bin Harithah was no beloved

to the clan of Judhām raided at dawn.

To the brisk living from the withered dead.

أَلَم تَرَ لِاِمرِىء القَيسِ بنِ حِجرٍ

أَلَم تَرَ لِاِمرِىء القَيسِ بنِ حِجرٍ

بَكى مُتَشَبِهاً بِفَتى حِذامِ

بَكى مُتَشَبِهاً بِفَتى حِذامِ

Have you not seen how Imru’ al-Qays, son of Ḥujr,

Did you not see how Imru al-Qais wept

wept, emulating the youth of Ḥidhām?

Like a youth of uncouth and coarse repute?

كَذاكَ تَناسِخُ الدُنيا فَمَلّي

كَذاكَ تَناسِخُ الدُنيا فَمَلّي

مَزادَكَ قَبلَ تَقضيبِ الوِذامِ

مَزادَكَ قَبلَ تَقضيبِ الوِذامِ

Such are the world’s successive changes; so fill

Thus is the world's succession, so fill me up

your waterskins before the leather thongs are severed.

Your provision ere the final rupture.