يُعيِّرُني أمِّي رِجالٌ لا أَرى

يُعيِّرُني أمِّي رِجالٌ لا أَرى

أَخا كَرَمٍ إلِاّ بِأَن يَتَكَرَّما

أَخا كَرَمٍ إلِاّ بِأَن يَتَكَرَّما

Men taunt me over my mother; I deem no

My mother berates me for men I do not see,

man noble unless he acts nobly.

Except the generous brother through his generosity.

وَمَن كانَ ذا عِرضٍ كَريمٍ فَلم يَصُن

وَمَن كانَ ذا عِرضٍ كَريمٍ فَلم يَصُن

لَهُ حَسَباً كانَ اللَئيمَ المُذَمَّما

لَهُ حَسَباً كانَ اللَئيمَ المُذَمَّما

And whoever has noble honor yet does not preserve

And he who had an honorable reputation but did not protect it,

his ancestral standing is a base, reviled man.

His lineage cannot avail him, so he is despised and contemptible.

أَحارِثُ إِنّا لَو تُشاطُ دِماؤُنا

أَحارِثُ إِنّا لَو تُشاطُ دِماؤُنا

تَزَيَّلنَ حَتّى لا يَمَسَّ دَمٌ دَما

تَزَيَّلنَ حَتّى لا يَمَسَّ دَمٌ دَما

O Harith, if our blood were spilled,

O Harith! If our blood was spilled

it would separate until no blood touched blood.

It would flow until no blood touched blood.

أَمُنتَقِلاً مِن آلِ بُهثَةَ خِلتَني

أَمُنتَقِلاً مِن آلِ بُهثَةَ خِلتَني

أَلا إِنَّني مِنهُم وَإِن كُنتُ أَينَما

أَلا إِنَّني مِنهُم وَإِن كُنتُ أَينَما

Did you think I had left the clan of Buhthah?

Do you think me transferred from the clan of Buhtah?

Indeed, I am one of them, wherever I may be.

Nay! I am of them wherever I may be.

أَلا إنَّني مِنهُم وَعِرضِيَ عِرضَهُمُ

أَلا إنَّني مِنهُم وَعِرضِيَ عِرضَهُمُ

كَذي الأَنفِ يَحمي أَنفَهُ أَن يُكَشَّما

كَذي الأَنفِ يَحمي أَنفَهُ أَن يُكَشَّما

Indeed, I am one of them, and my honor is theirs,

Nay! I am of them and my honor is their honor,

like one who has a nose and guards it from being cut off.

As a nose guards its nose lest it be flattened.

وَإِنَّ نِصابي إِن سَألتَ وَأُسرَتي

وَإِنَّ نِصابي إِن سَألتَ وَأُسرَتي

مِنَ الناسِ حَيٌّ يَقتَنونَ المُزَنَّما

مِنَ الناسِ حَيٌّ يَقتَنونَ المُزَنَّما

My lineage, if you ask, and my family

And my lineage, if you ask, and my clan

are a clan among men who keep fine, ear-marked camels.

Are living people who own the embroidered.

وَكُنّا إِذا الجَبّارُ صَعَّرَ خَدَّهُ

وَكُنّا إِذا الجَبّارُ صَعَّرَ خَدَّهُ

أَقَمنا لَهُ مِن مَيلِهِ فَتَقَوَّما

أَقَمنا لَهُ مِن مَيلِهِ فَتَقَوَّما

And whenever a tyrant turned his cheek in pride,

And we used to, when the tyrant scowled,

we straightened him out of his crookedness, and he stood upright.

Set straight for him his crookedness.

إِذا اِختَلَفَت يَوماً رَبيعَةُ صادَفَت

إِذا اِختَلَفَت يَوماً رَبيعَةُ صادَفَت

لَنا حَكَماً عَدلاً وَجَيشاً عَرَمرَما

لَنا حَكَماً عَدلاً وَجَيشاً عَرَمرَما

If Rabiʿah ever fell into dispute, she found

If one day Rabee’ah disagreed, they would find for us

among us a just arbiter and a vast army.

A just arbitrator and a heavily armed army.

لِذي الحِلمِ قَبلَ اليَومِ ما تُقرَعُ العَصا

لِذي الحِلمِ قَبلَ اليَومِ ما تُقرَعُ العَصا

وَما عُلِّمَ الإِنسانُ إِلا لِيَعلَما

وَما عُلِّمَ الإِنسانُ إِلا لِيَعلَما

For the discerning, the staff was struck long before today;

For the forbearing, before this day, the stick was not struck

and man was taught only that he might know.

Nor was man taught but to learn.

وَلو غَيرُ أَخوالي أَرادوا نَقيصَتي

وَلو غَيرُ أَخوالي أَرادوا نَقيصَتي

جَعَلتُ لَهُم فَوقَ العَرانينِ ميسَما

جَعَلتُ لَهُم فَوقَ العَرانينِ ميسَما

If anyone but my maternal uncles sought to belittle me,

And if others than my uncles had wanted my blemish,

I would put a branding mark upon their noses.

I would have made for them, above the hills, a cleft.

وَهَل لِيَ أُمٌّ غَيرُها إِن تَرَكتُها

وَهَل لِيَ أُمٌّ غَيرُها إِن تَرَكتُها

أَبَى اللَهُ إِلاّ أَن أَكونَ لَها اِبنَما

أَبَى اللَهُ إِلاّ أَن أَكونَ لَها اِبنَما

Have I another mother if I abandon her?

Is there for me a mother other than she, if I leave her?

God wills nothing but that I be her son.

God has decreed that I must be her son.

وَما كُنتُ إِلا مِثلَ قاطِعِ كَفِّهِ

وَما كُنتُ إِلا مِثلَ قاطِعِ كَفِّهِ

بِكَفٍّ لَهُ أُخرى فَأَصبَحَ أَجذَما

بِكَفٍّ لَهُ أُخرى فَأَصبَحَ أَجذَما

And I was only like a man who cut off his hand

I was but like the cutter of his hand

with his other hand, and was left maimed.

With a hand that he has cut off and so became mutilated.

فَلَمّا اِستَقادَ الكَفَّ بِالكَفِّ لَم يَجِد

فَلَمّا اِستَقادَ الكَفَّ بِالكَفِّ لَم يَجِد

لَهُ دَرَكاً في أَن تَبِينا فَأَحجَما

لَهُ دَرَكاً في أَن تَبِينا فَأَحجَما

When he sought a hand for a hand in retaliation, he did not find

When the hand was healed by the hand, he found

any redress in severing both, and so he held back.

No means for them to be distinguished, so he hesitated.

يَداهُ أَصابَت هَذِهِ حَتفَ هذهِ

يَداهُ أَصابَت هَذِهِ حَتفَ هذهِ

فَلَم تَجِدِ الأُخرى عَلَيها مُقَدَّما

فَلَم تَجِدِ الأُخرى عَلَيها مُقَدَّما

His two hands: this one brought the other's doom,

This hand reached the doom of that hand

and the other found no way to strike back against it.

So the other did not find cause to advance over it.

فَأَطرَقَ إِطراقَ الشُجاعِ وَلو يَرَى

فَأَطرَقَ إِطراقَ الشُجاعِ وَلو يَرَى

مَساغاً لِنابَيهِ الشُجاعُ لَصَمَّما

مَساغاً لِنابَيهِ الشُجاعُ لَصَمَّما

So he bowed his head like a serpent; if it saw

He bowed with the resignation of the valiant, but if

an opening for its two fangs, the serpent would bite and hold fast.

The valiant saw an outlet for his tusks, he would be resolute.

وَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو أَن أَكونَ لِعَقبِهِم

وَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو أَن أَكونَ لِعَقبِهِم

زَنيماً فَما أُجرِرتُ أَن أَتَكَلَّما

زَنيماً فَما أُجرِرتُ أَن أَتَكَلَّما

And I had hoped to be, for their descendants,

I had hoped to be a protector for their posterity,

a kinsman by affiliation; yet my tongue was not slit to bar my speech.

But I was not dragged into speaking.

لِأُورِثَ بَعدي سُنَّةً يُقتَدَى بِها

لِأُورِثَ بَعدي سُنَّةً يُقتَدَى بِها

وَأَجلوَ عَن ذي شُبهَةٍ أَن تَوَهَّما

وَأَجلوَ عَن ذي شُبهَةٍ أَن تَوَهَّما

So that I might leave behind me a precedent to follow,

To bequeath after me a tradition to be imitated

and dispel the imaginings of one in doubt.

And to deter those of suspect intention from fancying.

أَرى عُصَماً مِن نَصرِ بُهثَةَ دانِياً

أَرى عُصَماً مِن نَصرِ بُهثَةَ دانِياً

وَيَدفَعُني عَن آلِ زَيدٍ فَبِئسَما

وَيَدفَعُني عَن آلِ زَيدٍ فَبِئسَما

I see ʿUṣam close to lending Buhthah aid,

I see protection from aiding Buhtah,

yet he drives me away from the clan of Zayd—how vile!

And it drives me away from the clan of Zayd, so miserable!

إِذا لَم يَزَل حَبلُ القَرينَينِ يَلتَوي

إِذا لَم يَزَل حَبلُ القَرينَينِ يَلتَوي

فَلا بُدَّ يَوماً مِن قُوىً أَن تُجَذَّما

فَلا بُدَّ يَوماً مِن قُوىً أَن تُجَذَّما

If the rope of two companions keeps twisting,

When the rope of the two dear ones continues to coil,

some strands must inevitably be severed one day.

A day must come when the stronger will be severed.

إِذا ما أَديمُ القَومِ أنَهَجَهُ البِلَى

إِذا ما أَديمُ القَومِ أنَهَجَهُ البِلَى

تَفَرَّى وَإِن كَتَّبتَهُ وَتَخَرَّما

تَفَرَّى وَإِن كَتَّبتَهُ وَتَخَرَّما

When wear has weakened the people's hide,

When the leather of a people dons the vesture of decrepitude,

it splits and tears apart, even if you stitch it.

It separates, even if you patch it, and becomes cracked.