مَن رَجَلٌ أَحبوهُ وَناقَتي

مَن رَجَلٌ أَحبوهُ وَناقَتي

يُبَلِّغُ عَنّي الشِعرَ إِذ ماتَ قَائِلُه

يُبَلِّغُ عَنّي الشِعرَ إِذ ماتَ قَائِلُه

What man shall I reward with her—and with my she-camel—

What man may I reward with my she-camel,

to deliver the poem on my behalf, once its poet is dead,

who will carry my verse from me when its speaker is dead,

نَذيراً وَما يُغني النَذيرُ بِشَبوَةٍ

نَذيراً وَما يُغني النَذيرُ بِشَبوَةٍ

لِمَن شاؤُهُ حَولَ البَدِيِّ وَجامِلُه

لِمَن شاؤُهُ حَولَ البَدِيِّ وَجامِلُه

as a warning? Yet what can a warning avail at Shabwa

as a warning—and what good is a warner at Shabwa

for one whose sheep and camels are around al-Badī?

to one whose sheep and camel herd are around al-Badi?

فَقُل لِتَميمٍ تَجعَلِ الرَملَ دونَها

فَقُل لِتَميمٍ تَجعَلِ الرَملَ دونَها

وَغَيرُ تَميمٍ في الهَزاهِزِ جاهِلُه

وَغَيرُ تَميمٍ في الهَزاهِزِ جاهِلُه

Then tell Tamim to put the desert sands before her;

Then tell Tamim to put the sands as a barrier before her;

whoever is not Tamim knows nothing of him amid war’s upheavals.

and those other than Tamim know them not amid upheavals.

فَإِنَّ أَبا قابوسَ بَيني وَبَينها

فَإِنَّ أَبا قابوسَ بَيني وَبَينها

بِأَرعَنَ يَنفي الطَيرَ حُمرٍ مَناقِلُه

بِأَرعَنَ يَنفي الطَيرَ حُمرٍ مَناقِلُه

For Abū Qābūs stands between me and her,

For Abu Qabus stands between me and her,

with a vast host that drives off the birds, its routes of march red.

with a towering host that scatters birds, its sandals red.

إِذا اِرتَحلوا أَصَمَّ كُلَّ مُؤَيَّهٍ

إِذا اِرتَحلوا أَصَمَّ كُلَّ مُؤَيَّهٍ

وَكُلِّ مُهيبٍ نَقرُهُ وَصَواهِلُه

وَكُلِّ مُهيبٍ نَقرُهُ وَصَواهِلُه

When they break camp, every urging caller is deafened,

When they set out, every camel-caller is deafened,

every rallying crier, by its drumming and its neighing steeds.

and every drover, by its drumming and neighing horses.

فَلا أَعرِفَن سَبياً تُمَدُّ ثُدِيُّهُ

فَلا أَعرِفَن سَبياً تُمَدُّ ثُدِيُّهُ

إِلى مُعرِضٍ عَن صِهرِه لا يُواصِلُه

إِلى مُعرِضٍ عَن صِهرِه لا يُواصِلُه

May I never see captive women stretching out their breasts

So let me never see captive women whose breasts are held out

toward one who shuns his kinsman by marriage and maintains no ties with him.

to one who spurns his kin by marriage and keeps no ties with them.