عَرَفَت مِنَ الكُنودِ بِبَطنِ ضَيمٍ

عَرَفَت مِنَ الكُنودِ بِبَطنِ ضَيمٍ

فَجَوِّ بِشائِمٍ طَلَلاً مُحيلا

فَجَوِّ بِشائِمٍ طَلَلاً مُحيلا

I recognized, of al-Kunūd, in the valley of Ḍaym,

The tribe of Kanoon betrayed me in the belly of humiliation

and in Bishā’im’s hollow, a timeworn ruin.

So I repelled them with insults, scattering their dwellings

تَعَفّى رَسمُهُ إِلّا خِياماً

تَعَفّى رَسمُهُ إِلّا خِياماً

مَجَلَّلَةٌ جَوانِبُها جَليلا

مَجَلَّلَةٌ جَوانِبُها جَليلا

Its traces had faded, save for tents

Its outline faded, leaving only tent ruins

whose sides were covered in coarse grass.

With lofty sides bedecked in grandeur

عَداني أَن أَزورَكَ أَنَّ قَومي

عَداني أَن أَزورَكَ أَنَّ قَومي

وَقَومُكَ أَلقَحوا حَرباً شَمولا

وَقَومُكَ أَلقَحوا حَرباً شَمولا

What kept me from visiting you was that my people

My people deterred me from visiting you

and yours had bred an all-engulfing war,

While both our tribes ignited encompassing war

وَأَنَّكَ لَو رَأَيتَ الناسَ يَومَ ال

وَأَنَّكَ لَو رَأَيتَ الناسَ يَومَ ال

حِيارِ عَذَرتِ بِالشُغُلِ الخَليلا

حِيارِ عَذَرتِ بِالشُغُلِ الخَليلا

and that, had you seen the people on the day of al-

You would have excused my preoccupation

Ḥiyār, you would have excused your friend for being occupied.

Had you seen people bewildered on the day of strife

غَداةَ تَصارَخَت عَبدُ بنُ عَمرٍو

غَداةَ تَصارَخَت عَبدُ بنُ عَمرٍو

وَأَهلُ تُضاعِ فَاِحتَمَلوا قَتيلا

وَأَهلُ تُضاعِ فَاِحتَمَلوا قَتيلا

That morning, ‘Abd ibn ‘Amr’s people cried out,

The next dawn, Abdu Ibn Amr clashed

with the people of Tuḍā‘, then carried away a slain man.

With the people of Tuda'a, and many were slain

غَداةَ حَبا لَهُم عَمرُو بنُ عَمرٍو

غَداةَ حَبا لَهُم عَمرُو بنُ عَمرٍو

بِشِكَّةِ كامِلٍ يَدعو جَزيلا

بِشِكَّةِ كامِلٍ يَدعو جَزيلا

The morning ‘Amr ibn ‘Amr crept toward them,

The next dawn, Amr Ibn Amr

in a fully armed warrior’s gear, calling on Jazīl.

Attacked them with the excellent army, seeking plunder

فَرَدّوهُ بِمُشعَلَةٍ قَلوسٌ

فَرَدّوهُ بِمُشعَلَةٍ قَلوسٌ

تَخالُ رِداءَهُ مِنها طَميلا

تَخالُ رِداءَهُ مِنها طَميلا

They drove him back with a blazing, surging onslaught;

But they repelled him with warriors like lions

you would think his cloak begrimed by it.

Whose cloaks billowed, rippling like waves

وَقامَ مُصَوِّبٌ مِنّا وَمِنهُم

وَقامَ مُصَوِّبٌ مِنّا وَمِنهُم

وَكُلٌّ يَتَحي حَنَقاً وَبيلا

وَكُلٌّ يَتَحي حَنَقاً وَبيلا

One of us and one of them stood taking aim,

Mediators from both sides stood up

each aiming in grievous rage.

Each seething with rage and loathing

وَقامَ مُصَوِّتانِ بِرَأسِ عَثٍّ

وَقامَ مُصَوِّتانِ بِرَأسِ عَثٍّ

أَقامَ الحَربَ وَالعَيَّ الطَويلا

أَقامَ الحَربَ وَالعَيَّ الطَويلا

And two criers stood on ‘Athth’s summit,

Two inciters rose to command the rabble

keeping the war and the long exhaustion alive.

Prolonging war and feuding endlessly

وَغودِرَ في دِيارِهِم حُبَيشٌ

وَغودِرَ في دِيارِهِم حُبَيشٌ

وَعيلَ عَلى الأَكارِسِ أَن يَؤولا

وَعيلَ عَلى الأَكارِسِ أَن يَؤولا

Ḥubaysh was left behind in their lands,

Houses were demolished in their lands

too hard-pressed to return to the encampments.

As they wailed over chairs, wishing they would vanish

وَعيلَ عَلى الحُمولِ وَمَن عَلَيها

وَعيلَ عَلى الحُمولِ وَمَن عَلَيها

فَلا سَيراً يُطيقُ وَلا حُلولا

فَلا سَيراً يُطيقُ وَلا حُلولا

The laden camels and their riders were hard-pressed too,

They wailed over burdens and those who bore them

unable either to travel on or to encamp.

Unable to venture or settle anywhere

وَنُسلِكُهُم مَدارِجَ بَطنِ صُرٍّ

وَنُسلِكُهُم مَدارِجَ بَطنِ صُرٍّ

إِلى قَرنٍ كَما سُقتَ الحَسيلا

إِلى قَرنٍ كَما سُقتَ الحَسيلا

And we drove them along the tracks of Ṣurr’s valley,

We drove them through the valley of Sarr

toward Qarn, as you would drive calves.

Like torrents of floodwater

كَأَنَّ نِساءَهُم بَقَرٌ مِراحٌ

كَأَنَّ نِساءَهُم بَقَرٌ مِراحٌ

خِلالَ شَقائِقٍ تَطَأُ الوُحولا

خِلالَ شَقائِقٍ تَطَأُ الوُحولا

Their women seemed like frisky cows,

Their women were like stampeding cattle

treading the mire through hollows between dunes.

Crossing flowers, trampling blossoms

لَهُنَّ صَواعِقٌ يَعرِفنَ فينا

لَهُنَّ صَواعِقٌ يَعرِفنَ فينا

بَني الأَخواتِ وَالنَسَبَ الدَخيلا

بَني الأَخواتِ وَالنَسَبَ الدَخيلا

Their cries were thunderbolts; they recognized among us

We recognized them by family ties and lineage

their sisters’ sons and their kin by marriage.

Every lover and protected honor we could discern

بِكُلِّ خَبيبَةٍ وَمَجازِ عُرضٍ

بِكُلِّ خَبيبَةٍ وَمَجازِ عُرضٍ

تَرى نَمَطاً يُطَوَّحُ أَو خَميلا

تَرى نَمَطاً يُطَوَّحُ أَو خَميلا

At every little hollow and crossing of open ground,

You saw patterns fluttering and swaying

you saw a patterned cover flung away, or a shaggy rug.

Or a swaying, limping camel

فَلَمّا أَن هَبَطنا القاعَ رَدّوا

فَلَمّا أَن هَبَطنا القاعَ رَدّوا

غَواشينا فَأَدبَرنا حُفولا

غَواشينا فَأَدبَرنا حُفولا

Then, when we descended into the plain, they repelled

When we descended into the valley, they repelled

our vanguard, so we turned back in a throng.

Our warriors, so we retreated in defeat

وَقامَ لَنا بِبَطنِ القاعِ صيقٌ

وَقامَ لَنا بِبَطنِ القاعِ صيقٌ

فَخَلّى الوازِعونَ لَنا السَبيلا

فَخَلّى الوازِعونَ لَنا السَبيلا

And dust rose before us in the midst of the plain,

Angry cries arose in the valley's midst

so the restrainers cleared the way for us.

And the appeasers cleared a path for our retreat

فَأَدرَكنا دُعاهُم مِن بَعيدٍ

فَأَدرَكنا دُعاهُم مِن بَعيدٍ

نَهتَزُّ البيضَ يَشفينَ الغَليلا

نَهتَزُّ البيضَ يَشفينَ الغَليلا

Then their cry reached us from far away,

From afar, we heard their call to arms

as we brandished white blades that quenched our burning thirst.

Swords clanging, refreshing for the embittered

فَأَيّاً ما رَأَيتَ نَظَرتَ طِرفاً

فَأَيّاً ما رَأَيتَ نَظَرتَ طِرفاً

عَلَيهِ الطَيرَ مُنعَفِراً تَليلا

عَلَيهِ الطَيرَ مُنعَفِراً تَليلا

Wherever you looked, you saw a noble horse

Wherever you looked, you saw flocks

with birds upon it, thrown down in the dust.

Of birds taking alarmed flight

فَلَمّا أَن رَأَيتُ القَومَ فَلّوا

فَلَمّا أَن رَأَيتُ القَومَ فَلّوا

فَلا رِنداً قَبَضتُ وَلا فَتيلا

فَلا رِنداً قَبَضتُ وَلا فَتيلا

Then, when I saw the men scatter,

When I saw the people turn and flee

I took neither laurel nor even a date-stone fiber.

I grasped neither spear nor kindling

حَبَكتُ مَلاءَتي العَلِيّا كَأَنّي

حَبَكتُ مَلاءَتي العَلِيّا كَأَنّي

حَبَكتُ بِها قُطامِياً هَزيلا

حَبَكتُ بِها قُطامِياً هَزيلا

I bound my upper cloak tightly, as though

I gathered up my robe train as if

I had bound a lean falcon within it.

I'd gathered up the train of an emaciated camel

كَأَنَّ مِلاءَتي عَلى هِجَفٍّ

كَأَنَّ مِلاءَتي عَلى هِجَفٍّ

أَحَسَّ عَشِيَّةً ريحاً بَليلا

أَحَسَّ عَشِيَّةً ريحاً بَليلا

As though my cloak lay on a hulking male ostrich

As if my robe, sensing evening winds

that felt a cold, damp wind at evening;

In the night, had felt a slight chill

عَلى حَثِّ البَرايَةِ زَمخَرِيِّ ال

عَلى حَثِّ البَرايَةِ زَمخَرِيِّ ال

السَواعِدِ يَنبَري رَتَكاً زَليلا

السَواعِدِ يَنبَري رَتَكاً زَليلا

on a fleet-built creature, reed-like in its

Galloping uphill on my steed Zamkharee

limbs, darting forth in a swift, gliding trot.

With muscular forelegs, rising unsteadily

وَأَدبَرَ عايِذُ البَقمي شَدّاً

وَأَدبَرَ عايِذُ البَقمي شَدّاً

يَكُدُّ الصَمدَ وَالحَزَنَ الرَحيلا

يَكُدُّ الصَمدَ وَالحَزَنَ الرَحيلا

And ‘Āyidh al-Baqmī turned and ran hard,

Al-Baqmi fled for protection, departing

toiling in flight over high, rugged ground.

With grief and sorrow for the departure

وَغادَرَنا وَغادَرَ مَولِيانا

وَغادَرَنا وَغادَرَ مَولِيانا

بِقاعَ أَبيدَةِ الوَغمَ الطَويلا

بِقاعَ أَبيدَةِ الوَغمَ الطَويلا

And we left behind, as did our two allies,

He left us and left our allies

long-lasting rancor on the plain of Abīdah.

In the Abida valley of prolonged gloom