أَعاذلَ عُدَّتي بَزّي وَرُمحي

أَعاذلَ عُدَّتي بَزّي وَرُمحي

وكلُّ مُقَلِّصٍ سَلِسِ القِيادِ

وكلُّ مُقَلِّصٍ سَلِسِ القِيادِ

O reproacher, my equipment is my armor and my spear,

My weapons - spear and polished sword - protect me,

and every long-legged steed, obedient to the reins.

And every tight-reined swift steed is my ally.

أَعاذلَ إِنَّما أفنى شبابي

أَعاذلَ إِنَّما أفنى شبابي

إِجابتي الصَريخ إلى المُنادي

إِجابتي الصَريخ إلى المُنادي

O reproacher, only this consumed my youth:

Yet though in youth I wasted all my prime,

my answering the cry for help, going to the caller,

My voice still answers those who raise the cry.

مع الأَبطال حتى سُلَّ جسمي

مع الأَبطال حتى سُلَّ جسمي

وأَقرَح عاتقي حَملُ النِّجادِ

وأَقرَح عاتقي حَملُ النِّجادِ

with the champions, until my body wasted away,

With heroes have I stood till flesh was hacked

and bearing the sword-belt chafed my shoulder raw.

And shoulder furrowed by the arrow’s slide,

وَيبقى بعد حِلمِ القومِ حِلمي

وَيبقى بعد حِلمِ القومِ حِلمي

ويفني قبل زادِ القومِ زادي

ويفني قبل زادِ القومِ زادي

And my forbearance outlasts the company's forbearance,

Wisdom remains when men have spent their wrath,

and my provisions run out before the company's provisions.

My provisions ere my people’s own provide.

ومن عَجَبٍ عجبتُ له حديثٌ

ومن عَجَبٍ عجبتُ له حديثٌ

بديعٌ ليس من بِدَعِ السَّدادِ

بديعٌ ليس من بِدَعِ السَّدادِ

And among the wonders I marveled at is a tale,

Amazed was I by one whose fluent speech -

a strange one, not an invention of sound judgment:

No mere vaunt flowing from an empty pate -

تَمَنَّى أَن يلاقيني قُييسٌ

تَمَنَّى أَن يلاقيني قُييسٌ

وَدِدتُ وأينما منّي وِدادي

وَدِدتُ وأينما منّي وِدادي

Quyays wished to meet me;

Expressed a wish that he with Qusayr meet.

I wished—but how far from me is my wish!

Wherever was my love, I wished him well.

تَمَنَّاني وسابغتي قميصي

تَمَنَّاني وسابغتي قميصي

كأَنَّ قَتِيرَها حَدَقُ الجَرَادِ

كأَنَّ قَتِيرَها حَدَقُ الجَرَادِ

He wished to face me, while my full-length mail is my shirt,

He wished to meet me clad in my best clothes

as though its rivets were the eyes of locusts.

As though their patches were a locust’s wing.

وسيفٌ من لَدُن كنعانَ عندي

وسيفٌ من لَدُن كنعانَ عندي

تُخُيِّرَ نَصلُهُ من عهدِ عادِ

تُخُيِّرَ نَصلُهُ من عهدِ عادِ

And I have a sword from Canaan's day,

A sword I have, a Canaan blade that flows

its blade carefully chosen in the age of ‘Ad.

From furnace fires in bygone days of Ad.

فَلو لاقيتني لَلَقِيتَ ليثاً

فَلو لاقيتني لَلَقِيتَ ليثاً

هَصُوراً ذا ظُباً وشَباً حِدادِ

هَصُوراً ذا ظُباً وشَباً حِدادِ

So had you met me, you would surely have met a lion,

Had he met me, a fierce enraged lion

a mauler armed with sharp edges and points.

Of dreadful onset and sharp biting tooth

ولاستيقنت أَنَّ الموت حقٌّ

ولاستيقنت أَنَّ الموت حقٌّ

وصَرَّحَ شحمُ قلبِكَ عن سوادِ

وصَرَّحَ شحمُ قلبِكَ عن سوادِ

And you would have known for certain that death is real,

He had met. And had he known death’s certainty

and your heart's fat would have melted away, exposing its black core.

And that his fat heart from all blackness shone,

أُريدُ حَياتَهُ وَيُريد قَتلي

أُريدُ حَياتَهُ وَيُريد قَتلي

عَذِيرَكَ من خليلِكَ من مُرادِ

عَذِيرَكَ من خليلِكَ من مُرادِ

I wish him life, while he wishes to kill me;

My life he sought and I sought his demise.

who will excuse you concerning your friend from Murad?

Seek pardon of your friend for your intent!