حَولي تَنفُضُ اِستُكَ مِذرَوَيها

حَولي تَنفُضُ اِستُكَ مِذرَوَيها

لِتَقتُلَني فَها أَنا ذا عُمارا

لِتَقتُلَني فَها أَنا ذا عُمارا

Around me your arse shakes its two cheeks,

Around me your spears quiver

To kill me—so here I am, ʿUmāra!

To kill me, yet here I stand, still alive

مَتى ما تَلقَني فَردَينِ تَرجُف

مَتى ما تَلقَني فَردَينِ تَرجُف

رَوانِفُ أَليَتَيكَ وَتُستَطارا

رَوانِفُ أَليَتَيكَ وَتُستَطارا

Whenever you meet me, one against one, they tremble—

Whenever you charge at me, my steed trembles

The lower folds of your buttocks—and you are panic-stricken.

The wings of your vultures flutter and are deployed

وَسَيفي صارِمٌ قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ

وَسَيفي صارِمٌ قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ

أَشاجِعُ لا تَرى فيها اِنتِشارا

أَشاجِعُ لا تَرى فيها اِنتِشارا

And my sword is keen, gripped

My sword is sharp, I grasp it

By knuckles in which you see no slackness.

A fierce weapon that knows no retreat

وَسَيفي كَالعَقيقَةِ وَهوَ كِمعي

وَسَيفي كَالعَقيقَةِ وَهوَ كِمعي

سِلاحي لا أَفَلَّ وَلا فُطارا

سِلاحي لا أَفَلَّ وَلا فُطارا

And my sword is like lightning, and is my bedfellow—

My sword is like carnelian and it glistens like water

My weapon, neither notched nor cracked.

My weapon that never fails nor breaks

وَكَالوَرَقِ الخِفافِ وَذاتُ غَربٍ

وَكَالوَرَقِ الخِفافِ وَذاتُ غَربٍ

تَرى فيها عَنِ الشِرَعِ اِزوِرارا

تَرى فيها عَنِ الشِرَعِ اِزوِرارا

And armor like light leaves, and a bow with powerful cast,

As light as a leaf, yet fierce in combat

In which you see a curve away from the bowstrings.

You see it flash and swerve from the law

وَمُطَّرِدُ الكُعوبِ أَحَصُّ صَدقٌ

وَمُطَّرِدُ الكُعوبِ أَحَصُّ صَدقٌ

تَخالُ سِنانَهُ بِاللَيلِ نارا

تَخالُ سِنانَهُ بِاللَيلِ نارا

And a smooth, stout spear, with evenly spaced joints,

The charger of the heights, its truth proven

Whose point you would take for fire at night.

Its blades in the night seem like fire

سَتَعلَمُ أَيِّنا لِلمَوتِ أَدنى

سَتَعلَمُ أَيِّنا لِلمَوتِ أَدنى

إِذا دانَيتَ لي الأَسَلَ الحِرارا

إِذا دانَيتَ لي الأَسَلَ الحِرارا

You will learn which of us is closer to death,

You will know which of us is closer to death

When you bring the keen spears close to me.

When you bring the hot iron near me

وَلِلرُعيانِ في لُقُحٍ ثَمانٍ

وَلِلرُعيانِ في لُقُحٍ ثَمانٍ

تُحادِثُهُنَّ صَرّاً أَو غِرارا

تُحادِثُهُنَّ صَرّاً أَو غِرارا

And among the herdsmen's eight milch camels,

And for the sheep in Luqah numbering eight

Which you tend, binding their teats or drawing scant milk,

I converse with them intensely or softly

أَقامَ عَلى حَسيسَتِهِنَّ حَتّى

أَقامَ عَلى حَسيسَتِهِنَّ حَتّى

لَقِحنَ وَنَتَّجَ الأُخَرَ العِشارا

لَقِحنَ وَنَتَّجَ الأُخَرَ العِشارا

He remained attentive to their faint sounds until

He stayed over their fertile pastures

They conceived, and he helped the other ten-month-pregnant camels calve.

Until they were impregnated and bore offspring

وَقِظنَ عَلى لَصافِ وَهُنَّ غُلبٌ

وَقِظنَ عَلى لَصافِ وَهُنَّ غُلبٌ

تَرِنُّ مُتونُها لَيلاً ظُؤارا

تَرِنُّ مُتونُها لَيلاً ظُؤارا

And they summered at Laṣāf, thick-necked,

They woke up in the dense grasses, overwhelmed

Their backs ring out at night as they nurse foster-calves.

Their udders swelling in the night

وَمَنجوبٌ لَهُ مِنهُنَّ صَرعٌ

وَمَنجوبٌ لَهُ مِنهُنَّ صَرعٌ

يَميلُ إِذا عَدَلتَ بِهِ الشَوارا

يَميلُ إِذا عَدَلتَ بِهِ الشَوارا

And a bark-tanned shield, with a portion of their hide,

And one of them has epilepsy from this

Which tilts when you balance the gear against it,

It staggers when you startle it

أَقَلُّ عَلَيكَ ضَرّاً مِن قَريحٍ

أَقَلُّ عَلَيكَ ضَرّاً مِن قَريحٍ

إِذا أَصحابُهُ ذَمَروهُ سارا

إِذا أَصحابُهُ ذَمَروهُ سارا

Is less harmful to you than a wounded fighter,

I am less harmful to you than a professional poet

Who advances when his companions spur him on.

When his friends reproach him, he travels by night

وَخَيلٍ قَد دَلَفتُ لَها بِخَيلٍ

وَخَيلٍ قَد دَلَفتُ لَها بِخَيلٍ

عَلَيها الأُسدُ تَهتَصِرُ اِهتِصارا

عَلَيها الأُسدُ تَهتَصِرُ اِهتِصارا

And I have advanced against cavalry with cavalry,

And horses I have confronted with horses

With lions upon them, rending fiercely.

Upon them the lion pants heavily