وَلنا قُراسِيَةٌ تَظَلُّ خَواضِعاً

وَلنا قُراسِيَةٌ تَظَلُّ خَواضِعاً

مِنهُ مَخافَتَهُ القُرومُ البُزَّلُ

مِنهُ مَخافَتَهُ القُرومُ البُزَّلُ

And we have a mighty camel-bull; all day they remain humbled—

We have a fortress that remains submissive

The mature bulls, before him, in fear of him.

It is feared by the cowardly and worthless people

مُتَخَمِّطٌ قَطِمٌ لَهُ عادِيَّةٌ

مُتَخَمِّطٌ قَطِمٌ لَهُ عادِيَّةٌ

فيها الفَراقِدُ وَالسِماكُ الأَعزَلُ

فيها الفَراقِدُ وَالسِماكُ الأَعزَلُ

Raging and lustful, he has a charging host,

Disheveled and small yet it has plains

Within it are the Farqad stars and Simak the Unarmed.

Wherein rest the brave and unarmed heroes

ضَخمِ المَناكِبِ تَحتَ شَجرِ شُؤونِهِ

ضَخمِ المَناكِبِ تَحتَ شَجرِ شُؤونِهِ

نابٌ إِذا ضَغَمَ الفُحولَةَ مِقصَلُ

نابٌ إِذا ضَغَمَ الفُحولَةَ مِقصَلُ

Massive-shouldered; beneath his interlacing skull sutures

Under the shade of its great trees

Is a fang that shears when he bites the camel bulls.

Are teeth that bite the brave men during war

وَإِذا دَعَوتُ بَني فُقَيمٍ جاءَني

وَإِذا دَعَوتُ بَني فُقَيمٍ جاءَني

مَجرٌ لَهُ العَدَدُ الَّذي لا يُعدَلُ

مَجرٌ لَهُ العَدَدُ الَّذي لا يُعدَلُ

And when I call the sons of Fuqaym, there comes to me

Whenever I call on the people of Fuqaym

A vast army whose numbers cannot be matched.

Hordes come that cannot be counted

وَإِذا الرَبائِعُ جاءَني دُفّاعُها

وَإِذا الرَبائِعُ جاءَني دُفّاعُها

مَوجاً كَأَنَّهُمُ الجَرادُ المُرسَلُ

مَوجاً كَأَنَّهُمُ الجَرادُ المُرسَلُ

And when the Raba'iʿ's surging host comes to me,

And when the spring's flowers come calling

In a wave, as though they were locusts unleashed.

They flow like unleashed locusts

هَذا وَفي عَدَوِيَّتي جُرثومَةٌ

هَذا وَفي عَدَوِيَّتي جُرثومَةٌ

صَعبٌ مَناكِبُها نِيافٌ عَيطَلُ

صَعبٌ مَناكِبُها نِيافٌ عَيطَلُ

Besides this, among my ʿAdawi kin is a rooted stock,

And in my cavalry there is a strong mare

Unassailable in its shoulders, lofty and towering.

Whose shoulders are unyielding and eyes piercing

وَإِذا البَراجِمُ بِالقُرومِ تَخاطَروا

وَإِذا البَراجِمُ بِالقُرومِ تَخاطَروا

حَولي بِأَغلَبَ عِزَّهُ لا يُنزَلُ

حَولي بِأَغلَبَ عِزَّهُ لا يُنزَلُ

And when the Barajim vie in daring with their camel bulls,

And when the champions challenge the cavalry

They stand around me with a thick-necked lion whose might cannot be brought low.

They rally around me and do not retreat

وَإِذا بَذَختُ وَرايَتي يَمشي بِها

وَإِذا بَذَختُ وَرايَتي يَمشي بِها

سُفيانُ أَو عُدسُ الفَعالِ وَجَندَلُ

سُفيانُ أَو عُدسُ الفَعالِ وَجَندَلُ

And when I boast, my banner is borne forth

And when I flaunt my banner carried

By Sufyan, or ʿUds of noble deeds, and Jandal.

By Sufyan and Udas the valiant and Jandal

الأَكثَرونَ إِذا يُعَدُّ حَصاهُمُ

الأَكثَرونَ إِذا يُعَدُّ حَصاهُمُ

وَالأَكرَمونَ إِذا يُعَدُّ الأَوَّلُ

وَالأَكرَمونَ إِذا يُعَدُّ الأَوَّلُ

The most numerous when their pebbles are counted,

The greatest in number when counted

And the noblest when the foremost are reckoned.

And the most honorable when ranked first

وَزَحَلتَ عَن عَتَبِ الطَريقِ وَلَم تَجِد

وَزَحَلتَ عَن عَتَبِ الطَريقِ وَلَم تَجِد

قَدَماكَ حَيثُ تَقومُ سُدَّ المَنقَلُ

قَدَماكَ حَيثُ تَقومُ سُدَّ المَنقَلُ

And you retreated from the road's ledges and found no place

You missed your step and could not stand

For your feet to stand; the passage was blocked.

Where you stopped at the mountain pass

إِنَّ الزِحامَ لِغَيرِكُم فَتَحَيَّنوا

إِنَّ الزِحامَ لِغَيرِكُم فَتَحَيَّنوا

وِردَ العَشِيِّ إِلَيهِ يَخلو المَنهَلُ

وِردَ العَشِيِّ إِلَيهِ يَخلو المَنهَلُ

Indeed, the jostling is for others than you, so await

The crowds are not yours so wait

The evening watering there, when the watering-place is empty.

Till evening comes and the watering hole is empty

حُلَلُ المُلوكِ لِباسُنا في أَهلِنا

حُلَلُ المُلوكِ لِباسُنا في أَهلِنا

وَالسابِغاتِ إِلى الوَغى نَتَسَربَلُ

وَالسابِغاتِ إِلى الوَغى نَتَسَربَلُ

Kings' robes are our dress among our own people,

The garb of kings is our clothes among our people

And for battle we clothe ourselves in full-length mail.

And we don the thick robes for battle

أَحلامُنا تَزِنُ الجِبالَ رَزانَةً

أَحلامُنا تَزِنُ الجِبالَ رَزانَةً

وَتَخالُنا جِنّاً إِذا ما نَجهَلُ

وَتَخالُنا جِنّاً إِذا ما نَجهَلُ

Our forbearance weighs as heavily as mountains,

Our dreams can move mountains steadily

And you would think us jinn when we rage.

And our imaginations are like ghosts when perplexed

فَاِدفَع بِكَفِّكَ إِن أَرَدتَ بِناءَنا

فَاِدفَع بِكَفِّكَ إِن أَرَدتَ بِناءَنا

ثَهلانَ ذا الهَضَباتِ هَل يَتَحَلحَلُ

ثَهلانَ ذا الهَضَباتِ هَل يَتَحَلحَلُ

So push with your palm, if our edifice is your target:

So repel with your palm if you want our edifice

Thahlan, with its rocky heights—does it budge?

This slippery rugged terrain, will it shake?

وَأَنا اِبنُ حَنظَلَةَ الأَغَرُّ وَإِنَّني

وَأَنا اِبنُ حَنظَلَةَ الأَغَرُّ وَإِنَّني

في آلِ ضَبَّةَ لَلمُعَمُّ المُخوَلُ

في آلِ ضَبَّةَ لَلمُعَمُّ المُخوَلُ

And I am Hanzalah's illustrious son, and indeed,

I am the son of Hanthalah the most courageous

Among Dabbah's kin, I have noble paternal and maternal uncles.

And I am among the eminent knights of Dabba

فَرعانِ قَد بَلَغَ السَماءَ ذُراهُما

فَرعانِ قَد بَلَغَ السَماءَ ذُراهُما

وَإِلَيهِما مِن كُلِّ خَوفٍ يُعقَلُ

وَإِلَيهِما مِن كُلِّ خَوفٍ يُعقَلُ

Two branches whose summits have indeed reached the sky,

Whose offspring have reached the sky in fame

And to them both one turns for refuge from every fear.

And to whom every fear is shackled