أَلا اِستَهزَأَت مِنّي هُنَيدَةُ أَن رَأَت

أَلا اِستَهزَأَت مِنّي هُنَيدَةُ أَن رَأَت

أَسيراً يُداني خَطوَهُ حَلَقُ الحِجلِ

أَسيراً يُداني خَطوَهُ حَلَقُ الحِجلِ

Ah, Hunayda mocked me because she saw

Alas! Hinaydah scoffed at me when she saw me

a captive whose stride the rings of his fetter shorten.

A captive whose steps were fettered in shackles

وَلَو عَلِمَت أَنَّ الوَثاقَ أَشَدُّهُ

وَلَو عَلِمَت أَنَّ الوَثاقَ أَشَدُّهُ

إِلى النارِ قالَت لي مَقالَةَ ذي عَقلِ

إِلى النارِ قالَت لي مَقالَةَ ذي عَقلِ

And had she known that the harshest bonds

Had she known that my bonds are the strongest

bind one to the Fire, she would have spoken to me with sense.

Towards the Fire, she would have spoken wisely

لَعَمري لَئِن قَيَّدتُ نَفسي لَطالَما

لَعَمري لَئِن قَيَّدتُ نَفسي لَطالَما

سَعَيتُ وَأَوضَعتُ المَطِيَّةَ لِلجَهلِ

سَعَيتُ وَأَوضَعتُ المَطِيَّةَ لِلجَهلِ

By my life, though I have fettered myself, many a time

By my life! If I restrain myself, for long have I

I hastened and drove my mount swiftly in pursuit of folly.

Strived and guided the she-camel towards ignorance

ثَلاثينَ عاماً لا أَرى مِن عَمايَةٍ

ثَلاثينَ عاماً لا أَرى مِن عَمايَةٍ

إِذا بَرَقَت إِلّا شَدَدتُ لَها رَحلي

إِذا بَرَقَت إِلّا شَدَدتُ لَها رَحلي

For thirty years, I never saw a blind folly

For thirty years I see not any glimpse

flash forth without fastening my saddle for it.

Except I strengthen my saddle for it

أَتَتني أَحاديثُ البَعيثِ وَدونَهُ

أَتَتني أَحاديثُ البَعيثِ وَدونَهُ

زَرودٌ فَشاماتُ الشَقيقِ إِلى الرَملِ

زَرودٌ فَشاماتُ الشَقيقِ إِلى الرَملِ

Reports of al-Ba'ith reached me; between me and him lay

To me came the talks of al-Baith and after him

Zarud, then the dark patches of al-Shaqiq, as far as al-Raml.

Green chrysolites of chrysocola to the sand

فَقُلتُ أَظَنَّ اِبنُ الخَبيثَةِ أَنَّني

فَقُلتُ أَظَنَّ اِبنُ الخَبيثَةِ أَنَّني

شُغِلتُ عَنِ الرامي الكِنانَةَ بِالنَبلِ

شُغِلتُ عَنِ الرامي الكِنانَةَ بِالنَبلِ

So I said, 'Did the vile woman's son think that I

So I said: I think the son of the wicked woman thought

was distracted from the man shooting arrows at the quiver?'

That I was diverted from shooting arrows with skill

فَإِن يَكُ قَيدي كانَ نَذراً نَذَرتُهُ

فَإِن يَكُ قَيدي كانَ نَذراً نَذَرتُهُ

فَما بِيَ عَن أَحسابِ قَومِيَ مِن شُغلِ

فَما بِيَ عَن أَحسابِ قَومِيَ مِن شُغلِ

If my fetter was a vow I vowed,

If my fetters were a vow I vowed

then I am not distracted from my people's ancestral honor.

Then I have no distraction from my people's accounts

أَنا الضامِنُ الراعي عَلَيهِم وَإِنَّما

أَنا الضامِنُ الراعي عَلَيهِم وَإِنَّما

يُدافِعُ عَن أَحسابِهِم أَنا أَو مِثلي

يُدافِعُ عَن أَحسابِهِم أَنا أَو مِثلي

I am the guarantor who watches over them; only

I am the guarantor, the guardian over them

I, or one like me, defend their ancestral honor.

It is I or the like of me who defends their accounts

وَلَو ضاعَ ما قالوا اِرعَ مِنّا وَجَدتَهُم

وَلَو ضاعَ ما قالوا اِرعَ مِنّا وَجَدتَهُم

شِحاحاً عَلى الغالي مِنَ الحَسَبِ الجَزلِ

شِحاحاً عَلى الغالي مِنَ الحَسَبِ الجَزلِ

If what they charged me to guard of theirs were lost, you would find them

Had they lost what they said "Graze from us" you would find them

jealously protective of what is precious in their rich ancestral honor.

Miserly with the precious thing from the esteemed lineage

إِذا ما رَضوا مِنّي إِذا كُنتُ ضامِناً

إِذا ما رَضوا مِنّي إِذا كُنتُ ضامِناً

بِأَحسابِ قَومي في الجِبالِ وَفي السَهلِ

بِأَحسابِ قَومي في الجِبالِ وَفي السَهلِ

If they are content with me when I stand surety

When they approved of me as the guarantor

for my people's ancestral honor in the mountains and on the plain,

Of my people's accounts in the mountains and in the plains

فَمَهما أَعِش لا يُضمِنوني وَلا أَضَع

فَمَهما أَعِش لا يُضمِنوني وَلا أَضَع

لَهُم حَسَباً ما حَرَّكَت قَدَمي نَعلي

لَهُم حَسَباً ما حَرَّكَت قَدَمي نَعلي

then, as long as I live, they shall not hold me liable, nor shall I diminish

However long I live, they will not guarantee me, nor will I

their ancestral honor, so long as my foot moves my sandal.

Put down accounts for them, as long as my slipper moves

وَلَستُ إِذا ثارَ الغُبارُ عَلى اِمرِئٍ

وَلَستُ إِذا ثارَ الغُبارُ عَلى اِمرِئٍ

غَداةَ الرِهانِ بِالبَطيءِ وَلا الوَغلِ

غَداةَ الرِهانِ بِالبَطيءِ وَلا الوَغلِ

And I am not, when dust rises over a man

And I will not be, when the dust rises over a man,

on the morning of the contest, a laggard or a weakling.

The next morning after the wager, with the slow or stumbling

وَلَكِن تَرى لي غايَةُ المَجدِ سابِقاً

وَلَكِن تَرى لي غايَةُ المَجدِ سابِقاً

إِذا الخَيلُ قادَتها الجِيادُ مَعَ الفَحلِ

إِذا الخَيلُ قادَتها الجِيادُ مَعَ الفَحلِ

But glory's finishing post sees a front-runner in me

Rather you see for me the utmost glory preceding

when fine steeds, with the stallion, lead the horses.

When the steeds are led by the excellent stallions

وَحَولَكَ أَقوامٌ رَدَدتَ عُقولَهُم

وَحَولَكَ أَقوامٌ رَدَدتَ عُقولَهُم

عَلَيهِم لَكانوا كَالفَراشِ مِنَ الجَهلِ

عَلَيهِم لَكانوا كَالفَراشِ مِنَ الجَهلِ

And around you are people who, were you to give their minds back

And around you are people whose minds you returned

to them, would be like moths in their ignorance.

To them, they would be like the moth in ignorance