لَولا يَدا بِشرِ بنِ مَروانَ لَم أُبَل

لَولا يَدا بِشرِ بنِ مَروانَ لَم أُبَل

تَكَثُّرَ غَيظٍ في فُؤادِ المُهَلَّبِ

تَكَثُّرَ غَيظٍ في فُؤادِ المُهَلَّبِ

Were it not for Bishr ibn Marwan's generous hands, I would not care

Had it not been for the hand of Bishr son of Marwan, I would not have suffered

about the mounting anger in al-Muhallab's heart.

The swelling of rage in the heart of the afflicted one

فَإِن تُغلِقِ الأَبوابَ دوني وَتَحتَجِب

فَإِن تُغلِقِ الأَبوابَ دوني وَتَحتَجِب

فَما لِيَ مِن أُمٍّ بِغافٍ وَلا أَبِ

فَما لِيَ مِن أُمٍّ بِغافٍ وَلا أَبِ

So if you shut the doors against me and hide yourself,

If you close the doors before me and veil yourself

I have no mother in Ghaf, nor any father.

Then I have neither a heedless mother nor father

وَلَكِنَّ أَهلَ القَريَتَينِ عَشيرَتي

وَلَكِنَّ أَهلَ القَريَتَينِ عَشيرَتي

وَلَيسوا بَوادٍ مِن عُمانَ مُصَوِّبِ

وَلَيسوا بَوادٍ مِن عُمانَ مُصَوِّبِ

But the people of the two towns are my kin,

But the people of the two villages are my kinsmen

and they are not in a downward-sloping valley of Oman.

And they are not a valley folk of Oman, aiming straight

غَطاريفُ مِن قَيسٍ مَتى أَدعُ فيهُمِ

غَطاريفُ مِن قَيسٍ مَتى أَدعُ فيهُمِ

وَخِندَفَ يَأتوا لِلصَريخِ المُثَوِّبِ

وَخِندَفَ يَأتوا لِلصَريخِ المُثَوِّبِ

Noble chiefs of Qays—whenever I call among them

Ghatarif of Qais, whenever I call upon them

and Khindaf, they come to the caller repeating his cry for help.

And Khindif come to the cry of the supple one

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الأَزدَ تَهفو لَحاهُم

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الأَزدَ تَهفو لَحاهُم

حَوالَي مَزَونِيٍّ لَئيمِ المُرَكَّبِ

حَوالَي مَزَونِيٍّ لَئيمِ المُرَكَّبِ

And when I saw the Azd, their beards fluttering

And when I saw the Azd panting, their beards

around a Mazuni of base lineage,

Around a despicable Mezouni, riding the saddle

مُقَلَّدَةً بَعدَ القُلوسِ أَعِنَّةً

مُقَلَّدَةً بَعدَ القُلوسِ أَعِنَّةً

عَجِبتُ وَمَن يَسمَع بِذَلِكَ يَعجَبِ

عَجِبتُ وَمَن يَسمَع بِذَلِكَ يَعجَبِ

hung with reins where once there were ships' ropes,

Wearing braids after the helmets, helpless

I was astonished—and whoever hears of it will be astonished.

I wondered and whoever hears of this will wonder

تَغُمُّ أُنوفاً لَم تَكُن عَرَبِيَّةً

تَغُمُّ أُنوفاً لَم تَكُن عَرَبِيَّةً

لَحى نَبَطٍ أَفواهُها لَم تُعَرَّبِ

لَحى نَبَطٍ أَفواهُها لَم تُعَرَّبِ

They cover noses that were never Arab—

Frowning noses that were not Arabian

Nabataean beards, whose mouths have not been Arabized.

The beards of Nabataeans, their mouths not Arabized

فَكَيفَ وَلَم يَأتوا بِمَكَّةَ مَنسِكاً

فَكَيفَ وَلَم يَأتوا بِمَكَّةَ مَنسِكاً

وَلَم يَعبُدوا الأَوثانَ عِندَ المُحَصِّبِ

وَلَم يَعبُدوا الأَوثانَ عِندَ المُحَصِّبِ

How could they be Arab, when they never visited a shrine in Mecca,

How could they not come to Mecca for pilgrimage

nor worshipped idols at al-Muhassab?

And worship idols at the stoning place

وَلَم يَدعُ داعٍ يا صَباحاً فَيَركَبوا

وَلَم يَدعُ داعٍ يا صَباحاً فَيَركَبوا

إِلى الرَوعِ إِلّا في السَفينِ المُضَبَّبِ

إِلى الرَوعِ إِلّا في السَفينِ المُضَبَّبِ

Nor did a caller cry, 'Alarm at dawn!', for them to ride

And no caller called, "O morning!" so they rode

into the terror of battle, except in iron-clamped ships.

To panic except in a daubed ship

وَما وُجِعَت أَزدِيَّةٌ مِن خِتانَةٍ

وَما وُجِعَت أَزدِيَّةٌ مِن خِتانَةٍ

وَلا شَرِبَت في جِلدِ حَوبٍ مُعَلَّبِ

وَلا شَرِبَت في جِلدِ حَوبٍ مُعَلَّبِ

Nor has an Azdi woman felt pain from circumcision,

No Azdiya was stung by a circumciser

nor drunk from a camel-hide vessel reinforced with bindings.

Nor drank in the skin of Khubb, flavored

وَما اِنتابَها القُنّاصُ بِالبَيضِ وَالجَنا

وَما اِنتابَها القُنّاصُ بِالبَيضِ وَالجَنا

وَلا أَكَلَت فَوزَ المَنيحِ المُعَقَّبِ

وَلا أَكَلَت فَوزَ المَنيحِ المُعَقَّبِ

Nor have hunters visited her with eggs and gathered fruit,

She was not visited by the hunter with eggs and ostriches

nor has she eaten the winnings of the Manih arrow borrowed time and again.

Nor ate the claws of Manih, tracked

وَلا سَمَكَت عَنها سَماءً وَليدَةٌ

وَلا سَمَكَت عَنها سَماءً وَليدَةٌ

مَظَلَّةُ أَعرابِيَّةٍ فَوقَ أَسقُبِ

مَظَلَّةُ أَعرابِيَّةٍ فَوقَ أَسقُبِ

Nor has a slave-girl raised a roof above her—

Nor did a weaned sky rain over her

a Bedouin woman's canopy upon poles.

A shaded Bedouin woman above the rooftop

وَلا أَوقَدَت ناراً لِيَعشُوَ مُدلِجٌ

وَلا أَوقَدَت ناراً لِيَعشُوَ مُدلِجٌ

إِلَيها وَلَم يُسمَع لَها صَوتُ أَكلُبِ

إِلَيها وَلَم يُسمَع لَها صَوتُ أَكلُبِ

Nor has she lit a fire for a night traveler to follow its glow

Nor did she light a fire for a kindler

toward her, nor has the sound of her dogs been heard.

To approach her, nor was the barking of dogs heard by her

وَلا نَثَرَ الجاني ثِباناً أَمامَها

وَلا نَثَرَ الجاني ثِباناً أَمامَها

وَلا اِنتَقَلَت مِن رَهبَةٍ سَيلَ مِذنَبِ

وَلا اِنتَقَلَت مِن رَهبَةٍ سَيلَ مِذنَبِ

Nor has a fruit-picker scattered lapfuls before her,

Nor did the criminal scatter thorns before her

nor has she moved camp for fear of a watercourse's flood.

Nor did she move in fright, a flood of tail

وَلا أَرقَصَ الراعي إِلَيها مُعَجِّلاً

وَلا أَرقَصَ الراعي إِلَيها مُعَجِّلاً

بِوَطبِ لِقاحٍ أَو سَطيحَةِ مُعزِبِ

بِوَطبِ لِقاحٍ أَو سَطيحَةِ مُعزِبِ

Nor has the herdsman made his mount prance toward her in haste,

Nor did the shepherd dance hastily toward her

with a skin of camel milk, or the waterskin of a herdsman at distant pasture.

With the gait of copulation or a meadow's isolation