وَلَستُ بِنائِلٍ قَمَرَ الثُرَيّا

وَلَستُ بِنائِلٍ قَمَرَ الثُرَيّا

وَلا جَبَلي الَّذي فَرَعَ الهِضابا

وَلا جَبَلي الَّذي فَرَعَ الهِضابا

And I cannot attain the moon of the Pleiades,

I do not seek the moon of Thurayya,

Nor my mountain, which towers above the hills.

Nor my lofty mountain which towered above the hills.

أَتَطلُبُ يا حِمارَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

أَتَطلُبُ يا حِمارَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

بِعانَتِكَ اللَهاميمَ الرِغابا

بِعانَتِكَ اللَهاميمَ الرِغابا

Do you challenge, O ass of Banu Kulayb,

Do you, O donkey of Bani Kulaib,

With your herd of wild asses, the mighty, bountiful chiefs?

Seek with your miserable braying, the pastures?

وَتَعدِلُ دارِماً بِبَني كُلَيبٍ

وَتَعدِلُ دارِماً بِبَني كُلَيبٍ

وَتَعدِلُ بِالمُفَقّئَةِ السِبابا

وَتَعدِلُ بِالمُفَقّئَةِ السِبابا

And equate Darim with Banu Kulayb,

And claim equality with Darim of Bani Kulaib,

And set insults on a par with the Eye-Gougers?

And with Al-Mufaqqi'a the Cursing?

فَقُبِّحَ شَرُّ حَيَّينا قَديماً

فَقُبِّحَ شَرُّ حَيَّينا قَديماً

وَأَصغَرُهُ إِذا اِغتَرَفوا ذِنابا

وَأَصغَرُهُ إِذا اِغتَرَفوا ذِنابا

So cursed be the worse of our two clans of old,

Evil is the worst of our two settlements from old,

And its lesser one, when they scoop up the dregs.

And the smallest of them, when they draw buckets.

وَلَم تَرِثِ الفَوارِسِ مِن عُبَيدٍ

وَلَم تَرِثِ الفَوارِسِ مِن عُبَيدٍ

وَلا شَبَثاً وَرِثتَ وَلا شِهابا

وَلا شَبَثاً وَرِثتَ وَلا شِهابا

And you did not inherit the horsemen from Ubayd,

You have not inherited the horsemen from slaves,

Nor did you inherit Shabath, nor Shihab.

Nor did you inherit Shabath or Shihab.

وَطاحَ اِبنُ المَراغَةِ حينَ مَدَّت

وَطاحَ اِبنُ المَراغَةِ حينَ مَدَّت

أَعِنَّتُنا إِلى الحَسَبِ النِسابا

أَعِنَّتُنا إِلى الحَسَبِ النِسابا

And Ibn al-Maragha fell when

The son of Maragha fell when

Our reins stretched the lineages toward ancestral honor.

Our helpers stretched out to the noble lineage,

وَأَسلَمَهُم وَكانَ كَأُمِّ حِلسٍ

وَأَسلَمَهُم وَكانَ كَأُمِّ حِلسٍ

أَقَرَّت بَعدَ نَزوَتِها فَغابا

أَقَرَّت بَعدَ نَزوَتِها فَغابا

And he abandoned them, and was like Umm Hils:

And submitted them, and he was like Umm Hilas

She acknowledged it after her leap, and he vanished.

Who acknowledged after her rage had passed away.

وَلَمّا مُدَّ بَينَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

وَلَمّا مُدَّ بَينَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

وَبَيني غايَةٌ كَرِهوا النِصابا

وَبَيني غايَةٌ كَرِهوا النِصابا

And when there was stretched between Banu Kulayb

And when between Bani Kulaib

And me a finish line, they disliked the contest.

And me the argument was stretched to the furthest limit,

رَأَوا أَنّا أَحَقُّ بِآلِ سَعدٍ

رَأَوا أَنّا أَحَقُّ بِآلِ سَعدٍ

وَأَنَّ لَنا الحَناظِلَ وَالرِبابا

وَأَنَّ لَنا الحَناظِلَ وَالرِبابا

They saw that we had a greater claim to the house of Sa'd,

They saw that we had more right to the family of Saad,

And that ours were the Hanazil and al-Ribab,

And that ours were the Hanajil and the Rijab,

وَأَنَّ لَنا بَني عَمروٍ عَلَيهِم

وَأَنَّ لَنا بَني عَمروٍ عَلَيهِم

لَنا عَدَدٌ مِنَ الأَثَرَينِ ثابا

لَنا عَدَدٌ مِنَ الأَثَرَينِ ثابا

And that Banu Amr were ours against them;

And that we had against them the Bani ‘Amr,

A host from both ancestral lines rallied to us.

We had from the ruins a structure which was rebuilt.

ذُبابٌ طارَ في لَهَواتِ لَيثٍ

ذُبابٌ طارَ في لَهَواتِ لَيثٍ

كَذاكَ اللَيثُ يَلتَهِمُ الذُبابا

كَذاكَ اللَيثُ يَلتَهِمُ الذُبابا

A fly flew into a lion's throat;

Flies buzzed around in the vanity of a lion -

Thus the lion devours flies.

Thus does the lion devour the flies.

هِزَبرٌ يَرفِتُ القَصَراتِ رَفتاً

هِزَبرٌ يَرفِتُ القَصَراتِ رَفتاً

أَبى لِعُداتِهِ إِلّا اِغتِصابا

أَبى لِعُداتِهِ إِلّا اِغتِصابا

A mighty lion, shattering necks to pieces,

Vileness which overthrows the lofty fortresses with force -

He allowed his foes nothing but forcible subjugation.

Refused to let his enemies have anything but pillage.

مِنَ اللائي إِذا أُرهِبنَ زَجراً

مِنَ اللائي إِذا أُرهِبنَ زَجراً

دَنَونَ وَزادَهُنَّ لَهُ اِقتِرابا

دَنَونَ وَزادَهُنَّ لَهُ اِقتِرابا

One of those that, when frightened by shouts,

Of those women, when threatened with rebuke,

Draw near, the shouting bringing them closer to him.

They approached and that increased their coming closer.

أَتَعدِلُ حَومَتي بِبَني كُلَيبٍ

أَتَعدِلُ حَومَتي بِبَني كُلَيبٍ

إِذا بَحرِي رَأَيتَ لَهُ اِضطِرابا

إِذا بَحرِي رَأَيتَ لَهُ اِضطِرابا

Do you equate my deep expanse with Banu Kulayb,

Do you claim equality of my protection with Bani Kulaib

When you see my sea heaving?

When you see my sea raging for it?

تَرومُ لِتَركَبَ الصُعَداءَ مِنهُ

تَرومُ لِتَركَبَ الصُعَداءَ مِنهُ

وَلَو لُقمانُ ساوَرَها لَهابا

وَلَو لُقمانُ ساوَرَها لَهابا

You seek to ride its steep ascent,

You intend to mount the Sua'da of it

And even Luqman, had he grappled with it, would have quailed.

Even if Luqman warned her against the flames.

أَتَت مِن فَوقِهِ الغَمَراتُ مِنهُ

أَتَت مِن فَوقِهِ الغَمَراتُ مِنهُ

بِمَوجٍ كادَ يَجتَفِلُ السَحابا

بِمَوجٍ كادَ يَجتَفِلُ السَحابا

Its engulfing surges came upon him from above,

The waves from above it are flooded over it

With a wave that nearly swept away the clouds.

With a wave that almost makes the clouds recoil.