وَإِن نَقِدَت يَداهُ فَزَلَّ عَنها

وَإِن نَقِدَت يَداهُ فَزَلَّ عَنها

أَطافَ بِهِ عَطِيَّةُ فَاِستَدارا

أَطافَ بِهِ عَطِيَّةُ فَاِستَدارا

And if his hands grew raw and he slipped away from her,

Though his hands were tied, he slipped free,

Atiyya circled around him, and he turned about.

And Atiyya came round and turned back,

رَأَيتُ اِبنَ المَراغَةِ حينَ ذَكّى

رَأَيتُ اِبنَ المَراغَةِ حينَ ذَكّى

تَحَوَّلَ غَيرَ لِحيَتِهِ حِمارا

تَحَوَّلَ غَيرَ لِحيَتِهِ حِمارا

I saw Ibn al-Maragha, when he reached full maturity,

I saw Ibn al-Maraghah's son when he was prodded,

turn into a donkey, save for his beard.

He changed, but not his donkey's beard,

هَلُمَّ نُوافِ مَكَّةَ ثُمَّ نَسأَل

هَلُمَّ نُوافِ مَكَّةَ ثُمَّ نَسأَل

بِنا وَبِكُم قُضاعَةَ أَو نِزارا

بِنا وَبِكُم قُضاعَةَ أَو نِزارا

Come, let us go to Mecca, then ask

Come, let's make pilgrimage to Mecca, then ask

Quda'a or Nizar about us and you,

For us and you from Quda'a or Nizār,

وَرَهطَ اِبنِ الحُصَينِ فَلا تَدَعهُم

وَرَهطَ اِبنِ الحُصَينِ فَلا تَدَعهُم

ذَوي يَمَنٍ وَعاظِمني خِطارا

ذَوي يَمَنٍ وَعاظِمني خِطارا

and Ibn al-Huṣayn's kinsmen—do not leave them out—

And Ibn al-Husayn's comrades, so don't neglect them,

men of Yemen; and vie with me in greatness for stakes.

Men of Yemen, great in glory,

هُنالِكَ لَو نَسَبتَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

هُنالِكَ لَو نَسَبتَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

وَجَدتَهُمُ الأَدِقّاءَ الصِغارا

وَجَدتَهُمُ الأَدِقّاءَ الصِغارا

There, if you traced the lineage of the sons of Kulayb,

There you would have attributed to Banu Kulaib,

you would find them puny and small.

Finding them most loyal and small,

وَما غَرَّ الوِبارَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

وَما غَرَّ الوِبارَ بَني كُلَيبٍ

بِغَيثي حينَ أَنجَدَ وَاِستَطارا

بِغَيثي حينَ أَنجَدَ وَاِستَطارا

And what deluded the hyraxes, the sons of Kulayb,

It was not the rainclouds that deceived Banu Kulaib,

about my rainstorm when it reached the uplands and spread?

With my two storms, when I came to help and towered high,

وِباراً بِالفَضاءِ سَمِعنَ رَعداً

وِباراً بِالفَضاءِ سَمِعنَ رَعداً

فَحاذَرنَ الصَواعِقَ حينَ ثارا

فَحاذَرنَ الصَواعِقَ حينَ ثارا

Hyraxes in the open heard thunder,

Rain clouds in the open plain heard thunder roar,

so they guarded against the thunderbolts when it raged.

So they fled the lightning when it burst forth,

هَرَبنَ إِلى مَداخِلِهِنَّ مِنهُ

هَرَبنَ إِلى مَداخِلِهِنَّ مِنهُ

وَجاءَ يُقَلِّعُ الصَخرَ اِنحِدارا

وَجاءَ يُقَلِّعُ الصَخرَ اِنحِدارا

They fled from it into their hiding places,

They rushed to their caves to escape it,

and it came rushing down, tearing out the rocks.

As it came tearing out rocks down the slope,

فَأَدرَكَهُنَّ مُنبَعِقٌ ثُعابٌ

فَأَدرَكَهُنَّ مُنبَعِقٌ ثُعابٌ

بِحَتفِ الحينِ إِذ غَلَبَ الحِذارا

بِحَتفِ الحينِ إِذ غَلَبَ الحِذارا

Then a bursting, gushing torrent overtook them,

Overcoming them at a fatal moment when prudence failed,

bringing fatal doom, when it overcame their caution.

I satirized the whelps of Yarbūʿ, huts,

هَجَوتُ صِغارَ يَربوعٍ بُيوتاً

هَجَوتُ صِغارَ يَربوعٍ بُيوتاً

وَأَعظَمَهُم مِنَ المَخزاةِ عارا

وَأَعظَمَهُم مِنَ المَخزاةِ عارا

I lampooned Yarbu's lowliest houses,

And the greatest among them a disgraceful whore,

and those among them greatest in the shame of disgrace.

For you and Kulaib are in bet,

فَإِنَّكَ وَالرِهانَ عَلى كُلَيبٍ

فَإِنَّكَ وَالرِهانَ عَلى كُلَيبٍ

لَكَالمُجري مَعَ الفَرَسِ الحِمارا

لَكَالمُجري مَعَ الفَرَسِ الحِمارا

For you, in wagering on Kulayb,

Like the running donkey with the mare,

are surely like one racing a donkey alongside a horse.