وَإِذاand when عَدَدتَyou count بَنيthe sons of كُلَيبٍKulayb لَمnot تَجِدyou find
وَإِذا عَدَدتَ بَني كُلَيبٍ لَم تَجِد
حَسَباًancestral honor لَهُمof theirs يوفيis equal بِشِسعِto the thong of قِبالِa sandal strap
حَسَباً لَهُم يوفي بِشِسعِ قِبالِ
And when you count the sons of Kulayb, you will find no
When you count the sons of Kulayb, you will not find
ancestral honor of theirs worth a sandal-strap's thong.
A lineage for them that fulfills the breadth of lineages.
لاnot يَمنَعونَthey defend لَهُمof theirs حَرامَthe sanctity of حَليلَةٍa wife
لا يَمنَعونَ لَهُم حَرامَ حَليلَةٍ
بِمَهابَةٍthrough awe مِنهُمof them وَلاnor بِقِتالِthrough combat
بِمَهابَةٍ مِنهُم وَلا بِقِتالِ
They do not defend the sanctity of a wife of theirs
They do not forbid the unlawful for them out of reverence,
by the awe they inspire, nor by combat.
Neither out of awe for them nor through fighting.
أَجَريرُO Jarir إِنَّindeed أَباكَyour father إِذwhen أَتعَبتَهُyou wearied him
أَجَريرُ إِنَّ أَباكَ إِذ أَتعَبتَهُ
قَصَرَتfell short يَداهُhis two hands وَمَدَّand he stretched شَرَّthe worst of حِبالِropes
قَصَرَت يَداهُ وَمَدَّ شَرَّ حِبالِ
O Jarir, indeed, when you wearied your father,
O Jarir, your father, when you wearied him
his hands fell short, and he stretched the worst of ropes.
His hands grew short but he extended the rope of evil.
إِنَّindeed الحِجارَةَthe stones لَوif تَكَلَّمَspoke خَبَّرَتwould tell
إِنَّ الحِجارَةَ لَو تَكَلَّمَ خَبَّرَت
عَنكُمabout you بِأَلأَمَof the most ignoble دِقَّةٍpettiness وَسِفالِand baseness
عَنكُم بِأَلأَمَ دِقَّةٍ وَسِفالِ
Indeed, if the stones could speak, they would tell
If only the stones could speak, they would tell
of your most ignoble pettiness and baseness.
About you, of intense vileness and lowness.
لَوif only تَعلَمونَyou knew غَداةَthe morning يُطرَدُis driven off سَيبُكُمyour bounty (spoils)
لَو تَعلَمونَ غَداةَ يُطرَدُ سَيبُكُم
بِالسَفحِon the lower slope بَينَbetween مُليحَةٍMulayhah وَطِحالِand Tihal
بِالسَفحِ بَينَ مُليحَةٍ وَطِحالِ
If only you knew of that morning, when your spoils were driven off
If only you knew tomorrow when your captives
on the lower slope between Mulayhah and Tihal,
Will be driven in the plain between Mulayḥah and Ṭiḥāl.
وَالحَوفَزانُand al-Hawfazan مُسَوِّمٌletting loose أَفراسَهُhis horses
وَالحَوفَزانُ مُسَوِّمٌ أَفراسَهُ
وَالمُحصَناتُand the chaste women يَجُلنَthey roam كُلَّevery مَجالِopen space
وَالمُحصَناتُ يَجُلنَ كُلَّ مَجالِ
while al-Hawfazan was loosing his horses
The horsemen have marked their horses
and the chaste women roamed in every direction,
And the veiled ladies wander every expanse.
يَحدُرنَthey descend مِنfrom أُمُلِthe long ridges of الكَثيبِthe sand dune عَشِيَّةًat evening
يَحدُرنَ مِن أُمُلِ الكَثيبِ عَشِيَّةً
رَقَصَthe bounding gait of اللِقاحِmilch camels وَهُنَّand they غَيرُnot أَوالِthirsty
رَقَصَ اللِقاحِ وَهُنَّ غَيرُ أَوالِ
descending from the dune's long ridges at evening
They descended from the sand dunes in the evening
with the bounding gait of milch camels, though they were not thirsty,
When the pollen danced and they were not the first.
حَتّىuntil تَدارَكَهاcaught up with them فَوارِسُthe horsemen of مالِكٍMalik
حَتّى تَدارَكَها فَوارِسُ مالِكٍ
رَكضاًgalloping بِكُلِّon every طُوالَةٍtall mare وَطُوالِand tall stallion
رَكضاً بِكُلِّ طُوالَةٍ وَطُوالِ
until the horsemen of Malik caught up with them,
Until the horsemen of Mālik overtook them
galloping on every tall mare and stallion.
Galloping with their tall horses.
لَمّاwhen عَرَفنَthey recognized وُجوهَناour faces وَتَحَدَّرَتand streamed down
لَمّا عَرَفنَ وُجوهَنا وَتَحَدَّرَت
عَبَراتُtears أَعيُنِهِنَّof their eyes بِالإِسبالِin streams
عَبَراتُ أَعيُنِهِنَّ بِالإِسبالِ
When they recognized our faces, and down flowed
When they recognized our faces and tears flowed
the tears of their eyes in streams,
From their eyes in streams.
وَذَكَرنَand they recalled مِنof خَفَرِthe bashfulness of الحَياءِmodesty بَقِيَّةًa remnant
وَذَكَرنَ مِن خَفَرِ الحَياءِ بَقِيَّةً
بَقِيَتthat remained وَكُنَّand they had been قُبَيلُshortly before فيamid أَشغالِpreoccupations
بَقِيَت وَكُنَّ قُبَيلُ في أَشغالِ
and they recalled a remnant of bashful modesty
And they remembered of the veil of shame what remained
that remained, though shortly before they had been preoccupied,
That remained while they belonged to the busy clan.
وارَينَthey covered أَسوُقَهُنَّtheir shins حينَwhen عَرَفنَناthey recognized us
وارَينَ أَسوُقَهُنَّ حينَ عَرَفنَنا
ثِقَةًout of trust وَكُنَّand they had been رَوافِعَraising الأَذيالِthe garment hems
ثِقَةً وَكُنَّ رَوافِعَ الأَذيالِ
they covered their shins when they recognized us,
They led their caravan when they recognized us
out of trust—though they had been raising their hems—
Confidently while they gathered their garments.
بِفَوارِسٍin horsemen لَحِقواwho caught up أَبوهُمtheir forefather دارِمٌDarim
بِفَوارِسٍ لَحِقوا أَبوهُم دارِمٌ
بيضُwhite الوُجوهِof face عَلىupon العَدُوِّthe enemy ثِقالِheavy
بيضُ الوُجوهِ عَلى العَدُوِّ ثِقالِ
in horsemen who caught up, whose forefather was Darim,
With horsemen who followed their father Dārim
fair-faced, heavy upon the enemy.
White faced against the enemy, unflinching.
كُنّاwe used to إِذاwhenever نَزَلَتsettled بِأَرضِكَin your land حَيَّةٌa serpent
كُنّا إِذا نَزَلَت بِأَرضِكَ حَيَّةٌ
صَمّاءُdeaf تَخرُجُit emerges مِنfrom صُدوعِthe clefts of جِبالِmountains
صَمّاءُ تَخرُجُ مِن صُدوعِ جِبالِ
We would, whenever a serpent settled in your land—
Whenever a deaf viper descended upon your land
a deaf one, emerging from the clefts of mountains,
That emerged from the crevices of mountains.
يُخشىare feared بَوادِرُهاits sudden strikes شَدَخناwe crushed رَأسَهاits head
يُخشى بَوادِرُها شَدَخنا رَأسَها
بِمُشَدِّخاتٍwith shatterers لِلرُؤوسِof heads عَواليlofty spears
بِمُشَدِّخاتٍ لِلرُؤوسِ عَوالي
whose sudden strikes were feared—crush its head
We feared its foreshadowing and split its head
with lofty spears that shatter heads.
With devices for splitting heads, lofty.
إِنّاindeed we لِنَنزِلُwe surely encamp ثَغرَthe frontier of كُلِّevery مَخوفَةٍperil
إِنّا لِنَنزِلُ ثَغرَ كُلِّ مَخوفَةٍ
بِالمُقرَباتِwith prized steeds كَأَنَّهُنَّas though they سَعاليshe-ghouls
بِالمُقرَباتِ كَأَنَّهُنَّ سَعالي
Indeed, we surely encamp at the frontier of every peril,
We descend upon the border of every feared place
with prized steeds, as though they were she-ghouls,
With spears as if they were lightning bolts.
قوداًlong-necked ضَوامِرَlean فيin الرُكوبِriding كَأَنَّهاas though they
قوداً ضَوامِرَ في الرُكوبِ كَأَنَّها
عِقبانُeagles يَومِon a day of تَغَيِّمٍclouding over وَطِلالِand drizzle
عِقبانُ يَومِ تَغَيِّمٍ وَطِلالِ
long-necked and lean when ridden, as though they were
Driving the studs in riding as if they were
eagles on a day of cloud and drizzle.
The claws of a cloudy and rainy day.
Sol 6.1