وَشُغِلتَ عَن حَسَبِ الكِرامِ وَما بَنَوا

وَشُغِلتَ عَن حَسَبِ الكِرامِ وَما بَنَوا

إِنَّ اللَئيمَ عَنِ المَكارِمِ يُشغَلُ

إِنَّ اللَئيمَ عَنِ المَكارِمِ يُشغَلُ

And you were distracted from noble men's ancestral honor and what they built;

You were preoccupied from noble deeds though they did not build

indeed, the base man is distracted from noble deeds.

Indeed the vile are preoccupied from virtues

إِنَّ الَّتي فُقِأَت بِها أَبصارُكُم

إِنَّ الَّتي فُقِأَت بِها أَبصارُكُم

وَهِيَ الَّتي دَمَغَت أَباكَ الفَيصَلُ

وَهِيَ الَّتي دَمَغَت أَباكَ الفَيصَلُ

Indeed, that which put out your eyes,

Indeed the one with which your sights were gouged out

and which crushed your father's skull, is the final judgment.

And it is the one that crushed your eminent ancestor Al-Faisal

وَهَبَ القَصائِدَ لي النَوابِغَ إِذ مَضَوا

وَهَبَ القَصائِدَ لي النَوابِغَ إِذ مَضَوا

وَأَبو يَزيدَ وَذو القُروحِ وَجَروَلُ

وَأَبو يَزيدَ وَذو القُروحِ وَجَروَلُ

The Nabighas bestowed the odes on me when they passed away,

The prime poets bequeathed odes to me when they passed away

and Abu Yazid, Dhu al-Quruh, and Jarwal;

And Abu Yazid and Dhu al-Quruh and Jarwal

وَالفَحلُ عَلقَمَةُ الَّذي كانَت لَهُ

وَالفَحلُ عَلقَمَةُ الَّذي كانَت لَهُ

حُلَلُ المُلوكِ كَلامُهُ لا يُنحَلُ

حُلَلُ المُلوكِ كَلامُهُ لا يُنحَلُ

and Alqama the Stallion, to whom belonged

And the stallion Alqama, whose

the robes of kings; his verse is not falsely attributed.

Royal garments, his words cannot be undone

وَأَخو بَني قَيسٍ وَهُنَّ قَتَلنَهُ

وَأَخو بَني قَيسٍ وَهُنَّ قَتَلنَهُ

وَمُهَلهِلُ الشُعَراءِ ذاكَ الأَوَّلُ

وَمُهَلهِلُ الشُعَراءِ ذاكَ الأَوَّلُ

and the kinsman of Banu Qays—and those odes killed him;

And the brother of Bani Qais, and they are the ones who killed him

and Muhalhil of the poets, that earliest one;

And the confounder of poets, that former one

وَالأَعشَيانِ كِلاهُما وَمُرَقِّشٌ

وَالأَعشَيانِ كِلاهُما وَمُرَقِّشٌ

وَأَخو قُضاعَةَ قَولُهُ يُتَمَثَّلُ

وَأَخو قُضاعَةَ قَولُهُ يُتَمَثَّلُ

and the two A'shas, both of them, and Muraqqish;

And the two A’shas, both of them, and Muruqqish

and the kinsman of Quda'a, whose verse is quoted proverbially;

And the brother of Qudha’ah, his words can be imagined

وَأَخو بَني أَسَدٍ عُبَيدٌ إِذ مَضى

وَأَخو بَني أَسَدٍ عُبَيدٌ إِذ مَضى

وَأَبو دُؤادٍ ةَولُهُ يُتَنَحَّلُ

وَأَبو دُؤادٍ ةَولُهُ يُتَنَحَّلُ

and the kinsman of Banu Asad, Ubayd, when he passed away;

And the brother of Bani Asad, Ubayd when he passed away

and Abu Du'ad, whose verse is plagiarized;

And Abu Du’ad, his words can be unraveled

وَاِبنا أَبي سُلمى زُهَيرٌ وَاِبنُهُ

وَاِبنا أَبي سُلمى زُهَيرٌ وَاِبنُهُ

وَاِبنُ الفُرَيعَةِ حينَ جَدَّ المِقوَلُ

وَاِبنُ الفُرَيعَةِ حينَ جَدَّ المِقوَلُ

and the two sons of Abu Sulma—Zuhayr and his son;

And the two sons of Abi Sulma, Zuhair and his son

and the son of al-Furay'a, when the tongue grew earnest;

And the son of Al-Fura’ah when he profusely spoke

وَالجَعفَرِيُّ وَكانَ بِشرٌ قَبلَهُ

وَالجَعفَرِيُّ وَكانَ بِشرٌ قَبلَهُ

لي مِن قَصائِدِهِ الكِتابُ المُجمَلُ

لي مِن قَصائِدِهِ الكِتابُ المُجمَلُ

and al-Ja'fari—and Bishr was before him;

And Al-Ja’fari, and Bashr was before him

mine is the collected book of his odes.

I have from his odes the inscribed compilation

وَلَقَد وَرِثتُ لِآلِ أَوسٍ مَنطِقاً

وَلَقَد وَرِثتُ لِآلِ أَوسٍ مَنطِقاً

كَالسُمِّ خالَطَ جانِبَيهِ الحَنظَلُ

كَالسُمِّ خالَطَ جانِبَيهِ الحَنظَلُ

And I have indeed inherited the speech of the house of Aws,

And I have indeed inherited from the family of Aws eloquence

like poison, with colocynth mingled on both its sides.

Like poison mixed with its sides some herbs

وَالحارِثِيُّ أَخو الحِماسِ وَرِثتُهُ

وَالحارِثِيُّ أَخو الحِماسِ وَرِثتُهُ

صَدعاً كَما صَدَعَ الصَفاةَ المِعوَلُ

صَدعاً كَما صَدَعَ الصَفاةَ المِعوَلُ

And al-Harithi, brother of valor—I inherited him,

And Al-Harithi, the brother of fervor I inherited him

a cleaving blow, as a pickaxe cleaves hard rock.

As a crack as the pickaxe cracked As-Safa

يَصدَعنَ ضاحِيَةَ الصَفا عَن مَتنِها

يَصدَعنَ ضاحِيَةَ الصَفا عَن مَتنِها

وَلَهُنَّ مِن جَبَلَي عَمايَةَ أَثقَلُ

وَلَهُنَّ مِن جَبَلَي عَمايَةَ أَثقَلُ

They cleave the exposed face of the rock away from its body,

Cracking the surface of As-Safa from its core

and theirs is a weight heavier than Amaya's two mountains.

And for them from the two mountains of ‘Amaiyah is the heaviest

دَفَعوا إِلَيَّ كِتابَهُنَّ وَصِيَّةً

دَفَعوا إِلَيَّ كِتابَهُنَّ وَصِيَّةً

فَوَرِثتُهُنَّ كَأَنَّهُنَّ الجَندَلُ

فَوَرِثتُهُنَّ كَأَنَّهُنَّ الجَندَلُ

They handed me the book of those odes as a bequest,

They handed over to me their book as a will

so I inherited them, as though they were boulders.

So I inherited them as if they are the locust swarm

فيهِنَّ شارَكَني المُساوِرَ بَعدَهُم

فيهِنَّ شارَكَني المُساوِرَ بَعدَهُم

وَأَخو هَوازِنَ وَالشَآمي الأَخطَلُ

وَأَخو هَوازِنَ وَالشَآمي الأَخطَلُ

In these odes, al-Musawir was my partner after those poets,

In them the braceleted wrists shared with me after them

and the kinsman of Hawazin, and the Syrian al-Akhtal.

And the brother of Hawazin and the Syrian Akhtal

وَبَنو غُدانَةَ يُحلَبونَ وَلَم يَكُن

وَبَنو غُدانَةَ يُحلَبونَ وَلَم يَكُن

خَيلي يَقومُ لَها اللَئيمُ الأَعزَلُ

خَيلي يَقومُ لَها اللَئيمُ الأَعزَلُ

And Banu Ghudana are milked; never could

And the sons of Gudanah are being milked while

the base, unarmed man stand against my horses.

My horses cannot be withstood by the miserable barefoot

فَلَيَبرُكَن يا حِقَّ إِن لَم تَنتَهوا

فَلَيَبرُكَن يا حِقَّ إِن لَم تَنتَهوا

مِن مالِكَيَّ عَلى غُدانَةَ كَلكَلُ

مِن مالِكَيَّ عَلى غُدانَةَ كَلكَلُ

So, O young camel, if you do not desist, there will surely kneel

So may you prosper O truth if you do not refrain

upon Ghudana a chest from my two Maliks.

From my properties upon Gudanah like fetters