أَلَم أَرمِ عَنكُم إِذ عَجَزتُم عَدُوَّكُم

أَلَم أَرمِ عَنكُم إِذ عَجَزتُم عَدُوَّكُم

بِجَندَلَتي حَتّى تَكَسَّرَ بازِلُه

بِجَندَلَتي حَتّى تَكَسَّرَ بازِلُه

Did I not repel your enemy for you when you were helpless,

Did I not ward off your enemy from you when you were helpless

with my boulder, until his fang shattered?

With my well-forged sword until its hilt was smashed?

فَإِن أَهجُ كَعباً أَو كِلاباً فَإِنَّهُم

فَإِن أَهجُ كَعباً أَو كِلاباً فَإِنَّهُم

كِلا طَرَفَيهِم لِلنَمَيرِيِّ فاضِلُه

كِلا طَرَفَيهِم لِلنَمَيرِيِّ فاضِلُه

If I lampoon Kaʿb or Kilāb, still they—

If I stir up Ka'b or the dogs, verily both are

both their lineages—surpass al-Numayrī.

In their entirety for Al-Numayri ever bountiful.

كِلابٌ وَكَعبٌ ذِروَتانِ تَلاقَتا

كِلابٌ وَكَعبٌ ذِروَتانِ تَلاقَتا

بِمَجدَينِ لا زَوجِ الخَلِيَّةِ نائِلُه

بِمَجدَينِ لا زَوجِ الخَلِيَّةِ نائِلُه

Kilāb and Kaʿb are two summits that have met

Both the dogs and Ka'b are two lofty peaks that met

in two glories the forsaken woman’s husband cannot attain.

In two glories that no couple in privacy has attained.

إِذا غَلَبَ اللُؤمُ اِمرَأً أَن يُطيقَهُ

إِذا غَلَبَ اللُؤمُ اِمرَأً أَن يُطيقَهُ

فَإِنَّ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ عَنهُ لَحامِلُه

فَإِنَّ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ عَنهُ لَحامِلُه

When baseness overwhelms a man beyond his power to bear it,

When cowardice overcomes a man to endure it,

the camel-herder’s son will surely carry it for him.

Then the son of the camel herder will carry it from him

تَضَمَّنَهُ عَنهُ كَما كانَ قَبلَهُ

تَضَمَّنَهُ عَنهُ كَما كانَ قَبلَهُ

أَبوهُ عَنِ الراعي عُبَيدٍ يُناقِلُه

أَبوهُ عَنِ الراعي عُبَيدٍ يُناقِلُه

He has shouldered it for him, just as, before him,

As his father carried it from the herder Ubayd who conveyed it.

his father used to bear it in turn for the shepherd ʿUbayd.

Perhaps the son of the camel herder thinks that if

لَعَلَّ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ يَحسِبُ أَنَّهُ

لَعَلَّ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ يَحسِبُ أَنَّهُ

إِذا وَطبُهُ مَجَّ الثُمالَةَ شاغِلُه

إِذا وَطبُهُ مَجَّ الثُمالَةَ شاغِلُه

Perhaps the camel-herder’s son thinks that he,

Good fortune swaddles him cozily occupation distracts him.

when his milk-skin spews its dregs, can keep me occupied.

I prohibited the son of the camel herder from me yet he did not

نَهَيتُ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ عَنّي فَلَم يَزَل

نَهَيتُ اِبنَ راعي الإِبلِ عَنّي فَلَم يَزَل

بِهِ الحَينُ حَتّى أَطلَقَتهُ حَبائِلُه

بِهِ الحَينُ حَتّى أَطلَقَتهُ حَبائِلُه

I warned the camel-herder’s son to leave me alone, yet

Stop insisting until I released his ropes.

doom kept after him until its snares released him.

So say to the son of the camel herder: Do you have a coat of mail

فَقُل لِاِبنِ راعي الإِبلِ هَل لَكَ جُنَّةٌ

فَقُل لِاِبنِ راعي الإِبلِ هَل لَكَ جُنَّةٌ

تَقيكَ إِذا غَيثي أَصابَكَ وابِلُه

تَقيكَ إِذا غَيثي أَصابَكَ وابِلُه

So tell the camel-herder’s son: Have you a shield

To protect you if my rain pours on you heavily?

to protect you when my rain’s downpour strikes you?

My rain clouds, if they rain upon your eyes, will make

شَآبيبُ إِن يُمطِرنَ عَينَيكَ يَختَلِف

شَآبيبُ إِن يُمطِرنَ عَينَيكَ يَختَلِف

لِرَأسِكَ أَعلى فَكِّهِ وَأَسافِلُه

لِرَأسِكَ أَعلى فَكِّهِ وَأَسافِلُه

Downpours—if they rain upon your eyes, they will dislocate

The crown of your head and bottom unlike.

the upper and lower parts of your head’s jaw.

It makes wretched the life of Al-'Amri then he perishes

تُزايِلُ نَفسَ العامِرِيَّ حَياتَهُ

تُزايِلُ نَفسَ العامِرِيَّ حَياتَهُ

فَيَبلى وَيَأبى لُؤمُهُ لا يَزايِلُه

فَيَبلى وَيَأبى لُؤمُهُ لا يَزايِلُه

Life will depart from the ʿĀmirī’s soul,

And his cowardice refuses to leave him.

and he will decay, yet his baseness refuses to leave him.