وَجَدناwe found الأَبرَشَal-Abrash الكَلبِيَّal-Kalbi تَنميraise high
وَجَدنا الأَبرَشَ الكَلبِيَّ تَنمي
بِهِwith him أَعراقُancestral roots ذيone possessing حَسَبٍlineage كَريمِnoble
بِهِ أَعراقُ ذي حَسَبٍ كَريمِ
We found al-Abrash al-Kalbi raised high
We found the Kalabi noble breed nurturing
by the ancestral roots of a man of noble lineage.
Lineages of honored, generous descent.
نَماهُraised him أَبوهُhis father فيin حَيثُwhere اِستَقَرَّتsettled
نَماهُ أَبوهُ في حَيثُ اِستَقَرَّت
قُضاعَةُQuda‘a فَوقَabove عادِيٍّage-old جَسيمِmighty
قُضاعَةُ فَوقَ عادِيٍّ جَسيمِ
His father raised him where there had settled
His father raised him where Quda'a dwelled—
Quda‘a, atop a mighty, age-old foundation.
Lofty over a mighty, far-reaching ascent.
عَلىabove الأَحسابِlineages يَفضُلُhe surpasses طولَthe length of باعٍan armspan
عَلى الأَحسابِ يَفضُلُ طولَ باعٍ
أَغَرَّradiant وَلَيسَand is not بِالحَسَبِof lineage البَهيمِdark
أَغَرَّ وَلَيسَ بِالحَسَبِ البَهيمِ
He surpasses other lineages by a full armspan,
In lineage he excels though lacking in length of line,
radiant, and not of a dark, obscure lineage.
Deceiving, for he's no fool in ancestry's reckoning.
إِلَيكَto you يَصيرُcomes مِنfrom كَلبٍKalb حَصاهاits multitude (literally, pebbles)
إِلَيكَ يَصيرُ مِن كَلبٍ حَصاها
وَحِلفُand the alliance of الأَكثَرينَthe most numerous بَنيsons of تَميمِTamim
وَحِلفُ الأَكثَرينَ بَني تَميمِ
To you comes Kalb's throng, as numerous as pebbles,
To you from a dog counted despicable
and the alliance of the most numerous—the sons of Tamim.
Come the oaths of Tamim's hordes, convening.
هُمُthey حُلَفاأُكَyour allies الأَدنَونَthe closest غَمّواthey smothered
هُمُ حُلَفاأُكَ الأَدنَونَ غَمّوا
أُنوفَthe noses of عَدُوِّthe enemy of قَومِكَyour people بِالرُغومِwith humiliating dust
أُنوفَ عَدُوِّ قَومِكَ بِالرُغومِ
They are your closest allies; they smothered
They are your sworn allies though of base stock,
the noses of your people's foes in dust.
Who marred the noses of your people's foe with pummeling.
وَكائِنand how many فيكَconcerning you مِنof ساعاتِhours of يَومٍa day
وَكائِن فيكَ مِن ساعاتِ يَومٍ
مِنَof الفَرّاءِdreadful battle بادِيَةِvisible النُجومِthe stars
مِنَ الفَرّاءِ بادِيَةِ النُجومِ
And how many hours of a day were yours,
In you are hours of a day with warriors
of dreadful battle, its stars laid bare,
Appearing, as the dawn's stars fade from view.
مَرَيتَyou milked بِسَيفِكَwith your sword المَسلولِunsheathed فيهِمamong them
مَرَيتَ بِسَيفِكَ المَسلولِ فيهِم
مَواطِنَthe battlefields of كُلِّevery مُبدِيَةِrevealer of الغُمومِsorrows
مَواطِنَ كُلِّ مُبدِيَةِ الغُمومِ
when, with your drawn sword among them, you milked
You smote them with your unleashed blade
the fields of every encounter that brings grief to light.
In places where each gloom-laden cloud blew,
وَكائِنand how many مِنof وَقائِعَbattles يَومَa day of بَأسٍfierce combat
وَكائِن مِن وَقائِعَ يَومَ بَأسٍ
لِكَلبٍfor Kalb كُنَّthey were فيamong عَرَبٍArabs وَرومِand Romans
لِكَلبٍ كُنَّ في عَرَبٍ وَرومِ
And how many clashes on a day of fierce combat
And on a day of strife many a deed will come
Kalb had against Arabs and Romans!
From a dog—they were Arabs and non-Arabs too.
أَشَدُّthe fiercest of الناسِpeople يَومَon the day of البَأسِbattle كَلبٌKalb
أَشَدُّ الناسِ يَومَ البَأسِ كَلبٌ
وَأَثقَلُهُand the weightiest of them مَوازينُscales of الحُلومِwisdom
وَأَثقَلُهُ مَوازينُ الحُلومِ
Kalb is the fiercest of people on the day of battle,
The fiercest on an evil day is the dog,
and the weightiest in the scales of wisdom.
And the heaviest in scales that weigh and determine.
فَإِنّيfor I وَالَّذيand by that which حَجَّتmade pilgrimage قُرَيشٌQuraysh
فَإِنّي وَالَّذي حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ
بِحَلفَةِwith an oath لاneither أَلَدَّcontentious وَلاnor أَثيمِsinful
بِحَلفَةِ لا أَلَدَّ وَلا أَثيمِ
For I—by what Quraysh sought in pilgrimage,
By the covenant which bound Mecca's Quraysh together,
with the oath of one neither contentious nor sinful,
I swear no wicked traitor am I nor bleak in fortune.
يَحِنُّyearn إِلَيهِtoward it فيهِduring it مُخَدَّماتٌankleted she-camels
يَحِنُّ إِلَيهِ فيهِ مُخَدَّماتٌ
وَدامٍand a bleeding one مِنfrom مَناكِبِهاtheir shoulders كَليمِwounded
وَدامٍ مِن مَناكِبِها كَليمِ
toward which ankleted she-camels yearn during it,
Yearning for you, his servers draw near
and wounded ones, bleeding from their shoulders—
With a bucket frothing over from the rope's fraying.
فَإِنّيfor I وَالرِكابُand by the riding camels حَليفُan ally of كَلبٍKalb
فَإِنّي وَالرِكابُ حَليفُ كَلبٍ
كَريمٌa noble man ساقَهُنَّdrove them إِلىto كَريمِa noble man
كَريمٌ ساقَهُنَّ إِلى كَريمِ
for I, by the riding camels, am an ally of Kalb:
I swear by the mounts—I am a noble dog's ally;
a noble man who drove them to a noble man.
I led them to one noble and obeying.
إِلَيكَto you نُعَرِّقُwe make sweat الأَشرافَthe finest مِنهاof them
إِلَيكَ نُعَرِّقُ الأَشرافَ مِنها
عَلىover ظَهرِthe back of المُطَبَّقِlayered rock وَالصَميمِand solid rock
عَلى ظَهرِ المُطَبَّقِ وَالصَميمِ
Toward you we make the finest of them sweat
To you we trace the noblest of stock
across the back of layered and solid rock.
On the gilded, bejeweled litter's back bearing.
إِذاwhen بَلَّغتِنيyou (feminine) bring me رَحليmy saddle وَنَفسيand myself
إِذا بَلَّغتِني رَحلي وَنَفسي
إِلىto الكَلبِيِّal-Kalbi ناقَO she-camel فَلاthen do not تَقوميrise (feminine)
إِلى الكَلبِيِّ ناقَ فَلا تَقومي
When you have brought my saddle and myself
When my journey and soul have borne me
to al-Kalbi, O she-camel, then do not rise.
To the Kalbi, do not rise or stand waiting.
Sol 6.1