إِذا رَفَعوا سَمِعتَ لَهُم عَجيجاً

إِذا رَفَعوا سَمِعتَ لَهُم عَجيجاً

عَجيجَ مُحَلِّئٍ نَعَماً نِهالا

عَجيجَ مُحَلِّئٍ نَعَماً نِهالا

When they raise their voices, you hear their clamour,

When they raise up, you will hear from them clamor,

the clamour of one driving away camels that have drunk their fill.

The clamor of a lad carrier of favors and tender youth,

وَمَن سَمَكَ السَماءَ لَهُ فَقامَت

وَمَن سَمَكَ السَماءَ لَهُ فَقامَت

وَسَخَّرَ لِاِبنِ داوُدَ الشَمالا

وَسَخَّرَ لِاِبنِ داوُدَ الشَمالا

And by Him who raised the sky, so it stood for Him,

And He who ceiled the sky for Him it stood,

and made the north wind serve the son of David,

And subjected the north wind to the son of David,

وَمَن نَجّى مِنَ الغَمَراتِ نوحاً

وَمَن نَجّى مِنَ الغَمَراتِ نوحاً

وَأَرسى في مَواضِعِها الجِبالا

وَأَرسى في مَواضِعِها الجِبالا

and by Him who saved Noah from the engulfing waters,

And He who saved Noah from the deluges

and anchored the mountains in their places:

And anchored in their places the mountains,

لَئِن عافَيتَني وَنَظَرتَ حِلمي

لَئِن عافَيتَني وَنَظَرتَ حِلمي

لَأَعتَتِنَن إِنِ الحَدَثانُ آلا

لَأَعتَتِنَن إِنِ الحَدَثانُ آلا

if you spare me and consider my forbearance,

If you grant me well-being and look upon my forbearance,

I shall surely withdraw, if the vicissitudes of time return.

I will surely exclaim: surely calamities befell!

إِلَيكَ فَرَرتُ مِنكَ وَمِن زِيادٍ

إِلَيكَ فَرَرتُ مِنكَ وَمِن زِيادٍ

وَلَم أَحسِب دَمي لَكُما حَلالا

وَلَم أَحسِب دَمي لَكُما حَلالا

To you I fled, from you and from Ziyad,

To You I fled from You and from Ziyad,

and I did not deem my blood lawful for you both to shed.

And I did not reckon my blood to you both lawful,

وَلَكِنّي هَجَوتُ وَقَد هَجَتني

وَلَكِنّي هَجَوتُ وَقَد هَجَتني

مَعاشِرُ قَد رَضَختُ لَهُم سِجالا

مَعاشِرُ قَد رَضَختُ لَهُم سِجالا

But I uttered satire when I had already been satirized

But I lampooned while they lampooned me,

by clans to whom I had dealt out bucketfuls of satire.

A band I had contended with in wrangles,

فَإِن يَكُنِ الهِجاءُ أَحَلَّ قَتلي

فَإِن يَكُنِ الهِجاءُ أَحَلَّ قَتلي

فَقَد قُلنا لِشاعِرِهِم وَقالا

فَقَد قُلنا لِشاعِرِهِم وَقالا

So if satire has made killing me lawful,

So if lampooning sanctions my murder,

we spoke to their poet, and he too spoke.

We have said to their poet and he said,

وَإِن تَكُ في الهِجاءِ تُريدُ قَتلي

وَإِن تَكُ في الهِجاءِ تُريدُ قَتلي

فَلَم تُدرِك لِمُنتَصِرٍ مَقالا

فَلَم تُدرِك لِمُنتَصِرٍ مَقالا

And if it is for satire that you wish to kill me,

And if you mean by lampooning to seek my murder,

then you have not understood the words of one defending himself.

You have not attained for a victor words,

تَرى الشُمَّ الجَحاجِحَ مِن قُرَيشٍ

تَرى الشُمَّ الجَحاجِحَ مِن قُرَيشٍ

إِذا ما الأَمرُ في الحَدَثانِ عالا

إِذا ما الأَمرُ في الحَدَثانِ عالا

You see the lofty, mighty chiefs of Quraysh,

You see the chiefs of Quraysh,

whenever the matter grows grave amid time's vicissitudes,

When the command in the two arbitrators rose high,

بَني عَمِّ الرَسولِ وَرَهطَ عَمرٍ

بَني عَمِّ الرَسولِ وَرَهطَ عَمرٍ

وَعُثمانَ الَّذينَ عَلَوا فَعالا

وَعُثمانَ الَّذينَ عَلَوا فَعالا

the sons of the Messenger's paternal uncle, and the kin of Amr

The Prophet's paternal cousins and Umar's comrades

and Uthman, who excelled in deeds,

And Uthman whose actions rose so high,

قِياماً يَنظُرونَ إِلى سَعيدٍ

قِياماً يَنظُرونَ إِلى سَعيدٍ

كَأَنَّهُمُ يَرَونَ بِهِ هِلالا

كَأَنَّهُمُ يَرَونَ بِهِ هِلالا

standing, gazing toward Sa'id,

Standing looking at Sa'id

as though they see in him a crescent moon:

As though they see in him a new moon,

ضَروبٍ لِلقَوانِسِ غَيرِ هِدٍّ

ضَروبٍ لِلقَوانِسِ غَيرِ هِدٍّ

إِذا خَطَرَت مُسَوَّمَةً رِعالا

إِذا خَطَرَت مُسَوَّمَةً رِعالا

a mighty striker of helmet-crests, no weakling,

Assailers of lanterns without steady aim

when marked steeds prance in squadrons.

Whenever they moved, marked with the brand.