لاطَت قُرَيشٌ حِياضَ المَجدِ فَاِفتَرَطَت

لاطَت قُرَيشٌ حِياضَ المَجدِ فَاِفتَرَطَت

سَهمٌ فَأَصبَحَ مِنهُ حَوضُها صَفِرا

سَهمٌ فَأَصبَحَ مِنهُ حَوضُها صَفِرا

Quraysh tended glory’s watering pools; then, pressing too far ahead,

Quraysh plastered glory's cisterns, but stood apart

went Sahm, and through it her pool was left empty.

Sahm, whose cistern then stood empty of glory.

وَأَورَدوا وَحِياضُ المَجدِ طامِيَةٌ

وَأَورَدوا وَحِياضُ المَجدِ طامِيَةٌ

فَدَلَّ حَوضَهُمُ الوُرّادُ فَاِنهَدَرا

فَدَلَّ حَوضَهُمُ الوُرّادُ فَاِنهَدَرا

They came to water while glory’s pools were brimming high;

And they led others to water, while glory's cisterns brimmed;

but when the waterers approached their pool, it sank away.

then the water-seekers breached their cistern, and it collapsed.

وَاللَهِ ما في قُرَيشٍ كُلِّها نَفَرٌ

وَاللَهِ ما في قُرَيشٍ كُلِّها نَفَرٌ

أَكثَرُ شَيخاً جَباناً فاحِشاً غُمُرا

أَكثَرُ شَيخاً جَباناً فاحِشاً غُمُرا

By God, in all Quraysh there is no company

By God, in all Quraysh there is no band

with more old men who are cowardly, obscene, and witless—

with more cowardly, obscene, ignorant old men—

أَزَبَّ أَصلَعَ سِفسيراً لَهُ ذَأَبٌ

أَزَبَّ أَصلَعَ سِفسيراً لَهُ ذَأَبٌ

كَالقِردِ يَعجُمُ وَسطَ المَجلِسِ الحُمَرا

كَالقِردِ يَعجُمُ وَسطَ المَجلِسِ الحُمَرا

hairy and bald, pimps huge of frame,

each shaggy, bald, a broker with tufts of hair,

like an ape chewing the red thing in the midst of the gathering;

like an ape chewing tamarind amid the gathering.

هُذرٌ مَشائيمُ مَحرومٌ ثَوِيُّهُمُ

هُذرٌ مَشائيمُ مَحرومٌ ثَوِيُّهُمُ

إِذا تَرَوَّحَ مِنهُم زُوِّدَ القَمَرا

إِذا تَرَوَّحَ مِنهُم زُوِّدَ القَمَرا

babblers, ill-omened—their guest is left deprived,

Babblers, ill-omened men: their guest goes without;

and when he leaves them at evening, moonlight is his provision.

when he leaves them at evening, he is provisioned with moonlight.

أَمّا اِبنُ نابِغَةَ العَبدُ الهَجينُ فَقَد

أَمّا اِبنُ نابِغَةَ العَبدُ الهَجينُ فَقَد

أُنحي عَلَيهِ لِساناً صارِماً ذَكَرا

أُنحي عَلَيهِ لِساناً صارِماً ذَكَرا

As for Ibn Nābigha, that baseborn slave,

As for Nabigha's son, the slave, the baseborn, I indeed

my tongue has swooped upon him—a sharp, virile sword.

turn on him a cutting, virile tongue.

ما بالُ أُمِّكَ راغَت عِندَ ذي شَرَفٍ

ما بالُ أُمِّكَ راغَت عِندَ ذي شَرَفٍ

إِلى جَذيمَةَ لَمّا عَفَّتِ الأَثَرا

إِلى جَذيمَةَ لَمّا عَفَّتِ الأَثَرا

Why did your mother slip aside at Dhū Sharaf,

Why did your mother slip away at Dhu Sharaf

toward Judhaymah, when the tracks had disappeared?

toward Jadhima, once she had erased the tracks?

ظَلَّت ثَلاثاً وَمِلحانٌ مُعانِقُها

ظَلَّت ثَلاثاً وَمِلحانٌ مُعانِقُها

عِندَ الحَجونِ فَما مَلّا وَما فَتَرا

عِندَ الحَجونِ فَما مَلّا وَما فَتَرا

For three she stayed, with Milḥān embracing her,

She stayed three nights, with Milhan embracing her,

at al-Ḥajūn; he neither wearied nor slackened.

at al-Hajun; neither grew weary nor slackened.

يا آلَ سَهمٍ فَإِنّي قَد نَصَحتُ لَكُم

يا آلَ سَهمٍ فَإِنّي قَد نَصَحتُ لَكُم

لا أَبعَثَنَّ عَلى الأَحياءِ مِن قُبِرا

لا أَبعَثَنَّ عَلى الأَحياءِ مِن قُبِرا

O house of Sahm, I have indeed counseled you sincerely:

O house of Sahm, I have indeed counseled you:

do not raise against the living one who lies buried.

let me not rouse the buried against the living.

أَلا تَرَونَ بِأَنّي قَد ظُلِمتُ إِذا

أَلا تَرَونَ بِأَنّي قَد ظُلِمتُ إِذا

كانَ الزِبَعرى لِنَعلي ثابِتٍ خَطَرا

كانَ الزِبَعرى لِنَعلي ثابِتٍ خَطَرا

Do you not see that I have indeed been wronged, if

Do you not see that I have been wronged, when

al-Zibaʿrā is reckoned a match for Thābit’s two sandals?

al-Ziba'ra is a match for Thabit's two sandals?

كَم مِن كَريمٍ يَعَضُّ الكَلبُ مِئزَرَهُ

كَم مِن كَريمٍ يَعَضُّ الكَلبُ مِئزَرَهُ

ثُمَّ يَفِرُّ إِذا أَلقَمتَهُ الحَجَرا

ثُمَّ يَفِرُّ إِذا أَلقَمتَهُ الحَجَرا

How many a noble man has had a dog bite his waistcloth,

Many a nobleman has his waistcloth bitten by a dog,

only for it to flee when you force a stone into its mouth.

which then flees when you cram a stone into its mouth.

قَولي لَكُم آلَ شِجعٍ سُمُّ مُطرِقَةٍ

قَولي لَكُم آلَ شِجعٍ سُمُّ مُطرِقَةٍ

صَمّاءُ تَطحَرُ عَن أَنيابِها القَذَرا

صَمّاءُ تَطحَرُ عَن أَنيابِها القَذَرا

My words to you, house of Shujayʿ, are the venom of a lurking snake,

My words to you, house of Shij', are the venom of a head-bowed snake,

a deaf adder, its fangs spattering venomous drops.

deaf, flinging filth away from her fangs.

أَمّا هِشامٌ فَرِجلا قَينَةٍ مَجِنَت

أَمّا هِشامٌ فَرِجلا قَينَةٍ مَجِنَت

باتَت تُغَمِّزُ وَسطَ السامِرِ الكَمَرا

باتَت تُغَمِّزُ وَسطَ السامِرِ الكَمَرا

As for Hishām, he is the man of a singing-girl grown shameless;

As for Hisham, he is the two legs of a singing slave-girl turned wanton,

she spent the night fondling penis-heads amid the evening revelers.

who spent the night squeezing penis-heads amid the evening company.

لَولا النَبِيُّ وَقَولُ الحَقِّ مَغضَبَةٌ

لَولا النَبِيُّ وَقَولُ الحَقِّ مَغضَبَةٌ

لَما تَرَكتُ لَكُم أُنثى وَلا ذَكَرا

لَما تَرَكتُ لَكُم أُنثى وَلا ذَكَرا

Were it not for the Prophet—and truth-telling is cause for anger—

Were it not for the Prophet—and speaking truth provokes anger—

I would have left among you neither female nor male.

I would have spared you neither woman nor man.