ألا أيها الساعي لتدرك مجدنا — Hassan Ibn Thabit

أَلا أَيُّها الساعي لِتُدرِكَ مَجدَنا

هَلُمَّ فَما أَنباكَ عِلماً كَخابِرِ

Hear, you who strive to reach our glory,

come, for none can inform you like one who knows.

لَقَد كانَ في القُرآنِ لَو كُنتَ عالِماً

بِهِ مَجدُنا في مُحكَماتِ البَصائِرِ

Indeed, in the Qur'an—if you were versed

in it—our glory lies in its clear, decisive proofs.

مَنِ المُؤثِرونَ وَالخَصاصَةُ فيهِمُ

عَلى كُلِّ ذي قُربى عَظيمِ الأَواصِرِ

Who are those who put others first, though themselves in need,

ahead of every close kinsman bound by mighty ties?

قَبيلٌ وَقوا شُحَّ النُفوسِ فَأَفلَحوا

وَطابَت لَهُم مُستَخفَياتُ السَرائِرِ

A tribe who guarded against the greed of souls, and so prospered,

and their most hidden thoughts grew pure.

فَعِش راغِماً أَو مُت بِغَيظِكَ إِنَّنا

أُلو حَسَبٍ عالٍ عَلى الناسِ قاهِرِ

So live abased, or die in your rage; we indeed

possess lofty ancestral honor, supreme over mankind.

وَسامٍ بِعَينَيهِ لِما لا يَنالَهُ

كَساعٍ بِرِجلَيهِ لِإِدراكِ طائِرِ

And one who reaches with his eyes for what he cannot attain

is like one running on his feet to catch a bird.

وَنَحنُ أُناسٌ أَصلُنا الأَزدُ مِنهُمُ

نُضاراً نَبَتنا في الفُروعِ النَواضِرِ

And we are a people whose root is Azd; from them,

pure of stock, we grew among the verdant branches.

وَنَحنُ بَنو الغَوثِ بنِ نَبتِ بنِ مالِكٍ

بنِ زَيدِ بنِ كَهلانَ وَأَهلُ المَفاخِرِ

And we are sons of al-Ghawth son of Nabt son of Malik,

son of Zayd son of Kahlan, and men of glorious deeds.

يَمانونَ تَدعونا سَبا فَنُجيبَها

إِلى الجَوهَرِ المَكنونِ خَيرِ الجَواهِرِ

Yemenites: Saba calls us—and we answer her—

to the hidden jewel, the finest of jewels.

وَنَحنُ مُلوكُ الناسِ مِن عَهدِ تُبَّعٍ

إِذِ المُلكِ في أَبناءِ عَمروِ بنِ عامِرِ

And we have been kings over men since the days of Tubbaʿ,

when kingship lay with the sons of ʿAmr ibn ʿAmir.

وَنَحنُ جَلَبنا الخَيلَ مِن سَروِ حِميَرٍ

إِلى جاسِمٍ بِالمُحنَقاتِ السَنادِرِ

And we brought the horses from the Sarw of Himyar

to Jasim, with lean, powerful mounts.

يَكادُ صَهيلُ الخَيلُ فيها يُصِمُّنا

وَزَجرُ الحُداةِ في حَنينِ السَواجِرِ

The horses' neighing there nearly deafens us,

and the drivers' calls amid the she-camels' plaintive cries.

نَقودُ جِيادَ الخَيلِ قُبّاً كَأَنَّها

سِراحَ عَدَت في ذي أَهاضيبِ ماطِرِ

We lead fine horses, lean-bellied, as though they were

wolves racing through rain-swept hill country.

وَنورِدُ أَبطالَ العَدُوِّ مَناهِلاً

حِياضَ المَنايا وِردُها غَيرِ صادِرِ

And we bring the enemy's champions to watering places—

the pools of death, from which no drinker returns.

عَلى كُلِّ جَرداءَ الأَديمِ وَأَجرَدٍ

نَظَلُّ عَلَيها بِالرِماحِ الشَواجِرِ

On every sleek-skinned mare and sleek stallion,

we remain mounted, with interlacing lances.

وَلَولا حَذارُ اللَهِ قُلنا تَكَرُّماً

عَنِ الناسِ يا لَلناسُ هَل مِن مُفاخِرِ

And but for fear of God, we would say, exalting ourselves

above mankind: ‘O people, is there a rival in glory?’

وَحِميَرَ مِنّا أَهلُ بَذلٍ وَرَأفَةٍ

وَأَصحابُ قَمعٍ لِلعَدُوِّ المُكابِرِ

And Himyar are of us, people of generosity and compassion,

and men who crush the overbearing foe.

وَهَمدانُ أَحلاسُ الجِيادِ لَدى الوَغى

يَموجونَ مَوجَ البَحرِ عِندَ التَكاثُرِ

And Hamdan cling like saddlecloths to their steeds in battle,

surging like sea waves when their numbers swell.

وَكِندَةُ فيها كُلُّ قَرمٍ سَمَيدَعٍ

أولَئِكَ أَصحابي وَوُدّي وَناصِري

And Kindah, home to every noble, generous chief—

those are my companions, my loved ones, and my support.

وَشَعبٌ رَفيعٌ مِن قُضاعَةَ فاضِلٍ

عَلى كُلِّ شَعبٍ مِن شُعوبِ العَمائِرِ

And a lofty branch of Qudaʿah, preeminent

above every branch among the tribal clans.

أولَئِكَ قَومي إِن دَعَوتُ أَجابَني

ثَمانونَ أَلفاً في الحَديدِ المَظاهِرِ

Those are my people: if I call, I am answered by

eighty thousand in double-layered iron armor.

إِذا شَرَّعوا الراياتِ لَم يَتَواكَلوا

وَفيهِم حِفاظِ الأَريَحِيِّ المُظافِرُ

When they raise the banners, none leaves the duty to another;

and theirs is the honor-guarding zeal of the noble-hearted ally.