أَقَمنا عَلى الرَسِّ النَزيعِ لَيالِياً

أَقَمنا عَلى الرَسِّ النَزيعِ لَيالِياً

بِأَرعَنَ جَرّارٍ عَريضِ المَبارِكِ

بِأَرعَنَ جَرّارٍ عَريضِ المَبارِكِ

We stayed for nights at remote al-Rass,

We spent nights on the soft sand

With a mountain-like, vast host whose encampments spread wide,

With a vast, wide-stepping camel,

بِكُلِّ كُمَيتٍ جَوزُهُ نِصفُ خَلقِهِ

بِكُلِّ كُمَيتٍ جَوزُهُ نِصفُ خَلقِهِ

وَقُبٍّ طِوالٍ مُشرِفاتِ الحَوارِكِ

وَقُبٍّ طِوالٍ مُشرِفاتِ الحَوارِكِ

With every bay steed whose midsection is half its frame,

Bearing all supplies - its body half its load's size,

And tall, lean-bellied steeds with lofty withers.

And tall, saddle-cloths trailing the ground.

تَرى العَرفَجَ العامِيَّ تُذري أُصولَهُ

تَرى العَرفَجَ العامِيَّ تُذري أُصولَهُ

مَناسِمُ أَخفافِ المَطِيِّ الرَواتِكِ

مَناسِمُ أَخفافِ المَطِيِّ الرَواتِكِ

You see the year-old ʿarfaj shrubs, their roots scattered

You see the roaming bedouin scattering its roots around -

By the padded hoof-tips of the swift-striding riding camels.

Tracks of galloping riding-beasts crisscrossing.

إِذا اِرتَحَلوا مِن مَنزِلٍ خِلتَ أَنَّهُ

إِذا اِرتَحَلوا مِن مَنزِلٍ خِلتَ أَنَّهُ

مُدَمَّنُ أَهلِ المَوسِمِ المُتَعارِكِ

مُدَمَّنُ أَهلِ المَوسِمِ المُتَعارِكِ

When they depart from a campsite, you would think it

When they depart a camp, it seems long inhabited

The dung-strewn camp of a jostling pilgrimage throng.

By thronging fair-goers contending in races.

نَسيرُ فَلا تَنجو اليَعافيرُ وَسطَنا

نَسيرُ فَلا تَنجو اليَعافيرُ وَسطَنا

وَلَو وَأَلَت مِنّا بِشَدٍّ مُواشِكِ

وَلَو وَأَلَت مِنّا بِشَدٍّ مُواشِكِ

We march, and no young gazelles escape in our midst,

We march, so gazelles cannot outrun us

Even if they flee from us in a swift dash.

Though they strained utmost to escape.

ذَروا فَلَجاتِ الشَأمِ قَد حالَ دونَها

ذَروا فَلَجاتِ الشَأمِ قَد حالَ دونَها

ضِرابٌ كَأَفواهِ المَخاضِ الأَوارِكِ

ضِرابٌ كَأَفواهِ المَخاضِ الأَوارِكِ

Leave the fertile fields of al-Sham; the way to them is barred by

Leave the lowlands of Syria - blocking the way

Sword-blows like the mouths of pregnant she-camels browsing arak,

Are deadly blows like the maws of labouring she-camels.

بِأَيدي رِجالٍ هاجَروا نَحوَ رَبِّهِم

بِأَيدي رِجالٍ هاجَروا نَحوَ رَبِّهِم

وَأَنصارِهِ حَقّاً وَأَيدي المَلائِكِ

وَأَنصارِهِ حَقّاً وَأَيدي المَلائِكِ

By the hands of men who emigrated toward their Lord,

By hands of men emigrating to their Lord,

And of His true helpers, and by the hands of angels.

And His allies in truth, and the angels' hands.

إِذا هَبَطَت حَورانَ مِن رَملِ عالِجٍ

إِذا هَبَطَت حَورانَ مِن رَملِ عالِجٍ

فَقولا لَها لَيسَ الطَريقُ هُنالِكِ

فَقولا لَها لَيسَ الطَريقُ هُنالِكِ

When she descends to Hawran from the sands of ʿAlij,

If houris descend from the sands of Alaj,

Then tell her, both of you: “The road is not there.”

Say to them the road does not lie that way.

فَإِن نَلقَ في تَطوافِنا وَاِلتِماسِنا

فَإِن نَلقَ في تَطوافِنا وَاِلتِماسِنا

فُراتَ بنَ حَيّانٍ يَكُن رَهنَ هالِكِ

فُراتَ بنَ حَيّانٍ يَكُن رَهنَ هالِكِ

For if, in our roaming and our searching, we encounter

And if we meet Furat ibn Hayyan in our rounds searching,

Furat son of Hayyan, he will be a captive marked for death.

He will be prey to perishing ruin.

وَإِن نَلقَ قَيسَ بنِ اِمرِئِ القَيسِ بَعدَهُ

وَإِن نَلقَ قَيسَ بنِ اِمرِئِ القَيسِ بَعدَهُ

نَزِد في سَوادِ وَجهِهِ لَونَ حالِكِ

نَزِد في سَوادِ وَجهِهِ لَونَ حالِكِ

And if we encounter Qays son of Imriʾ al-Qays after him,

And if next we meet Qais ibn Imri al-Qais,

We shall add a pitch-black hue to the darkness of his face.

We'll add more blackness to his darkened face.

فَأَبلِغ أَبا سُفيانَ عَنّي رِسالَةً

فَأَبلِغ أَبا سُفيانَ عَنّي رِسالَةً

فَإِنَّكَ مِن شَرِّ الرِجالِ الصَعالِكِ

فَإِنَّكَ مِن شَرِّ الرِجالِ الصَعالِكِ

So convey a message from me to Abu Sufyan:

So pass on to Abu Sufyan from me a message -

“For you are among the worst of men—the vagabonds.”

You are the wickedest of treacherous men.