تُحاذِرُ أَن أَسُبَّكَ يا ابنَ سَلمى

تُحاذِرُ أَن أَسُبَّكَ يا ابنَ سَلمى

كَأَنَّ أَباكَ في حَسَبٍ كَريمِ

كَأَنَّ أَباكَ في حَسَبٍ كَريمِ

You fear that I might revile you, O son of Salma,

You fear I insult you, son of Salma

As though your father were of noble lineage.

As if your father was of noble lineage

وَبِالشَّهباءِ مِن حَزنِ ابنِ عَمروٍ

وَبِالشَّهباءِ مِن حَزنِ ابنِ عَمروٍ

بُيوت ما رُفِعنَ عَلى لَئيمِ

بُيوت ما رُفِعنَ عَلى لَئيمِ

And in al-Shahba, of Hazn ibn Amr’s line,

Yet with the Pleiades’ arrowheads of Ibn ‘Amr’s grief

Stand houses never raised over a baseborn man.

Are homes not built with base men’s hands

إِذا ما شِئتَ هَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنها

إِذا ما شِئتَ هَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنها

مُذرَّبَةُ الأَسِنَّةِ كَالنُّجومِ

مُذرَّبَةُ الأَسِنَّةِ كَالنُّجومِ

If you wish, from them will rush to me

If you desire, send me one of these

Spears with sharpened heads, like the stars.

Whose tongues are sharpened like the stars