ما ذاتُ أَرواقٍ تَصَدّى لِجُؤذَرٍ

ما ذاتُ أَرواقٍ تَصَدّى لِجُؤذَرٍ

بِحَيثُ تَلاقى عازِبٌ فَالأَواعِسُ

بِحَيثُ تَلاقى عازِبٌ فَالأَواعِسُ

No horned wild cow tending a calf,

What galleries that faced a torrent,

where Azib and al-Awa'is meet,

Where a solitary met him and the laters,

بِأَحسَنَ مِنها يَومَ قالَت أَلا تَرى

بِأَحسَنَ مِنها يَومَ قالَت أَلا تَرى

لِمَن حَولَنا فيهِم غَيورٌ وَنافِسُ

لِمَن حَولَنا فيهِم غَيورٌ وَنافِسُ

was fairer than she the day she said, 'Do you not see?'

With better than it the day she said: behold

to those around us, among them a jealous man and an envious rival.

Those around us, among them a jealous and a rival,

تَرى ثَمَّ شِرباً بارِداً لا يَنالُهُ

تَرى ثَمَّ شِرباً بارِداً لا يَنالُهُ

عَلى هَولِهِ إِلّا رَدٍ أَو مُخالِسُ

عَلى هَولِهِ إِلّا رَدٍ أَو مُخالِسُ

There you see a cool draught that none can reach,

You see then a cold drink none can attain

despite its peril, except a doomed man or a furtive snatcher.

In its fear but a refusal or a slinker,

بَني مالِكٍ لا يُردِكُم حَينُ قَينِكُم

بَني مالِكٍ لا يُردِكُم حَينُ قَينِكُم

فَيَقبِسَكُم مِن حَرِّ ناري قابِسُ

فَيَقبِسَكُم مِن حَرِّ ناري قابِسُ

Sons of Malik, let not your smith's doom destroy you,

O Bani Malik, none will drive you back when your affliction,

lest a fire-fetcher bring you a brand from my fire's heat.

And kindle you from the heat of my fiery kindler,

وَإِيّاكُمُ وَالقَينَ لا يَشأَمَنَّكُم

وَإِيّاكُمُ وَالقَينَ لا يَشأَمَنَّكُم

كَما كانَ مَشؤوماً لِذُبيانَ داحِسُ

كَما كانَ مَشؤوماً لِذُبيانَ داحِسُ

And beware the smith—let him not bring you ill fortune,

And beware of affliction, let it not ill-affect you,

as Dahis was ill-omened for Dhubyan.

As it was inauspicious for Dhubian's Dahes,

بَني مالِكٍ فاتَ الفَرَزدَقَ مَجدُنا

بَني مالِكٍ فاتَ الفَرَزدَقَ مَجدُنا

وَماتَ اِبنُ لَيلى وَهوَ مِن ذاكَ يائِسُ

وَماتَ اِبنُ لَيلى وَهوَ مِن ذاكَ يائِسُ

Sons of Malik, our glory has outstripped al-Farazdaq,

O Bani Malik, the excellence of our glory is past,

and Layla's son died, despairing of that.

And the son of Layla died while in hopelessness from that,

فَما زالَ مَعقولاً عِقالٌ عَنِ العُلى

فَما زالَ مَعقولاً عِقالٌ عَنِ العُلى

وَما زالَ مَحبوساً عَنِ المَجدِ حابِسُ

وَما زالَ مَحبوساً عَنِ المَجدِ حابِسُ

So Iqal has remained fettered, kept from the heights,

So the mind has not ceased being reasonable about the Most High,

and Habis has remained held back from glory.

And the imprisoned has not ceased from glory by the confiner.