أَهاجَ البَرقُ لَيلَةَ أَذرِعاتٍ

أَهاجَ البَرقُ لَيلَةَ أَذرِعاتٍ

هَوىً ما تَستَطيعُ لَهُ طِلابا

هَوىً ما تَستَطيعُ لَهُ طِلابا

Did the lightning, on the night at Adhri'at, stir

The lightning raged on a night of downpours

A longing you cannot pursue?

A passion beyond what seekers can demand

فَكَلَّفتُ النَواعِجَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

فَكَلَّفتُ النَواعِجَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

مِنَ الجَوزاءِ يَلتَهِبُ اِلتِهابا

مِنَ الجَوزاءِ يَلتَهِبُ اِلتِهابا

So I made the swift she-camels endure each day

So I tasked the she-camels each day

Of Gemini, blazing fiercely,

With fire in June, burning bright

يُذيبُ غُرورَهُنَّ وَلَو يُصَلّى

يُذيبُ غُرورَهُنَّ وَلَو يُصَلّى

حَديدُ الأَقوَلَينِ بِهِ لَذابا

حَديدُ الأَقوَلَينِ بِهِ لَذابا

Melting the folds of their hides; and were

Melting their haughtiness even if they pray

The iron of al-Aqwalayn heated in it, it would melt.

The iron shackles would melt under its heat

وَنَضّاحِ المَقَذِّ تَرى المَطايا

وَنَضّاحِ المَقَذِّ تَرى المَطايا

عَشِيَّةَ خِمسِهِنَّ لَهُ ذُنابى

عَشِيَّةَ خِمسِهِنَّ لَهُ ذُنابى

And many a camel with a sweat-streaming nape—you see the mounts

You see the cattle prods make the riding beasts

At dusk of their fifth-day watering, trailing behind him.

On their fifth evening show them the whip

نَعَبنا بِجانِبَيهِ المَشيَ نَعباً

نَعَبنا بِجانِبَيهِ المَشيَ نَعباً

خَواضِعَ وَهوَ يَنسَلِبُ اِنسِلابا

خَواضِعَ وَهوَ يَنسَلِبُ اِنسِلابا

We strode swiftly along his flanks,

We walked by its side with a weary gait

With heads bowed, while he slipped swiftly away.

As it crept slowly under the saddlebags

بَعَثتُ إِلَيكُمُ السُفَراءَ تَترى

بَعَثتُ إِلَيكُمُ السُفَراءَ تَترى

فَأَمسى لا سَفيرَ وَلا عِتابا

فَأَمسى لا سَفيرَ وَلا عِتابا

I sent envoys to you in succession;

I sent envoys to you in succession

So now there is no envoy and no reproach.

Yet by evening no envoy or chiding remained

وَقَد وَقَعَت قَوارِعُها بِتَيمٍ

وَقَد وَقَعَت قَوارِعُها بِتَيمٍ

وَقَد حَذَّرتُ لَو حَذَروا العِقابا

وَقَد حَذَّرتُ لَو حَذَروا العِقابا

And its crushing blows have fallen upon Taym,

And their calamities befell the Taym tribe

And I had warned them—if only they had feared punishment.

Though I warned them lest they face punishment

فَما لاقَيتُ مَعذِرَةً لِتَيمٍ

فَما لاقَيتُ مَعذِرَةً لِتَيمٍ

وَلا حِلمَ اِبنِ بَرزَةَ مُستَثابا

وَلا حِلمَ اِبنِ بَرزَةَ مُستَثابا

So I found no excuse for Taym,

I found no excuse for the Taym people

Nor Ibn Barzah's forbearance worthy of reward.

Nor did Ibn Barzah's patience earn reward

لَقَد كانَ اِبنُ بَرزَةَ في تَميمٍ

لَقَد كانَ اِبنُ بَرزَةَ في تَميمٍ

حَقيقاً أَن يُجَدَّعَ أَو يُعابا

حَقيقاً أَن يُجَدَّعَ أَو يُعابا

Indeed, Ibn Barzah was, among Tamim,

Indeed, Ibn Barzah of Taym deserved

Fit to have his nose cut off or be reviled.

To be censured or face bitter rebuke

أَتَشتُمُني وَما عَلِمَت تَميمٌ

أَتَشتُمُني وَما عَلِمَت تَميمٌ

لِتَيمٍ غَيرَ حِلفِهِمُ نِصابا

لِتَيمٍ غَيرَ حِلفِهِمُ نِصابا

Do you revile me, though Tamim has never known

You insult me though Taym did not know

Any ancestry for Taym beyond their sworn alliance?

Any pact with Teym but our alliance

أَتَمدَحُ مالِكاً وَترَكتَ تَيماً

أَتَمدَحُ مالِكاً وَترَكتَ تَيماً

وَقَد كانوا هُمُ الغَرَضَ المُصابا

وَقَد كانوا هُمُ الغَرَضَ المُصابا

Do you praise Malik and leave Taym aside,

Will you praise Malik and abandon Taym

Though they were the very target struck?

When they were the true mark to strike

إِذا عُدَّ الكِرامُ وَجَدتَ تَيماً

إِذا عُدَّ الكِرامُ وَجَدتَ تَيماً

نُخالَتَهُم وَغَيرَهُمُ اللُبابا

نُخالَتَهُم وَغَيرَهُمُ اللُبابا

When the noble are counted, you find Taym

If you count the generous, you'll find Taym

Their bran, and the rest the kernels.

Were unique in their nobility and intellect

أَبوكَ التَيمُ لَيسَ بِخِندِفِيٍّ

أَبوكَ التَيمُ لَيسَ بِخِندِفِيٍّ

أَرابَ سَوادُ لَونِكُمُ أَرابا

أَرابَ سَوادُ لَونِكُمُ أَرابا

Your father Taym is not of Khindif's line;

Your father was no Khandifi Bedouin

The blackness of your complexion has aroused suspicion—indeed it has.

The darkness of your complexion darkened you

تَرى لِلُّؤمِ بَينَ سِبالِ تَيمٍ

تَرى لِلُّؤمِ بَينَ سِبالِ تَيمٍ

وَبَينَ سَوادِ أَعيُنِهِم كِتابا

وَبَينَ سَوادِ أَعيُنِهِم كِتابا

You see baseness between Taym's mustaches

Consider the brand between Taym's lips

And the blackness of their eyes, set down in writing.

And the blackness of their eyes a proof

عَرَفنا العارَ مِن سَبَأٍ لِتَيمٍ

عَرَفنا العارَ مِن سَبَأٍ لِتَيمٍ

وَفي صَنعاءَ خَرزَهُمُ العِيابا

وَفي صَنعاءَ خَرزَهُمُ العِيابا

We have known Taym's shame from Saba',

We recognized the shame from Saba upon Taym

And their stitching of leather bags in Sana'a.

And in Sanaa their disgraceful state

فَأَنتَ عَلى يَجودَةَ مُستَذَلِّ

فَأَنتَ عَلى يَجودَةَ مُستَذَلِّ

وَفي الحَيِّ الَّذينَ عَلا لِهابا

وَفي الحَيِّ الَّذينَ عَلا لِهابا

So you are rooted in Yajudah, the abased,

So you are humiliated despite your nobility

And in the clan that overmastered Lihab.

And among the living who ignited the flames

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ زَيدَ مَناةَ قَرمٌ

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ زَيدَ مَناةَ قَرمٌ

قُراسِيَةٌ نُذِلُّ بِهِ الصِعابا

قُراسِيَةٌ نُذِلُّ بِهِ الصِعابا

Have you not seen that Zayd Manat is a camel-stallion,

Do you not see that Zayd Manat are despised

Massive and powerful, through whom we tame the unruly?

Wretched folk we humiliate with ease

أَتَكفُرُ مَن يُجيرُكَ يا اِبنَ تَيمٍ

أَتَكفُرُ مَن يُجيرُكَ يا اِبنَ تَيمٍ

وَمَن تَرعى بِقَودِهُمُ السَحابا

وَمَن تَرعى بِقَودِهُمُ السَحابا

Are you ungrateful to your protector, O son of Taym,

Will you deny the one who gives you refuge, O Taym

And those under whose leadership you graze cloud-fed pastures?

And who quenched your thirst with their rivers

وَما تَيمٌ إِلى سَلَفي نِزارٍ

وَما تَيمٌ إِلى سَلَفي نِزارٍ

وَما تَيمٌ تَرَبَّبَتِ الرِبابا

وَما تَيمٌ تَرَبَّبَتِ الرِبابا

And Taym has no kinship with Nizar's two ancestral lines,

Taym is nothing without my ancestors of Nazar

Nor has Taym lorded over al-Ribab.

Nor did Taym pluck the strings of the rababah

وَما تَيمٌ لِضَبَّةَ غَيرُ عَبدٍ

وَما تَيمٌ لِضَبَّةَ غَيرُ عَبدٍ

أَطاعَ القَودَ وَاِتَّبَعَ الجِنابا

أَطاعَ القَودَ وَاِتَّبَعَ الجِنابا

And to Dabbah, Taym is nothing but a slave

Taym is naught but slaves except for Abd

Who obeyed the lead and followed at their side.

Who obeyed the bridle and followed the camel dung

وَما تَدري حُوَيزَةُ ما المَعالي

وَما تَدري حُوَيزَةُ ما المَعالي

وَجَلهَمُ غَيرَ أَطرِهِمُ العِلابا

وَجَلهَمُ غَيرَ أَطرِهِمُ العِلابا

Nor does Huwayzah know what high honors are,

You know nothing of leadership, O Huwayzah

Nor Jalham, save their shaping of milking bowls.

Except fleeing under your wrinkled cloak

وَيَومَ بَني رَبيعَةَ قَد لَحِقنا

وَيَومَ بَني رَبيعَةَ قَد لَحِقنا

وَذُدنا يَومَ ذي نَجَبٍ كِلابا

وَذُدنا يَومَ ذي نَجَبٍ كِلابا

And on the day of Banu Rabi'ah we caught up,

On the day we met the Bani Rabiah army

And on the day of Dhu Najab we drove Kilab back.

We repelled them at Dhi Najab's battle

وَيَومَ الحَوفَزانِ فَأَينَ تَيمٌ

وَيَومَ الحَوفَزانِ فَأَينَ تَيمٌ

فَتُدعى يَومَ ذَلِكَ أَو تُجابا

فَتُدعى يَومَ ذَلِكَ أَو تُجابا

And on al-Hawfazan's day—where was Taym,

And on the day of Al-Hawazin, where was Taym?

To be called upon that day, or answered?

Were you called or answered on that day?

وَبِسطامٌ سَما لَهُمُ فَلاقى

وَبِسطامٌ سَما لَهُمُ فَلاقى

لُيوثاً عِندَ أَشبُلِها غِضابا

لُيوثاً عِندَ أَشبُلِها غِضابا

And Bistam advanced against them, and met

Bistam loftily named them, but instead found

Lions, angry beside their cubs.

Lions guarding their cubs in wrath

فَما تَيمٌ غَداةَ الحِنوِ فينا

فَما تَيمٌ غَداةَ الحِنوِ فينا

وَلا في الخَيلِ يَومَ عَلَت إِرابا

وَلا في الخَيلِ يَومَ عَلَت إِرابا

So Taym was not among us on the morning of al-Hinw,

Taym was nowhere on the morrow of Hunow

Nor among the cavalry the day it climbed Irab.

Nor were they among the horses when war flared

سَمَونا بِالفَوارِسِ مُلجِميها

سَمَونا بِالفَوارِسِ مُلجِميها

مِنَ الغَورَينِ تَطَّلِعُ النِقابا

مِنَ الغَورَينِ تَطَّلِعُ النِقابا

We advanced with the horsemen who bridled them,

We were named the valiant warriors reigning them in

From the two lowlands, scaling the mountain passes.

As the veils peeked out from behind the dunes

دَخَلنَ حُصونَ مَذحِجَ مُعلِماتٍ

دَخَلنَ حُصونَ مَذحِجَ مُعلِماتٍ

وَلَم يَترُكنَ مِن صَنعاءَ بابا

وَلَم يَترُكنَ مِن صَنعاءَ بابا

They entered Madhhij's strongholds, marked for battle,

They entered the forts of Madhij in groups

And left no gate of Sana'a unentered.

Leaving not a door of Sanaa untaken

لَعَلَّ الخَيلَ تَذعَرُ سَرحَ تَيمٍ

لَعَلَّ الخَيلَ تَذعَرُ سَرحَ تَيمٍ

وَتُعجِلُ زُبدَ أَيسَرَ أَن يُذابا

وَتُعجِلُ زُبدَ أَيسَرَ أَن يُذابا

Perhaps the horses will frighten Taym's grazing herds,

Mayhaps Taym's horses will bolt in panic

And give Aysar's butter no time to be melted.

And the spittle of the swiftest melt in fear