سَمَت لي نَظرَةٌ فَرَأَيتُ بَرقاً

سَمَت لي نَظرَةٌ فَرَأَيتُ بَرقاً

تِهامِيّاً فَراجَعَني اِدِّكاري

تِهامِيّاً فَراجَعَني اِدِّكاري

My gaze rose, and I saw lightning

She glanced at me, so I saw a flashing light

from Tihama; then my recollection returned.

That brought back memories to my mind

يَقولُ الناظِرونَ إِلى سَناهُ

يَقولُ الناظِرونَ إِلى سَناهُ

نَرى بُلقاً شَمَسنَ عَلى مِهارِ

نَرى بُلقاً شَمَسنَ عَلى مِهارِ

Those gazing at its radiance say:

The onlookers at her radiance say

"We see piebald mares grown restive over foals."

We see a shining sun on the horizon

لَقَد كَذَبَت عِداتُكَ أُمُّ بِشرٍ

لَقَد كَذَبَت عِداتُكَ أُمُّ بِشرٍ

وَقَد طالَت أَناتي وَاِنتِظاري

وَقَد طالَت أَناتي وَاِنتِظاري

Your promises have indeed proved false, Umm Bishr,

Indeed, your trysts have lied, O mother of mankind

and long have my patience and my waiting lasted.

My yearning has been prolonged and my wait

عَجِلتِ إِلى مَلامَتِنا وَتَسري

عَجِلتِ إِلى مَلامَتِنا وَتَسري

مَطايانا وَلَيلُكِ غَيرُ ساري

مَطايانا وَلَيلُكِ غَيرُ ساري

You hastened to reproach us, while journeying by night

You hurried to blame us, though your night is not pleasing

are our mounts, though your night makes no journey.

Our mounts galloped while your night is not serene

فَهانَ عَلَيكِ ما لَقِيَت رِكابي

فَهانَ عَلَيكِ ما لَقِيَت رِكابي

وَسيري في المُلَمَّعَةِ القِفارِ

وَسيري في المُلَمَّعَةِ القِفارِ

So you thought little of what my riding-camels endured,

You cared little for what my feet endured

and of my journey through the shimmering, barren wastes.

And my journey in the glowing desert

وَأَيّامٍ أَتَينَ عَلى المَطايا

وَأَيّامٍ أَتَينَ عَلى المَطايا

كَأَنَّ سَمومَهُنَّ أَجيجُ نارِ

كَأَنَّ سَمومَهُنَّ أَجيجُ نارِ

And days that bore down upon the mounts,

And days I spent on mounts

as though their scorching winds were a roaring blaze of fire.

As if their poison is blazing fire

كَأَنَّ عَلى مَغابِنِهِنَّ هَجراً

كَأَنَّ عَلى مَغابِنِهِنَّ هَجراً

كُحَيلُ الليتِ أَو نَبَعانَ قارِ

كُحَيلُ الليتِ أَو نَبَعانَ قارِ

As though upon their skin-folds, at midday,

As if over their backbones was estrangement

lay al-Lit's pitch, or tar welling up.

Like the flames of lamps or gushing springs

لَقَد أَمسى البَعيثُ بِدارِ ذُلٍّ

لَقَد أَمسى البَعيثُ بِدارِ ذُلٍّ

وَما أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ بِالخِيارِ

وَما أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ بِالخِيارِ

Al-Ba'ith has indeed come to a dwelling of disgrace,

Indeed the wretch has spent the night in humiliation

nor has al-Farazdaq become one of the best:

While the eminent spent it with pride

جَلاجِلُ كُرَّجٍ وَسِبالِ قِردٍ

جَلاجِلُ كُرَّجٍ وَسِبالِ قِردٍ

وَزَندٌ مِن قُفَيرَةَ غَيرُ واري

وَزَندٌ مِن قُفَيرَةَ غَيرُ واري

a hobbyhorse's jingling bells and a monkey's whiskers,

Bangles of slaves and robes of monkeys

and a fire-stick from Qufayra that kindles no fire.

And a braid from an ape with no dignity

عَرَفنا مِن قُفَيرَةَ حاجِبَيها

عَرَفنا مِن قُفَيرَةَ حاجِبَيها

وَجَذّاً في أَنامِلِها القِصارِ

وَجَذّاً في أَنامِلِها القِصارِ

We recognized Qufayra by her two eyebrows,

We recognized the eyebrows of her ape

and a cut-off stub in her short fingers.

And the scar on its short fingers

تَدافَعنا فَقالَ بَنو تَميمٍ

تَدافَعنا فَقالَ بَنو تَميمٍ

كَأَنَّ القِردَ طَوَّحَ مِن طَمارِ

كَأَنَّ القِردَ طَوَّحَ مِن طَمارِ

We thrust at one another, and the sons of Tamim said:

We fought and the clan of Tamim said

"As though the monkey had plunged from a lofty height!"

As if the monkey had plunged from a roof

أَطامِعَةٌ قُيونُ بَني عِقالٍ

أَطامِعَةٌ قُيونُ بَني عِقالٍ

بِعُقبى حينَ فاتَهُمُ حِضاري

بِعُقبى حينَ فاتَهُمُ حِضاري

Do the smiths of the sons of 'Iqal hope

Greedy-eyed clan of Beni Iqal

for another turn, when my racing has outstripped them?

At Uqba when they missed my valiance

وَقَد عَلِمَت بَنو وَقبانَ أَنّي

وَقَد عَلِمَت بَنو وَقبانَ أَنّي

ضَبورُ الوَعثِ مُعتَزِمُ الخَبارِ

ضَبورُ الوَعثِ مُعتَزِمُ الخَبارِ

And the sons of Waqban know that I am

And the clan of Waqdan knew well that I

a powerful leaper through soft sand, resolute across loose ground.

Am the hornet of calamities, ever unsheathing my sword

بِيَربوعٍ فَخَرتَ وَآلِ سَعدٍ

بِيَربوعٍ فَخَرتَ وَآلِ سَعدٍ

فَلا مَجدي بَلَغتَ وَلا اِفتِخاري

فَلا مَجدي بَلَغتَ وَلا اِفتِخاري

You boasted of Yarbu' and the house of Sa'd,

With Yarbu I fell, and the clan of Saad

yet neither my glory nor my pride did you attain.

So no glory you reached, nor pride

لِيَربوعٍ فَوارِسُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

لِيَربوعٍ فَوارِسُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

يُواري شَمسَهُ رَهَجُ الغُبارِ

يُواري شَمسَهُ رَهَجُ الغُبارِ

Yarbu' has horsemen for every day

For Yarbu, a horseman every day

whose sun is hidden by a swirling cloud of dust:

Whose sun is veiled by the dust of turmoil

عُتَيبَةُ وَالأُحَيمِرُ وَاِبنُ سَعدٍ

عُتَيبَةُ وَالأُحَيمِرُ وَاِبنُ سَعدٍ

وَعَتّابٌ وَفارِسُ ذي الخِمارِ

وَعَتّابٌ وَفارِسُ ذي الخِمارِ

'Utayba, al-Uhaymir, and the son of Sa'd,

Utaibah, and Al Uhaimir, and Son of Saad

and 'Attab, and the rider of Dhu al-Khimar.

And Attab, and the horseman with the scarf

وَيَومَ بَني جُذَيمَةَ إِذ لَحِقنا

وَيَومَ بَني جُذَيمَةَ إِذ لَحِقنا

ضُحىً بَينَ الشُعَيبَةِ وَالعَقارِ

ضُحىً بَينَ الشُعَيبَةِ وَالعَقارِ

And on the day of the sons of Judhayma, when we caught up

And the day we caught up with Banu Judaima

at midmorning, between al-Shu'ayba and al-'Aqar.

At dawn, between the plain and the hillsides

وُجوهُ مُجاشِعٍ طُلِيَت بِلُؤمٍ

وُجوهُ مُجاشِعٍ طُلِيَت بِلُؤمٍ

يُبَيِّنُ في المُقَلَّدِ وَالعِذارِ

يُبَيِّنُ في المُقَلَّدِ وَالعِذارِ

The faces of Mujashi' were coated with baseness,

Faces of the cowardly dyed with disgrace

showing plainly upon the neck and the cheek's beard-line.

Evident on the mantles and coats

وَحالَفَ جِلدَ كُلِّ مُجاشِعِيٍّ

وَحالَفَ جِلدَ كُلِّ مُجاشِعِيٍّ

قَميصُ اللُؤمِ لَيسَ بِمُستَعارِ

قَميصُ اللُؤمِ لَيسَ بِمُستَعارِ

And allied to the skin of every Mujashi'i

And the skin of each coward swore

is a shirt of baseness, not a borrowed one.

The shirt of disgrace is not borrowed

أَغَرَّكُمُ الفَرَزدَقُ مِن أَبيكُم

أَغَرَّكُمُ الفَرَزدَقُ مِن أَبيكُم

وَذِكرُ مَزادَتَينِ عَلى حِمارِ

وَذِكرُ مَزادَتَينِ عَلى حِمارِ

Have you been deceived by al-Farazdaq concerning your father,

Did the eminent deceive you about your father

and by the mention of two waterskins on a donkey?

And the tale of two loads on a donkey?

وَجَدنا بَيتَ ضَبَّةَ في مَعَدٍّ

وَجَدنا بَيتَ ضَبَّةَ في مَعَدٍّ

كَبيتِ الضَبِّ لَيسَ لَهُ سَواري

كَبيتِ الضَبِّ لَيسَ لَهُ سَواري

We found the house of Dabba among Ma'add

We found the house of Dhabba in Ma'ad

like the spiny-tailed lizard's burrow, which has no pillars.

Like a hyena's den with no ring

وَجَدناهُم قَناذِعَ مُلزِقاتٍ

وَجَدناهُم قَناذِعَ مُلزِقاتٍ

بِلا نَبعٍ نَبَتنَ وَلا نُضارِ

بِلا نَبعٍ نَبَتنَ وَلا نُضارِ

We found them base wretches, clinging hangers-on,

We found them crows perched on a barren land

sprung from neither nab' nor nudar wood.

With no spring flowing, nor freshness