1. أَجَدَّ اليَومَ جيرَتُكَ اِرتِحالا

    وَلا تَهوى بِذي العُشُرِ الزِيالا

    Today your neighbors have resolved to depart,

    and you have no wish for parting at Dhu al-ʿUshr.

  2. قِفا عُوِجا عَلى دِمَنٍ بِرَهبى

    فَحَيّوا رَسمَهُنَّ وَإِن أَحالا

    Stop, you two; turn aside to the old camp-traces at Rahba,

    then greet their traces, even if they have changed.

  3. وَشَبَّهتُ الحُدوجَ غَداةَ قَوٍّ

    سَفينَ الهِندِ رَوَّحَ مِن أَوالا

    And I likened the camel-litters, that morning at Qaww,

    to Indian ships setting out at evening from Awal.

  4. جَعَلنَ القَصدَ عَن شَطِبٍ يَمينَن

    وَعَن أَجمادِ ذي بَقَرِن شِمالا

    They set their course to the right of Shatib,

    and to the left of the rocky uplands of Dhu Baqar.

  5. جَمَعنَ لَنا مَواعِدَ مُعجِباتٍ

    وَبُخلاً دونَ سُؤلِكَ وَاِعتِلالا

    They mingled for us enticing promises

    with stinginess that denied your wish, and excuses.

  6. أَوانِسُ لَم يَعِشنَ بِعَيشِ سَوءٍ

    يُجَدِّدنَ المَواعِدَ وَالمِطالا

    Charming women who had never lived a life of hardship

    renew their promises and their delays.

  7. فَقَد أَفنَينَ عُمرَكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

    بِوَعدٍ ما جَزَينَ بِهِ قِبالا

    For they have consumed your life, day after day,

    with a promise for which they gave no return.

  8. وَلَو يَهوَينَ ذاكَ سَقَينَ عَذباً

    عَلى العِلّاتِ آوِنَةً زُلالا

    And had they desired that, they would have given you sweet water,

    despite the hindrances, now and then, crystal-clear.

  9. وَلَكِنَّ الحُماةَ حَمَوكَ عَنهُ

    فَما تُسقى عَلى ظَمَإٍ بِلالا

    But the guardians barred you from it,

    so, despite your thirst, you are given not a drop.

  10. أَلا تَجزينَ وُدّي في لَيالٍ

    وَأَيّامٍ وَصَلتُ بِهِ طِوالا

    Will you not requite my love through nights

    and long days I bound together with that love?

  11. أُحِبُّ الظاعِنينَ غَداةَ قَوٍّ

    وَلا أَهوى المُقيمَ بِهِ الحِلالا

    I love those who departed that morning at Qaww,

    and I do not love the dwellers encamped there.

  12. لَقَد ذَرَفَت دُموعُكَ يَومَ رَدّوا

    لِبَينِ الحَيِّ فَاِحتَمَلوا الجِمالا

    Indeed your tears streamed the day they brought back

    the camels for the tribe's departure, then loaded them.

  13. وَفي الأَظعانِ مِثلُ مَها رُماحٍ

    نَصَبنَ لَهُ المَصايِدَ وَالحِبالا

    And among the departing litters were women like the oryx of Rumah;

    they set traps and snares for him.

  14. فَما أَشوَينَ حينَ رَمَينَ قَلبي

    سِهاماً لَم يَرِشنَ لَها نِبالا

    They did not miss the vital mark when they shot at my heart

    with arrows whose shafts they had not feathered,

  15. وَلَكِن بِالعُيونِ وَكُلِّ خَدٍّ

    تَخالُ بِهِ لِبَهجَتِهِ صِقالا

    but with eyes and every cheek

    you fancy burnished for its radiant beauty.

  16. لَعَمرُكَ ما يَزيدُكَ قُربُ هِندٍ

    إِذا ما زُرتَها إِلّا خَبالا

    By your life, nearness to Hind brings you nothing—

    when you visit her—but madness.

  17. وَقَد قالَ الوُشاةُ فَأَفزَعونا

    بِبَعضِ القَولِ نَكرَهُ أَن يُقالا

    And the tale-bearers spoke, alarming us

    with some words we hate to hear uttered.

  18. رَأَيتُكَ يا أُخَيطِلُ إِذ جَرَينا

    وَجُرِّبَتِ الفَراسَةُ كُنتَ فالا

    I saw you, O Ukhaytil, when we raced,

    and, when horsemanship was tested, you proved inept.

  19. وَقَد نُخِسَ الفَرَزدَقُ بَعدَ جَهدٍ

    فَأَلقى القَوسَ إِذ سَإِمَ النِضالا

    And al-Farazdaq was goaded after much effort,

    so he threw down his bow when he tired of the archery contest.

  20. وَنَحنُ الأَفضَلونَ فَأَيَّ يَومٍ

    تَقولُ التَغلِبِيُّ رَجا الفِضالا

    And we are the superior ones; on what day

    can you say the Taghlibi hoped for preeminence?

  21. أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ عِزَّ بَني تَميمٍ

    بَناهُ اللَهُ يَومَ بَنى الجِبالا

    Have you not seen that Banu Tamim's glory

    was built by God the day He built the mountains?

  22. بَنى لَهُمُ رَواسِيَ شامِخاتٍ

    وَعالى اللَهُ ذُروَتَهُ فَطالا

    He built for them firmly rooted, towering mountains,

    and God raised its summit, so it stood tall.

  23. بَنى لي كُلُّ أَزهَرَ خِندِفِيٌّ

    يُباري في سُرادِقِهِ الشَمالا

    Every bright-faced Khindifi built up my glory,

    vying with the north wind within his pavilion.

  24. تَنَصَّفُهُ البَرِيَّةُ وَهوَ سامٍ

    وَيُمسي العالَمونَ لَهُ عِيالا

    All creation serves him while he stands exalted,

    and by evening all people are his dependents.

  25. تَواضَعَتِ القُرومُ لِخِندَفِيٍّ

    إِذا شِئنا تَخَمَّطَ ثُمَّ صالا

    The mighty chiefs bowed before a Khindifi

    who, when we wish, bristles with rage, then charges.

  26. وَيَسعى التَغلِبيُّ أَذا اِجتَبَينا

    بِجِزيَتِهِ وَيَنتَظِرُ الهِلالا

    And the Taghlibi hastens whenever we make our levy,

    with his tribute, awaiting the crescent moon.

  27. لَقَيتُم بِالجَزيرَةِ خَيلَ قَيسٍ

    فَقُلتُم مارَ سَرجِس لا قِتالا

    You met Qays's cavalry in al-Jazira,

    so you said, 'Mar Sergius! No fighting!'

  28. فَلا خَيلٌ لَكُم صَبَرَت لِخَيلٍ

    وَلا أَغنَت رِجالُكُمُ رِجالا

    No cavalry of yours stood firm against cavalry,

    nor were your men of any use to men.

  29. وَأَسلَمتُم شُعَيثَ بَني مُلَيلٍ

    أَصابَ السَيفُ عاتِقَهُ فَمالا

    And you abandoned Shuʿayth of Banu Mulayl;

    the sword struck his shoulder, so he slumped.

  30. شَرِبتَ الخَمرَ بَعدَ أَبي غُوَيثٍ

    فَلا نَعِمَت لَكَ النَشَواتُ بالا

    You drank wine after Abu Ghuwayth;

    so may your drunken bouts bring you no peace of mind!

  31. تَسوفُ التَغلِبيَّةُ وَهيَ سَكرى

    قَفا الخِنزيرِ تَحسِبُهُ غَزالا

    The Taghlibi woman, drunk, sniffs

    the pig's nape, thinking it a gazelle.

  32. تَظَلَّ الخَمرُ تَخلِجُ أَخدَعَيها

    وَتَشكو في قَوائِمِها اِمذِلالا

    The wine keeps making her two neck-veins twitch,

    and she complains of numbness in her legs.

  33. أَتَحسِبُ فَلسَ أُمِّكَ كانَ مَجداً

    وَجَذَّكُمُ عَنِ النَقدِ الجُفالا

    Do you think your mother's copper coin was glory,

    and your shearing thick wool from the short-legged sheep?

  34. تَناوَل ما وَجَدتَ أَباكَ يَبني

    فَأَمّا الخِندِفيَّ فَلَن تَنالا

    Reach for what you found your father building;

    but as for the Khindifi, you will never attain him.

  35. أَلَيسَ أَبو الأُخَيطِلِ تَغلِبِيّاً

    فَبِئسَ التَغلِبِيَّ أَباً وَخالا

    Is al-Ukhaytil's father not a Taghlibi?

    So wretched is a Taghlibi as father and maternal uncle!

  36. إِذا ماكانَ خالُكَ تَغلِبيّاً

    فَبادِل إِن وَجَدتَ لَهُ بِدالا

    If your maternal uncle happens to be a Taghlibi,

    then exchange him, if you find a replacement for him.

  37. وَيَربوعٌ تَحُلُّ ذُرى الرَوابي

    وَتَبني فَوقَها عَمَداً طِوالا

    And Yarbuʿ dwells on the summits of the hills,

    and builds tall pillars above them.

  38. وَقَد عَلِقَ الأُخَيطَلُ حَبلَ سَوءٍ

    فَأَبرَحَ يَومُهُنَّ بِهِ وَطالا

    And al-Ukhaytil has clung to a rope of misfortune;

    so their day weighed heavily on him and dragged on.

  39. أَلَم تَرَ يا أُخَيطِلُ حَربَ قَيسٍ

    تَمُرُّ إِذا اِبتَغَيتَ لَها العِلالا

    Have you not seen, O Ukhaytil, the war of Qays

    turn bitter when you seek a second draught of it?

  40. أَذا لَم تَصحُ نَشوَتُكُم فَذوقوا

    سُيوفَ الهِندِ وَالأَسَلَ النِهالا

    If your drunken stupor will not lift, then taste

    the swords of India and the thirsty spears.