أَلاHear this! أَبلِغconvey this to لَدَيكَthere with you بَنيthe sons of كِلابٍKilab
أَلا أَبلِغ لَدَيكَ بَني كِلابٍ
وَإِخَوَتَهاand its kinsmen مُعاوِيَةَMuʿawiyah بنَson of بَكرِBakr
وَإِخَوَتَها مُعاوِيَةَ بنَ بَكرِ
Hear this: tell the sons of Kilab there with you,
and their kinsmen, Muʿawiyah son of Bakr:
فَلَيتَif only, then الناقِمِيَّةَal-Naqimiyyah لَمnot تَلِدكُمshe bore you
فَلَيتَ الناقِمِيَّةَ لَم تَلِدكُم
وَلَمand did not تَحمِلكُمُcarry you مِنهاof hers بِظَهرِupon a back
وَلَم تَحمِلكُمُ مِنها بِظَهرِ
If only al-Naqimiyyah had never borne you,
nor carried you upon her back.
فَإِنَّfor indeed سَوامَthe grazing herds of ماwhat صِرتُمyou have come إِلَيهِto it
فَإِنَّ سَوامَ ما صِرتُم إِلَيهِ
رِتاعٌgrazing freely بَينَbetween أَوطاسٍAwtas وَسِعرِand Siʿr
رِتاعٌ بَينَ أَوطاسٍ وَسِعرِ
For the herds of the land you have reached
graze freely between Awtas and Siʿr.
حَماهُhe guarded it مَنthe one who يُمَتِّعُهُlets it thrive بِقودٍwith long-necked steeds
حَماهُ مَن يُمَتِّعُهُ بِقودٍ
وَيَمنَعُكُمand protects you مَخافَةَfear of كُلِّevery ثَغرِvulnerable frontier
وَيَمنَعُكُم مَخافَةَ كُلِّ ثَغرِ
He who lets them thrive guards them with long-necked steeds,
and shields you from fear at every vulnerable frontier.
أَأَنis it because غَضِبَتgrew angry كِلابٌKilab فيover عِقارٍcamel-slaughter
أَأَن غَضِبَت كِلابٌ في عِقارٍ
تَعُدُّreckon لَناagainst us النَوابِغُthe upstarts ذَنبَthe sin of صُحرِṢuḥr
تَعُدُّ لَنا النَوابِغُ ذَنبَ صُحرِ
Is it because Kilab grew angry over the slaughter of camels
that the upstarts charge us with Ṣuḥr’s sin?
وَلَوand if أَنّاthat we نَخافُfear الحَيَّthe tribe نَصراًNasr
وَلَو أَنّا نَخافُ الحَيَّ نَصراً
لَدَعثَرناwe would surely have razed دِيارَهُمُtheir dwellings بِمَجرِwith a mighty host
لَدَعثَرنا دِيارَهُمُ بِمَجرِ
And had we feared the tribe of Nasr,
we would have razed their dwellings with a mighty host,
بِزُرقٍwith blue spearheads فيin مُثَقَّفَةٍstraightened shafts حِرارٍfine-quality
بِزُرقٍ في مُثَقَّفَةٍ حِرارٍ
تُقَوَّمُare set straight فيin قَناthe spear-reeds الخَطِّيِّof al-Khatt سُمرِbrown
تُقَوَّمُ في قَنا الخَطِّيِّ سُمرِ
with fine blue spearheads in straightened shafts,
set true in al-Khatt’s brown spear-reeds.
Sol 6.1