الشاتِمِيَّyou who revile me وَمِنand from دونيbefore me ذُراthe peaks of حَضَنٍḤaḍan
الشاتِمِيَّ وَمِن دوني ذُرا حَضَنٍ
وَالفِعلُand deeds مُختَلِبٌmere bluff وَالقَولُand speech مَأثورُremembered
وَالفِعلُ مُختَلِبٌ وَالقَولُ مَأثورُ
O you who revile me, with Ḥaḍan’s peaks between us,
The slanderers and beneath me worthless specks of dust,
Deeds are mere bluff, while words are remembered.
Whilst deeds in disarray and words are but borrowed talk,
أَنتُمyou مَجاهيلُnobodies حَرّامونَdenying hospitality to ثاوِيَكُمyour guest
أَنتُم مَجاهيلُ حَرّامونَ ثاوِيَكُم
وَفيand in الحُروبِwars مَقاليعٌeasily unhorsed men عَواويرُcowards
وَفي الحُروبِ مَقاليعٌ عَواويرُ
You are nobodies, denying hospitality to your guest,
You are the wretched fools, the damned and ruined band,
And in battle, easily unhorsed cowards.
Yet in frays you charge with fractured, fragile sticks.
لاnever تَبرَحونَyou leave عَلىat أَبوابِthe doors of مَلأَمَةٍdisgrace
لا تَبرَحونَ عَلى أَبوابِ مَلأَمَةٍ
تَعازَرونَyou abet one another بِهاin it ماas long as لَألَأَflicked their tails الفَورُthe gazelles
تَعازَرونَ بِها ما لَألَأَ الفَورُ
You never leave the doors of disgrace,
And you ne'er cease to haunt the doors of flightiness;
Abetting one another there as long as gazelles flick their tails.
Through bickering you prop what time demands undoing.
كَأَنَّكُمas though you were نَبَطِيّاتٌNabataean women بِمَزرَعَةٍin a field
كَأَنَّكُم نَبَطِيّاتٌ بِمَزرَعَةٍ
قُشرُraw-skinned الأُنوفِthe noses دَراديرٌtoothless مَآديرُwith swollen scrotums
قُشرُ الأُنوفِ دَراديرٌ مَآديرُ
As though you were Nabataean women in a field,
You are like peasant girls amidst some field of ruins
Raw-nosed, toothless, with swollen scrotums.
With pierced nose and lips - bleating, mindless herd;
تَرىyou see صُدورَهُمُtheir chests سُمراًbrown مُحَشَّرَةًnarrow
تَرى صُدورَهُمُ سُمراً مُحَشَّرَةً
وَفيand in أَسافِلِهِمtheir lower parts نَشرٌspreading out وَتَشميرُand hitching up garments
وَفي أَسافِلِهِم نَشرٌ وَتَشميرُ
You see their chests brown and narrow,
You see them hunched with shoulders bared for fighting;
And below, their garments spread out and are hitched up.
Below, their legs spread out, and shirts tucked up.
إِذwhen هُمthey شَعاريرُscattered weaklings بِالأَشرافِon the heights تَبطَحُهُمlays them low
إِذ هُم شَعاريرُ بِالأَشرافِ تَبطَحُهُم
زُرقُblue الأَسِنَّةِthe spearpoints وَالبيضُand the white swords المَباتيرُkeen-cutting
زُرقُ الأَسِنَّةِ وَالبيضُ المَباتيرُ
When they are scattered weaklings on the heights, laid low by
For they are devils with their noble fellows, laid to waste
Blue spearpoints and keen-cutting white swords.
By tongues so blue and teeth as white as full moons.
تَدعوcall to أَواخِرَهُمtheir rearmost أَولاهُمُtheir foremost جَزَعاًin panic
تَدعو أَواخِرَهُم أَولاهُمُ جَزَعاً
وَالخَيلُand the horses مُكرَهَةٌdriven against their will وَالمَوتُand death مَحذورُdreaded
وَالخَيلُ مُكرَهَةٌ وَالمَوتُ مَحذورُ
Their front ranks call to their rear ranks in panic,
Their rearguards cry out to those ahead in deep despair
While the horses are driven unwillingly and death is dreaded.
As horses flinch from death, which no man can avoid,
وَالمُقصِياتُand the far-ranging ones إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle العُسرُhardship دارَcame around بِناupon us
وَالمُقصِياتُ إِذا ما العُسرُ دارَ بِنا
وَالمَكرُماتُand the honored ones إِذاwhen دارَcame around المَياسيرُprosperity
وَالمَكرُماتُ إِذا دارَ المَياسيرُ
And the far-ranging ones when hardship comes upon us,
And noble steeds, when war weighs hard upon us,
And those held in honor when prosperity comes round,
Turn tail, whilst valiant mares press on into the fray.
وَالحامِلاتُهُمُand those carrying them فيin كُلِّevery مُعتَرَكٍbattlefield
وَالحامِلاتُهُمُ في كُلِّ مُعتَرَكٍ
فيهِin it إِسارٌcapture وَتَقتيلٌand slaughter وَتَعفيرُand casting into dust
فيهِ إِسارٌ وَتَقتيلٌ وَتَعفيرُ
And those that bear them into every battlefield,
They bear them into every bloody, gory fight
Where there is capture, slaughter, and casting into dust.
Where bonds and slaughter and disgrace abide.
Sol 6.1