أَلَيسَ أَبي بِالصَلتِ والد أُسرَتي

أَلَيسَ أَبي بِالصَلتِ والد أُسرَتي

لِكُلِّ هِجانٍ مِن بَني النَضرِ أَزهَرا

لِكُلِّ هِجانٍ مِن بَني النَضرِ أَزهَرا

Is not my father al-Ṣalt, progenitor of my house—

Is not my father al-Salt, the forefather of my family,

radiant to every pureborn noble among Banū al-Naḍr?

to every fair, pure-born man among the sons of al-Nadr?

لَبِسنا ثِيابَ العَصبِ فَاِختَلَطَ السَدى

لَبِسنا ثِيابَ العَصبِ فَاِختَلَطَ السَدى

بِنا وَبِهِم وَالحَضرَميَّ المُخَصَّرا

بِنا وَبِهِم وَالحَضرَميَّ المُخَصَّرا

We donned robes of striped ʿaṣb-cloth, till the warp interwove

We wore tie-dyed garments, so the warp mingled

us with them—and the waist-girt Hadrami robe as well.

with us and with them; we wore the narrow-striped Hadrami cloth too.

إِذا ما قَطَعنا مِن قُرَيشٍ قَرابَةً

إِذا ما قَطَعنا مِن قُرَيشٍ قَرابَةً

بِأَي نِجادٍ تَحمِلُ السَيفَ مَيسرا

بِأَي نِجادٍ تَحمِلُ السَيفَ مَيسرا

If ever we severed a bond of kinship with Quraysh,

If we sever a tie of kinship with Quraysh,

on what baldric would you bear the sword, Maysara?

on what baldric will you carry the sword, Maysar?

أَبَيتُ الَّتي قَد سُمتَني وَنَكَرتُها

أَبَيتُ الَّتي قَد سُمتَني وَنَكَرتُها

وَلَو سُمتَها قَبلي قَبيصَةَ أَنكرا

وَلَو سُمتَها قَبلي قَبيصَةَ أَنكرا

I refused what you demanded of me and repudiated it;

I refused what you had imposed upon me, and repudiated it;

even had you demanded it before me, Qabīṣa would have refused.

and had you imposed it on Qabisa before me, he would have rejected it.

فَإِن لَم تَكونُوا مِن بَني النَضرِ فَاِترُكُوا

فَإِن لَم تَكونُوا مِن بَني النَضرِ فَاِترُكُوا

أَراكًا بِأَذنابِ الفَوائِجِ أَخضرا

أَراكًا بِأَذنابِ الفَوائِجِ أَخضرا

So if you are not of Banū al-Naḍr, then leave

So if you are not among the sons of al-Nadr, then leave

a green arāk tree at the tails of the mountain passes.

the green arak trees at the far ends of the broad valleys.