عَفَت ذاتُ السَّلاسِلِ بعدَ سَلمى

عَفَت ذاتُ السَّلاسِلِ بعدَ سَلمى

وحَومَلُ بعدَ عَهدِكَ والدَّخُولُ

وحَومَلُ بعدَ عَهدِكَ والدَّخُولُ

Dhat al-Salasil's traces have faded after Salma,

The one with chains became chaste after Salma

And Hawmal's since your days there, and al-Dakhul's.

And pregnancy after your time and entering

عَفَت وتَرَجَّزَ القَلَعُ السَواري

عَفَت وتَرَجَّزَ القَلَعُ السَواري

عَليها فالأنيسُ بها قليلُ

عَليها فالأنيسُ بها قليلُ

They have faded, and the night-faring cloud-masses churned

Became chaste and the fort dressed up

Over the place; so few companions remain there,

With few companions in it

سِوى سُفعٍ مَدامِعُها ورُمدٍ

سِوى سُفعٍ مَدامِعُها ورُمدٍ

تَظلُّ نَهارَها فِيهَا تَجُولُ

تَظلُّ نَهارَها فِيهَا تَجُولُ

Save creatures with dusky tear-ducts, and ash-gray ones,

Except for the bleary-eyed whose tears

That spend their day roaming about within it.

Roam her day in her

وقَد تَغنى بِها حِيناً سُلَيمَى

وقَد تَغنى بِها حِيناً سُلَيمَى

بِهَا النَّعَمُ المُرَوَّحُ والحُلُولُ

بِهَا النَّعَمُ المُرَوَّحُ والحُلُولُ

And once Sulayma dwelt there for a time,

And Suleima had sung about her for a while

With livestock brought home at dusk and people encamped there.

With her, comforts and entering

ألا أبلِغ بَني شَيبانَ عَنِّي

ألا أبلِغ بَني شَيبانَ عَنِّي

وَقد يَهدِيكَ ذُو الحِلمِ الأَصيلُ

وَقد يَهدِيكَ ذُو الحِلمِ الأَصيلُ

Hear! Tell the sons of Shayban on my behalf—

Tell the people of Shayban about me

And a man of sound, deep-rooted judgment may guide you—

He who has dignity may guide you

بأنَّ الحينَ مَورِدُكُم مياهاً

بأنَّ الحينَ مَورِدُكُم مياهاً

مُخَالِطُ شُربِهَا كَلأٌ وَبيلُ

مُخَالِطُ شُربِهَا كَلأٌ وَبيلُ

That doom will bring you to waters

That now your watering place has water

With baneful pasture mingled in their draught.

Mixed, turbid and urine

أَلَم نُطلِقكُم فَكَفَرتُمُونَا

أَلَم نُطلِقكُم فَكَفَرتُمُونَا

وَلَيسَ لِنِعمَةِ المَكفُورِ جُولُ

وَلَيسَ لِنِعمَةِ المَكفُورِ جُولُ

Did we not free you, yet you were ungrateful to us?

Did we not set you free yet you disbelieved us

And an unthanked benefactor's kindness offers no protection.

Freed blessings have no circulation

فَإن يَنطِق عُبَيدُ اللَّهِ جَهلاً

فَإن يَنطِق عُبَيدُ اللَّهِ جَهلاً

فلَم يَعلم عُبيدٌ ما يَقولُ

فلَم يَعلم عُبيدٌ ما يَقولُ

So if Ubayd Allah speaks in ignorance,

If Obeidullah speaks ignorantly

Then Ubayd did not know what he was saying.

The slaves do not know what they say

سَما مِن أهلِ ذي قارٍ إِلَينا

سَما مِن أهلِ ذي قارٍ إِلَينا

بِهَادٍ لا يُخالِطُهُ الضَّلُولُ

بِهَادٍ لا يُخالِطُهُ الضَّلُولُ

He advanced toward us from the people of Dhu Qar,

An envoy came to us from the people of Zi Qar

With a guide whom no error touched.

With guidance not mixed with misguidance

فلَما أن مَضى بالقَومِ شَهراً

فلَما أن مَضى بالقَومِ شَهراً

وَبيَّنَ ما يَخبِّره الدَّليلُ

وَبيَّنَ ما يَخبِّره الدَّليلُ

Then, when he had marched with the men for a month,

So when he stayed with the people for a month

And made clear what the guide told him,

And clarified what the guide told him

بجَيشٍ عِليَةُ الأَصواتِ فيهِ

بجَيشٍ عِليَةُ الأَصواتِ فيهِ

إِذا نَزَلوا التَّحَمحُم والصَّهيلُ

إِذا نَزَلوا التَّحَمحُم والصَّهيلُ

With an army whose loudest sounds,

With an army loud voices among them

When they encamped, were nickering and neighing,

When they camp humming and neighing

فَباتوا نازِلينَ بِنا وكُنا

فَباتوا نازِلينَ بِنا وكُنا

أَبا الأَضيافِ إذ كُرِهَ النُّزولُ

أَبا الأَضيافِ إذ كُرِهَ النُّزولُ

They spent the night lodging with us, and we were

They camped overnight with us while we were

A father to guests when lodging was unwelcome.

Hospitable when camping was hated

فَلمَّا أن أضاءَ الصُّبحُ جاؤوا

فَلمَّا أن أضاءَ الصُّبحُ جاؤوا

رَعيلاً خَلفَهُ مِنهم رَعيلُ

رَعيلاً خَلفَهُ مِنهم رَعيلُ

Then, when dawn shone, they came

When dawn broke they came

In a troop, with another of theirs behind it.

A group behind another group

فَما شَعرُوا بِنَا حتَّى رأَونا

فَما شَعرُوا بِنَا حتَّى رأَونا

وأكثِبَةُ الشَّقيقِ بنا تَسِيلُ

وأكثِبَةُ الشَّقيقِ بنا تَسِيلُ

They did not sense us until they saw us,

They did not notice us until they saw us

And the dunes of al-Shaqiq flowed with us.

And the split veins were dripping in us

فَما نَظروا القِرى وَرأوا وجُوهاً

فَما نَظروا القِرى وَرأوا وجُوهاً

قليلاً في تأَمُّلِهَا الوَسِيلُ

قليلاً في تأَمُّلِهَا الوَسِيلُ

They did not wait for hospitality, but saw faces

They did not look at the villages and saw few faces

With little scope for approach upon inspection.

In their observation the mediator

رأَوا نعَمَ الشَّقِيقَةِ وَهوَ حَومٌ

رأَوا نعَمَ الشَّقِيقَةِ وَهوَ حَومٌ

وَدون لِقائِه شَرٌّ بَجِيلُ

وَدون لِقائِه شَرٌّ بَجِيلُ

They saw al-Shaqiqa's livestock, a great herd,

They saw the blessings of the split vein and it was pregnancy

And before they could reach it lay a mighty peril.

And meeting it had severe harm

أقرَّ العينَ إذ طَارَت عليهم

أقرَّ العينَ إذ طَارَت عليهم

شَمِيطُ اللَّونِ لَيسَ لها حُجُولُ

شَمِيطُ اللَّونِ لَيسَ لها حُجُولُ

The eye was gladdened when there flew against them

It delighted the eye when the dappled

Steeds of mingled black and white, with no anklets.

Of color with no stallion flew upon them

وَهُنَّ عَلَى الحِبَالِ مجَلِّحاتٌ

وَهُنَّ عَلَى الحِبَالِ مجَلِّحاتٌ

لَهُنَّ بِكُلِّ معتَرَكٍ قَتيلُ

لَهُنَّ بِكُلِّ معتَرَكٍ قَتيلُ

And they charged boldly over the sand-ridges,

And they were on the ropes fierce

With someone slain by them in every battlefield.

For them in every battlefield there is a casualty

إذا كُرِهَ السِّلاحُ مَضَينَ فِيهِ

إذا كُرِهَ السِّلاحُ مَضَينَ فِيهِ

وَلَم يَكُ حَقُّ عادَتِها النُّكوُلُ

وَلَم يَكُ حَقُّ عادَتِها النُّكوُلُ

When weapons were dreaded, they pressed on through them,

When the weapons were hated they proceeded in it

And retreat was no part of their accustomed way.

And it was not in their nature to retreat

فَظَلَّ لَهُم عَلَى الأَنقاءِ مِنَّا

فَظَلَّ لَهُم عَلَى الأَنقاءِ مِنَّا

إلَى أَن أَظلَمُوا يَومٌ طَوِيلُ

إلَى أَن أَظلَمُوا يَومٌ طَوِيلُ

So upon the dunes, at our hands, they endured

So upon the she-camels among us

A long day, until darkness overtook them.

A long day remained for them

وآبُوا مُطلَقِينَ وَلم يُثِيبُوا

وآبُوا مُطلَقِينَ وَلم يُثِيبُوا

وَغَالَ رَئيسَهم في الأرضِ غُولُ

وَغَالَ رَئيسَهم في الأرضِ غُولُ

And they returned set free, giving nothing in return,

And they left freely and did not reciprocate

And a ghoul carried off their chief upon the earth.

While their leader roamed the land tyrannically

يَزِلُّ اللُؤمُ عَن قِدَمِ اللَّيَالي

يَزِلُّ اللُؤمُ عَن قِدَمِ اللَّيَالي

ويَأبى لُؤمُ يَشكُرَ لا يَزُولُ

ويَأبى لُؤمُ يَشكُرَ لا يَزُولُ

Baseness slips away as the nights grow old,

Cowardice declines with the footsteps of nights

But Yashkur's baseness refuses—it never goes away.

But the cowardice of the ungrateful does not decline

وَلم يكفُر مَساعِينَا لَدَيكُم

وَلم يكفُر مَساعِينَا لَدَيكُم

لَعَمرُ أَبِيكُمُ إلا جَهُولُ

لَعَمرُ أَبِيكُمُ إلا جَهُولُ

And none has denied our services to you,

Only the ignorant among you disbelieved our efforts

By your father's life, save an ignorant fool.

By the life of your father