وَقَتْكَ وأسبابُ المنايا كثيرةٌ

وَقَتْكَ وأسبابُ المنايا كثيرةٌ

مَنِيّةُ شيخْ من لُؤَيٍّ بنِ غالبِ

مَنِيّةُ شيخْ من لُؤَيٍّ بنِ غالبِ

You were spared—though the causes of death are many—

Your time and the causes of death are many

by the death of an old man of Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib’s line.

The death of an old man from Lu'ay bin Ghalib

فيا عمرو مهلاً إنّما أنت عَمُّه

فيا عمرو مهلاً إنّما أنت عَمُّه

وصاحبُهُ دونَ الرّجَالِ الأَقاربِ

وصاحبُهُ دونَ الرّجَالِ الأَقاربِ

So, Amr, easy now: you are none other than his uncle,

So O Amr, go easy, you are just his uncle

and his companion, rather than the other close kinsmen.

And his companion other than his close male relatives

نَجَوتَ وَقَدْ بَلّ المرَادِيُّ سَيْفَهُ

نَجَوتَ وَقَدْ بَلّ المرَادِيُّ سَيْفَهُ

من ابن أبي شيخِ الأباطِحِ طَالبِ

من ابن أبي شيخِ الأباطِحِ طَالبِ

You escaped, though the Muradi had bloodied his sword

You survived when the Mardi struck with his sword

on the son of Abu Talib, elder of the broad valleys.

From the son of Abi Shaykh Al-Abatihi Talib

ويَضْرِبُني بالسّيْفِ آخَرُ مِثْلُهُ

ويَضْرِبُني بالسّيْفِ آخَرُ مِثْلُهُ

فكانتْ عليه تِلْكَ ضَرْبَةَ لا زبِ

فكانتْ عليه تِلْكَ ضَرْبَةَ لا زبِ

And another like him struck me with the sword,

And another like him strikes me with a sword

so that became an inescapable blow against him.

So that was a blow upon him that had no strength

وأَنْتَ تُنَاغِي كُلُّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ

وأَنْتَ تُنَاغِي كُلُّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ

بِمِصْرِكَ بِيضاً كالظِّباءِ الشّوازبِ

بِمِصْرِكَ بِيضاً كالظِّباءِ الشّوازبِ

While you speak sweetly, every day and night,

While you coquet every day and night

in your Egypt, to fair-skinned women like slender gazelles.

In your Egypt white like the white-tailed lizards