اِختَرتُ دَهماءَتَينِ يا مَطَرُ

اِختَرتُ دَهماءَتَينِ يا مَطَرُ

وَمَن لَهُ في الفَضائِلِ الخِيَرُ

وَمَن لَهُ في الفَضائِلِ الخِيَرُ

I chose two black mares, O Matar,

I have chosen two darknesses, O rain

I have chosen two dark steeds, O Matar, as your due, / You to whom the choicest virtues ever accrue.

And you who possess the choicest virtues.

And who has the best of virtues?

For eyes may speak, and in the glances they let fly, / The gaze may sometimes tell the truth, and sometimes lie.

وَرُبَّما قالَتِ العُيونُ وَقَد

وَرُبَّما قالَتِ العُيونُ وَقَد

يَصدُقُ فيها وَيَكذِبُ النَظَرُ

يَصدُقُ فيها وَيَكذِبُ النَظَرُ

And sometimes eyes speak, though

And maybe the eyes have said, while

You are the one who, were he blamed in public view, / Would bear no fault save that he is a mortal too,

Their gaze may tell the truth or lie:

The sight may be truthful or lying

And that his gifts are sharp swords, horses bred for war, / Tawny lances, and vast herds of camels in store.

أَنتَ الَّذي لَو يُعابُ في مَلَإٍ

أَنتَ الَّذي لَو يُعابُ في مَلَإٍ

ما عيبَ إِلّا بِأَنَّهُ بَشَرُ

ما عيبَ إِلّا بِأَنَّهُ بَشَرُ

You are the one who, if criticized in an assembly,

You are the one who, if blamed in an assembly

He shames his foes, for to his undaunted eye, / They seem to grow fewer, the more they multiply.

Would be criticized only for being human.

Has no fault but that he is human

May God protect you from the arrows they cast soon, / Though he surely misses who takes aim at the moon.

وَأَنَّ إِعطائَهُ الصَوارِمُ وَال

وَأَنَّ إِعطائَهُ الصَوارِمُ وَال

خَيلُ وَسُمرُ الرِماحِ وَالعَكَرُ

خَيلُ وَسُمرُ الرِماحِ وَالعَكَرُ

And his giving of keen swords and

And that giving him swords and

Horses, brown spears, and herds of camels

Horses, lances and men of war

فاضِحُ أَعدائِهِ كَأَنَّهُمُ

فاضِحُ أَعدائِهِ كَأَنَّهُمُ

لَهُ يَقِلّونَ كُلَّما كَثُروا

لَهُ يَقِلّونَ كُلَّما كَثُروا

Shames his enemies, as though they

Exposes his enemies as though they

Seem fewer to him the more numerous they grow.

Lessen for him however numerous they are

أَعاذَكَ اللَهُ مِن سِهامِهِمِ

أَعاذَكَ اللَهُ مِن سِهامِهِمِ

وَمُخطِئٌ مَن رَمِيُّهُ القَمَرُ

وَمُخطِئٌ مَن رَمِيُّهُ القَمَرُ

May God protect you from their arrows;

May God protect you from their arrows

And whoever aims at the moon will miss.

And the one who shoots at the moon errs