أَلا أَبلِغا ذُبيانَ عَنّي رِسالَةٍ

أَلا أَبلِغا ذُبيانَ عَنّي رِسالَةٍ

فَقَد أَصبَحَت عَن مَنهَجِ الحَقِّ جائِرَه

فَقَد أَصبَحَت عَن مَنهَجِ الحَقِّ جائِرَه

Lo, bear to Dhubyān a message from me:

Listen, you two: convey to Dhubyān a message from me,

it has now strayed from the pathway of truth.

for it has now strayed from the path of right.

أَجِدَّكُمُ لَن تَزجُروا عَن ظُلامَةٍ

أَجِدَّكُمُ لَن تَزجُروا عَن ظُلامَةٍ

سَفيهاً وَلَن تَرعوا لِذي الوُدِّ آصِرَه

سَفيهاً وَلَن تَرعوا لِذي الوُدِّ آصِرَه

I find that you will not restrain, from wrongdoing,

Are you in earnest? Will you never restrain from wrongdoing

a fool, nor honor the bond owed to one who loves you.

a fool, nor honor a bond with one who loves you?

فَلَو شَهِدَت سَهمٌ وَأَبناءُ مالِكٍ

فَلَو شَهِدَت سَهمٌ وَأَبناءُ مالِكٍ

فَتُعذِرُني مِن مُرَّةَ المُتَناصِرَه

فَتُعذِرُني مِن مُرَّةَ المُتَناصِرَه

Had Sahm and the sons of Mālik witnessed it,

For had Sahm and the sons of Mālik been present,

they would have vindicated me against Murrah, banded together.

and vindicated me—Murrah’s men, who uphold one another—

لَجاؤوا بِجَمعٍ لَم يَرَ الناسُ مِثلَه

لَجاؤوا بِجَمعٍ لَم يَرَ الناسُ مِثلَه

تَضاءَلُ مِنهُ بِالعَشِيِّ قَصائِرَه

تَضاءَلُ مِنهُ بِالعَشِيِّ قَصائِرَه

They would have come with a host whose like no one had seen,

they would have come with a host whose like no one had seen,

its farthest wings dwindling away at dusk.

its outer ranks dwindling in the evening.

لَيَهنَأ لَكُم أَن قَد نَفَيتُم بُيوتَنا

لَيَهنَأ لَكُم أَن قَد نَفَيتُم بُيوتَنا

مُنَدّى عُبَيدانَ المُحَلِّإِ باقِرَه

مُنَدّى عُبَيدانَ المُحَلِّإِ باقِرَه

May it delight you that you have driven our households

May it please you that you have banished our households

to ʿUbaydān’s watering place, its herd barred from the water.

to the grazing-ground of ʿUbaydān, who drives his cattle from water.

وَإِنّي لَأَلقى مِن ذَوي الضِغنِ مِنهُمُ

وَإِنّي لَأَلقى مِن ذَوي الضِغنِ مِنهُمُ

وَما أَصبَحَت تَشكو مِنَ الوَجدِ ساهِرَه

وَما أَصبَحَت تَشكو مِنَ الوَجدِ ساهِرَه

Indeed, at the hands of your spiteful men I suffer

And indeed I suffer from the spiteful among them—

what no sleepless lover, aching with longing, has ever lamented—

by the anguish a sleepless woman has come to lament—

كَما لَقِيَت ذاتُ الصَفا مِن حَليفِها

كَما لَقِيَت ذاتُ الصَفا مِن حَليفِها

وَما اِنفَكَّتِ الأَمثالُ في الناسِ سائِرَه

وَما اِنفَكَّتِ الأَمثالُ في الناسِ سائِرَه

as Dhāt al-Ṣafā suffered at the hands of her ally;

just as the she-serpent of the rock suffered from her ally.

and proverbs have never ceased circulating among the people.

And proverbs have never ceased circulating among people.

فَقالَت لَهُ أَدعوكَ لِلعَقلِ وافِياً

فَقالَت لَهُ أَدعوكَ لِلعَقلِ وافِياً

وَلا تَغشَيَنّي مِنكَ بِالظُلمِ بادِرَه

وَلا تَغشَيَنّي مِنكَ بِالظُلمِ بادِرَه

She said to him, “I call upon you to accept the blood-price in full;

So she told him, ‘I invite you to accept blood-money in full,

let no sudden act of injustice from you assail me.”

and let no sudden wrongful assault from you befall me.’

فَواثَقَها بِاللَهِ حينَ تَراضَيا

فَواثَقَها بِاللَهِ حينَ تَراضَيا

فَكانَت تَديهِ المالَ غِبّاً وَظاهِرَه

فَكانَت تَديهِ المالَ غِبّاً وَظاهِرَه

He pledged himself to her by God when they reached agreement,

He pledged himself to her by God when they had agreed,

and she paid him the money, installment after installment, openly.

and she paid him the money, now every other day, now daily.

فَلَمّا تَوَفّى العَقلَ إِلّا أَقَلَّهُ

فَلَمّا تَوَفّى العَقلَ إِلّا أَقَلَّهُ

وَجارَت بِهِ نَفسٌ عَنِ الحَقِّ جائِرَه

وَجارَت بِهِ نَفسٌ عَنِ الحَقِّ جائِرَه

But when he had received all the blood-price except a little,

When he had received all but a little of the blood-money,

a wayward soul turned him aside from justice.

and his erring soul had turned him away from right,

تَذَكَّرَ أَنّى يَجعَلُ اللَهُ جُنَّةً

تَذَكَّرَ أَنّى يَجعَلُ اللَهُ جُنَّةً

فَيُصبِحَ ذا مالٍ وَيَقتُلَ واتِرَه

فَيُصبِحَ ذا مالٍ وَيَقتُلَ واتِرَه

He pondered how he might make God a shield,

he pondered how to make God a shield,

and thus grow wealthy while killing the one who had bereaved him.

so he might possess wealth and kill his blood-enemy.

فَلَمّا رَأى أَن ثَمَّرَ اللَهُ مالَهُ

فَلَمّا رَأى أَن ثَمَّرَ اللَهُ مالَهُ

وَأَثَّلَ مَوجوداً وَسَدَّ مَفاقِرَه

وَأَثَّلَ مَوجوداً وَسَدَّ مَفاقِرَه

When he saw that God had made his wealth bear fruit,

When he saw that God had made his wealth grow,

established an estate for him, and filled the gaps of his need,

and built up his holdings and relieved his wants,

أَكَبَّ عَلى فَأسٍ يُحِدَّ غُرابَها

أَكَبَّ عَلى فَأسٍ يُحِدَّ غُرابَها

مُذَكَّرَةٍ مِنَ المَعاوِلِ باتِرَه

مُذَكَّرَةٍ مِنَ المَعاوِلِ باتِرَه

he bent over an axe, sharpening its raven-beak—

he bent over an axe, sharpening its cutting edge,

a stout mattock, keen enough to sever.

a stout tool among the picks, keen to cleave.

فَقامَ لَها مِن فَوقِ جُحرٍ مُشَيَّدٍ

فَقامَ لَها مِن فَوقِ جُحرٍ مُشَيَّدٍ

لِيَقتُلَها أَو تُخطِئَ الكَفُّ بادِرَه

لِيَقتُلَها أَو تُخطِئَ الكَفُّ بادِرَه

Then he took his stand above her fortified burrow

Then he took his stand above a well-built burrow, waiting for her,

to kill her—unless his hand should miss in its sudden stroke.

to kill her—or have his hand miss in its haste.

فَلَمّا وَقاها اللَهُ ضَربَةَ فَأسِهِ

فَلَمّا وَقاها اللَهُ ضَربَةَ فَأسِهِ

وَلِلبِرِّ عَينٌ لا تُغَمِّضُ ناظِرَه

وَلِلبِرِّ عَينٌ لا تُغَمِّضُ ناظِرَه

But when God shielded her from the blow of his axe—

When God protected her from the blow of his axe—

righteousness has an eye whose gaze never closes—

and goodness has a watchful eye that never shuts—

فَقالَ تَعالي نَجعَلِ اللَهَ بَينَنا

فَقالَ تَعالي نَجعَلِ اللَهَ بَينَنا

عَلى ما لَنا أَو تُنجِزي لِيَ آخِرَه

عَلى ما لَنا أَو تُنجِزي لِيَ آخِرَه

he said, “Come, let us place God between us

he said, ‘Come, let us put God between us

over what is still owed us—or pay me its final portion.”

on the terms we have, or pay me the remainder.’

فَقالَت يَمينُ اللَهِ أَفعَلُ إِنَّني

فَقالَت يَمينُ اللَهِ أَفعَلُ إِنَّني

رَأَيتُكَ مَسحوراً يَمينُكَ فاجِرَه

رَأَيتُكَ مَسحوراً يَمينُكَ فاجِرَه

She said, “By God, would I do so? Indeed,

She said, ‘By God, I will not! Indeed I

I have seen you bewitched—your oath is faithless.

have seen you bewitched; your oath is false.

أَبى لِيَ قَبرٌ لا يَزالُ مُقابِلي

أَبى لِيَ قَبرٌ لا يَزالُ مُقابِلي

وَضَربَةُ فَأسٍ فَوقَ رَأسِيَ فاقِرَه

وَضَربَةُ فَأسٍ فَوقَ رَأسِيَ فاقِرَه

A grave that stands forever before me forbids me,

A grave that is ever before me forbids me,

and the ruinous axe-blow above my head.”

and a devastating axe-blow above my head.’