إِنتَشتَكي عَنّا سُمىُّ فَإِنَّنا

إِنتَشتَكي عَنّا سُمىُّ فَإِنَّنا

يَسمو إِلى قحم العُلى أَدنانا

يَسمو إِلى قحم العُلى أَدنانا

If you complain of us, Sumayy, then indeed

You complain of us as if we were ignoble, but we aspire to the heights of glory.

The lowliest of us rises to glory's perilous heights.

Our neighbor spends the night a chaste, restrained mare that turns away and lets our Master take his due.

وَتَبيتُ جارَتُنا حَصاناً عَفَّةً

وَتَبيتُ جارَتُنا حَصاناً عَفَّةً

تَثني وَيأَخُذُ حَقَّهُ مَولانا

تَثني وَيأَخُذُ حَقَّهُ مَولانا

And our female neighbor spends the night chaste and virtuous,

We give our guests their rightful share in our water, as if we had been their cupbearers.

Offering praise, while our client receives his due.

When the robe-clad come at dawn, we say these were our late father's dying behests that he charged us with:

وَنُحِقُّ حَقَّ شَريبنا في مائنا

وَنُحِقُّ حَقَّ شَريبنا في مائنا

حَتّى يَكونَ كَأَنَّهُ أَسقانا

حَتّى يَكونَ كَأَنَّهُ أَسقانا

And we uphold our water-sharing partner's right to our water,

Never to turn away the food-bags when they are brought forth, until their camels have circled all about, searching for pasture and water.

Until it is as though he had given us water.

And we defend our tribal pastures with force against all comers, refusing ever to let them be profaned.

وَنَقولُ إِن طَرَقَ المُثَوِّبُ أَصبِحوا

وَنَقولُ إِن طَرَقَ المُثَوِّبُ أَصبِحوا

لِوَصاةِ والِدنا الَّذي أَوصانا

لِوَصاةِ والِدنا الَّذي أَوصانا

And if the alarm-caller comes by night, we say, 'Awake!'

In our dreams live on our loved ones, unsubdued, their faces still free of the marks of age.

In keeping with the charge of our father, who enjoined us:

And our women remain forever virtuously cloistered, so that they seem like singing girls secluded.

أَن لا نَصُدّ إِذا الكُماةَ تَقَدَّمَت

أَن لا نَصُدّ إِذا الكُماةَ تَقَدَّمَت

حَتّى تَدورَ رَحاهُمُ وَرَحانا

حَتّى تَدورَ رَحاهُمُ وَرَحانا

Not to turn back when the armored warriors advance,

Our Sayyid rules without having to defend himself, and above two other masters he holds sway.

Until their millstone and ours turn.

When our swords prove too short, we extend them with our hands until they reach what we desire.

وَنُبيحُ كُلّ حِمى قَبيلٍ عَنوَةً

وَنُبيحُ كُلّ حِمى قَبيلٍ عَنوَةً

قَسراً وَنأبى أَن يُباحَ حِمانا

قَسراً وَنأبى أَن يُباحَ حِمانا

And we overrun every tribe's protected ground by might,

And when the steeds see us assembled, they magnify us and shy away from our arena.

By force, yet we refuse to let our own be overrun.

وَيَعيشُ في أَحلامِنا أَشياعُنا

وَيَعيشُ في أَحلامِنا أَشياعُنا

مُردا وَما وَصلَ الوجوهَ لِحانا

مُردا وَما وَصلَ الوجوهَ لِحانا

And our followers live under our prudent care,

While we are still beardless, our beards not yet reaching our faces.

وَيَظَلُّ مُقتِرُناً بِحُسنِ عَفافِهِ

وَيَظَلُّ مُقتِرُناً بِحُسنِ عَفافِهِ

حَتّى يُرى وَكأَنَّهُ أَغنانا

حَتّى يُرى وَكأَنَّهُ أَغنانا

And our poor man persists in his noble self-restraint,

Until he looks as though he were the richest of us.

وَيَسودُ سَيِّدُنا بِغَيرِ مُدافع

وَيَسودُ سَيِّدُنا بِغَيرِ مُدافع

وَيَسودُ فَوقَ السيدينِ ثُنانا

وَيَسودُ فَوقَ السيدينِ ثُنانا

And our chief holds sway without a challenger,

And our second-in-rank holds sway above the chiefs.

وَإِذا السيوف قَصَرنَ بَلغَها لَنا

وَإِذا السيوف قَصَرنَ بَلغَها لَنا

حَتىّ تَناوَلُ ما نُريدُ خُطانا

حَتىّ تَناوَلُ ما نُريدُ خُطانا

And when swords fall short, their reach is extended for us,

By our strides, until they reach what we desire.

وَإِذا الجيادُ رَأَينَنا في مجمعٍ

وَإِذا الجيادُ رَأَينَنا في مجمعٍ

أَعظَمنَنا وَزَحَلن عَن مَجرانا

أَعظَمنَنا وَزَحَلن عَن مَجرانا

And when the noble steeds see us at a gathering,

They hold us in awe and move aside from our course.