مِن كُلِّ جِلفٍ لم يَكُن مُصَرَّمَا

مِن كُلِّ جِلفٍ لم يَكُن مُصَرَّمَا

جَعدٍ يُرَى منه التصنُّعُ رَيثَمَا

جَعدٍ يُرَى منه التصنُّعُ رَيثَمَا

From every boor who was not destitute,

Of every rough lout who was not destitute

Curly-haired, showing only a fleeting pretence of refinement,

Curly-haired, in whom affectation is momentarily seen

لَم يَتَجَشَّأ مِن طَعَامٍ بَشَمَا

لَم يَتَجَشَّأ مِن طَعَامٍ بَشَمَا

ولَم يَبِت من فَترَةٍ مَوَصَّمَا

ولَم يَبِت من فَترَةٍ مَوَصَّمَا

He has never belched from overeating,

He never belched from the gluttony of food

Nor spent the night overcome by lassitude,

Nor did he spend the night aching from weakness

يَغمِزُ صُدغَيهِ ويَشكُو الأعظُما

يَغمِزُ صُدغَيهِ ويَشكُو الأعظُما

إذا أجَاعَ بَطنَهُ تَحَزَّمَا

إذا أجَاعَ بَطنَهُ تَحَزَّمَا

Rubbing his temples and complaining of his bones.

He presses his temples and complains of his bones

When he starves his belly, he tightens his belt;

If he starves his belly, he binds it tight

لَم يَشرَبِ الماءَ ولَم يَخشَ الظَّمَا

لَم يَشرَبِ الماءَ ولَم يَخشَ الظَّمَا

يَكفِيهِ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

يَكفِيهِ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

He drinks no water and fears no thirst.

He did not drink water nor fear thirst

Whatever sour milk he seeks suffices him.

Suffices him whatever sour milk he aimed for

وَخَلَّهِ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

وَخَلَّهِ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

وخَلَّةٌ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

وخَلَّةٌ مِن قَارِصَةٍ مَا يَمَّمَا

And leave him to whatever sour milk he seeks.

And his need is but the sour milk he aimed for

And a need for whatever sour milk he seeks.

And a habit of sour milk is what he aimed for

أصابَ مِنه مَشرَباً ومَطعَما

أصابَ مِنه مَشرَباً ومَطعَما

لا يَعقِرُ الشارفَ إِلاّ مُحرِمَا

لا يَعقِرُ الشارفَ إِلاّ مُحرِمَا

From it he obtains both drink and food.

He found in it both a drink and a meal

He slaughters an aged she-camel only when in want.

He does not slay the old camel unless bound by rite

ولا يَعَافُ بَصَلاً وسَلجَمَا

ولا يَعَافُ بَصَلاً وسَلجَمَا

يَوماً ولَم يَفغَر لبطِّيخٍ فَمَا

يَوماً ولَم يَفغَر لبطِّيخٍ فَمَا

Nor does he disdain onions or turnips,

And he does not disdain onions or turnips

Ever; nor does he open his mouth for a melon.

Not for a day did he open his mouth for a melon

فَهو صَحِيحٌ لا يَخَافُ سَقَما

فَهو صَحِيحٌ لا يَخَافُ سَقَما

اسوَدُ كالمِحراثِ يُدعَى شَجعَمَا

اسوَدُ كالمِحراثِ يُدعَى شَجعَمَا

So he is healthy, fearing no illness.

So he is healthy, fearing no sickness

Black as a plow, he is called Shaj‘am.

Black as a plowshare, called a bulky brute

صَمحمَحٌ مِن طُولِ ما تَأثَّما

صَمحمَحٌ مِن طُولِ ما تَأثَّما

لَم يَبل يَوماً سَورَةً مِنَ العَمَى

لَم يَبل يَوماً سَورَةً مِنَ العَمَى

A hulking brute, from long persistence in sin.

Stout and strong from long years of transgression

He has never experienced a bout of blindness,

He never suffered a day of blinding confusion

ولَم يَحُجَّ المَسجِدَ المُكَرَّمَا

ولَم يَحُجَّ المَسجِدَ المُكَرَّمَا

ولَم يَزُر حَطِيمَهُ وزَمزَمَا

ولَم يَزُر حَطِيمَهُ وزَمزَمَا

Nor made pilgrimage to the honored mosque,

And he did not make Hajj to the Honored Mosque

Nor visited its Hatim or Zamzam.

Nor did he visit its Hatim wall or Zamzam

ولا تَراهُ يَطلُب التفهُّمَا

ولا تَراهُ يَطلُب التفهُّمَا

لو لَم يُرَبَّ مُسلِماً ما أسلَمَا

لو لَم يُرَبَّ مُسلِماً ما أسلَمَا

Nor do you see him seeking understanding.

Nor do you see him seeking understanding

Had he not been raised a Muslim, he would not have embraced Islam,

Had he not been raised Muslim, he would not have submitted

ما عَبَد اثنَانِ جَميعا صَنَمَا

ما عَبَد اثنَانِ جَميعا صَنَمَا

عاتٍ يَرَى ضَربَ الرِّجَالِ مَغنَمَا

عاتٍ يَرَى ضَربَ الرِّجَالِ مَغنَمَا

So long as two men together worshipped an idol.

No two have ever worshipped an idol together

A defiant man who sees profit in beating men.

A tyrant who deems striking men a gain

إذا رَأى مُصَدِّقاً تَجهَّمَا

إذا رَأى مُصَدِّقاً تَجهَّمَا

وهَزّ في الكفِّ وأبدَى المِعصَمَا

وهَزّ في الكفِّ وأبدَى المِعصَمَا

When he sees an alms collector, he scowls,

If he sees a tax-collector, he scowls grimly

And brandishes in his hand, baring his wrist,

And shakes in his hand, baring his wrist

هِرَاوَتَينِ نَبعَةً وسَلَما

هِرَاوَتَينِ نَبعَةً وسَلَما

يَترُكُ ما رَام رُفاتاً رِمما

يَترُكُ ما رَام رُفاتاً رِمما

Two clubs, one of nab‘ wood and one of salam.

Two heavy clubs of Nab' and Salam wood

He leaves whatever he targets as shattered, crumbling remains.

Leaving what he strikes as crushed remains

وإن رأى إمَّرَةً تَزَعَّمَا

وإن رأى إمَّرَةً تَزَعَّمَا

لَم يُعطِه شَيئاً وإن تَرغَّمَا

لَم يُعطِه شَيئاً وإن تَرغَّمَا

And if he sees a weakling claiming authority,

And if he sees command, he usurps it

He gives him nothing, even if the man fumes.

He gives him nothing, even if he insists

وإن قَرَا عَهداً له مُنَمنَمَا

وإن قَرَا عَهداً له مُنَمنَمَا

هَان عليه شَقُّ ما قَد رَقَّمَا

هَان عليه شَقُّ ما قَد رَقَّمَا

And even if he reads him a finely penned commission,

And if he read to him an embellished decree

He thinks nothing of tearing up what the man has written,

It matters little to him to tear what was written

وأن يَدُقّ طِينَه المُخَتَّمَا

وأن يَدُقّ طِينَه المُخَتَّمَا

صَمصَامُه ماضٍ إذا ما صمَّمَا

صَمصَامُه ماضٍ إذا ما صمَّمَا

And crushing its stamped clay seal.

And to pulverize its sealed clay

His sword cuts keenly when it strikes through bone.

His sword is sharp when he is determined

إذا اعتَرتُه عِزَّةٌ ثم انتَمَى

إذا اعتَرتُه عِزَّةٌ ثم انتَمَى

في ثَروةِ الحَيّ إذا مايَمَّمَا

في ثَروةِ الحَيّ إذا مايَمَّمَا

When pride seizes him and he then proclaims his lineage,

If pride seizes him and he claims his kin

Amid the clan's multitude, wherever he heads,

Among the tribe's wealth when he sets forth

ظَلَّ يَرَى حُكمَاً عليه مُبرَما

ظَلَّ يَرَى حُكمَاً عليه مُبرَما

أَن يَظلِمَ النَّاسَ وألاّ يُظلَمَا

أَن يَظلِمَ النَّاسَ وألاّ يُظلَمَا

He always sees it as a binding decree upon him:

He continues to see a binding judgment upon him

To wrong people and never be wronged.

That he should wrong people, but not be wronged