إِذا المَرءُ لَم يَدنس مِن اللُؤمِ عِرضَهُ
فَكُلُّ رِداءٍ يَرتَديهِ جَميلُ
If a man's character is not stained by meanness
Then every garment he dons is beautiful
إِذا المَرءُ لَم يَحمِل عَلى النَّفسِ ضَيمَها
فَلَيسَ إِلى حُسنِ الثَناءِ سَبيلُ
If a man does not burden his soul with injustice
Then there is no barrier to praise for his virtues
تُعيّرُنا أَنا قَليلٌ عَديدُنا
فَقُلتُ لَها إِنَّ الكِرامَ قَليلُ
They taunt us for being few though numerous
I said to her, truly, the noble are few
وَما قَلَّ مَن كانَت بَقاياهُ مِثلنا
شَبابٌ تَسامى لِلعُلا وَكُهولُ
And none remained whose remnants were like us
Youth aspiring to the heights and elders
وَما ضَرَّنا أَنّا قَليلٌ وَجارنا
عَزيزٌ وَجارُ الأَكثرينَ ذليلُ
It does not harm us that we are few, though our neighbor
Is mighty, while most people's neighbor is base
لَنا جَبَلٌ يَحتَلُّهُ مَن نُجيرُهُ
مَنيعٌ يَرُدُّ الطرفَ وَهوَ كَليلُ
We have a mountain none can ascend but those we permit
Impregnable, repelling eyes, though not very tall
رَسا أَصلُهُ تَحتَ الثَرى وَسَما بِهِ
إِلى النَجمِ فَرعٌ لا ينالُ طَويلُ
A tree whose roots are below the soil and whose branches
Reach to the stars, no tall man can pluck its fruits
وَإِنّا لَقَومٍ ما نَرى القَتلَ سُبَّةً
إِذا ما رَأَتهُ عامِرٌ وَسَلولُ
We are a people who do not consider killing a disgrace
When it is witnessed by the populous and elite
يُقَرِّبُ حُبُّ المَوتِ آجالَنا لَنا
وَتَكرَهُهُ آجالُهُم فَتَطولُ
Love of death draws our lives nearer to end
While their long lives abhor its approach
وَما ماتَ مِنّا سَيِّدٌ حَتفَ أَنفِهِ
وَلا طُلَّ مَنّا حَيثُ كانَ قَتيلُ
No lord of ours died with his nose in the dust
Nor was any of our dead dragged o’er the earth
تَسيلُ عَلى حَدِّ الظُباتِ نُفوسُنا
وَلَيسَت عَلى غَيرِ الظُباتِ تَسيلُ
Our souls flow freely down spearheads
And flow not down except on spearheads
صَفَونا فَلَم نَكدر وَأَخلَصَ سِرَّنا
إِناثٌ أَطابَت حَملَنا وَفُحولُ
We were unadulterated, so did not turbidify
Females of pure stock who bore flawless males
عَلونا إِلى خَيرِ الظُهورِ وَحطَّنا
لوَقتٍ إِلى خَيرِ البُطونِ نُزولُ
We ascended to the best of pedigrees and descended
For a time to the best of wombs, a noble descent
فَنَحنُ كَماءِ المُزنِ ما في نِصابِنا
كَهامٌ وَلا فينا يُعدُّ بَخيلُ
We are like the guaranteed rainfall, in our lineage
No miserly one, none counted stingy among us
وَنُنكِرُ أَن شِئنا عَلى الناسِ قَولَهُم
وَلا يُنكِرونَ القَولَ حينَ نَقولُ
We deny what people say of us and of them
While they cannot deny what we say
إِذا سَيِّدٌ مِنّا خَلا قامَ سَيِّدٌ
قَؤولٌ لِما قالَ الكِرامُ فُعولُ
When one lord of ours passes, a lord rises
Worthy of what the generous lords did
وَما أُخمِدَت نارٌ لَنا دونَ طارِقٍ
وَلا ذَمَّنا في النازِلينَ نَزيلُ
No fire of ours was extinguished except by an igniter
No guest of ours was dispraised by later guest
وَأَيّامُنا مَشهورَةٌ في عَدُوِّنا
لَها غرَرٌ مَعلومَةٌ وَحُجولُ
Our days are famed amongst our enemies
Renowned are they, with famous deeds
وَأَسيافُنا في كُلِّ غَربٍ وَمَشرِقٍ
بِها مِن قِراعِ الدارِعينَ فلولُ
Our swords in every west and every east
By them the cowards were put to quick flight
معوّدَةً أَلّا تُسَلَّ نِصالُها
فَتُغمَدَ حَتّى يُستَباحَ قَبيلُ
They are accustomed to being unsheathed, their blades
Not sheathed, till a tribe is laid open to plunder
سَلي إِن جَهِلت الناسَ عَنّا وَعَنهُمُ
وَلَيسَ سَواءً عالمٌ وَجهولُ
Ask, if you are ignorant of us and of them
Not equal are the knowledgeable and the ignorant
فَإِنَّ بَني الديّان قطبٌ لِقَومِهِم
تَدورُ رَحاهُم حولهُم وَتَجولُ
The clan of Diyyan is the pole for their people
Their kin revolve around them endlessly
