إِذا ما الثُرَيّا أَشرَفَت في قَتامِها
فُوَيقَ رُؤوسِ الناسِ كَالرُفقَةِ السَفرِ
When Al-Thurayya appears in her darkness,
The people’s heads sway like travelers.
وَأَردَفَتِ الجَوزاءُ يَبرُقُ نَظمُها
كَلَونِ الصِوارِ في مَراتِعِهِ الزُهرُ
And Al-Jawza follows, its pearls gleaming
Like the necklaces in their pasture of flowers.
إِذا أَمسَتِ الشِعرى اِستَقَلَّ شُعاعُها
عَلى طُلسَةٍ مِن قُرِّ أَيّامِها الغُبرِ
When Al-Shi’ra has declined, its rays weak
On a hill from the dusty days of old,
وَبادَرَتِ الشَولُ الكَنيفَ وَفَحلُها
قَليلُ الضِرابِ حينَ يُرسَلُ وَالهَدرُ
And Al-Shawl has risen, she and her champion,
Scarce to be seen when the Pleiades flare,
أَلَم تَعلَمي وَالعِلمُ يَنفَعُ أَهلَهُ
وَلَيسَ الَّذي يَدري كَآخَرَ لا يَدري
Don’t you know, and knowledge benefits its people,
That the one who knows is not like one ignorant,
بِأَنّا عَلى سَرّائِنا غَيرُ جُهَّلٍ
وَأَنّا عَلى ضَرّائِنا مِن ذَوي الصَبرِ
That we are patient with our misfortunes
And stoic through our afflictions and disasters,
وَأَنَّ سَراةَ الحَيِّ عَمروَ بنَ عامِرٍ
مَقارٍ مَطاعيمٌ إِذا ضُنَّ بِالقَطرِ
That the Pleiades are like the tribe of ‘Amr ibn ‘Aamir,
Docile, obedient, when rain is scarce,
وَكَم فيهِمِ مِن سَيِّدٍ ذي مَهابَةٍ
وَحَمّالِ أَثقالٍ وَذي نائِلٍ غَمرِ
And among them are many honorable lords
And burden-bearers and those soaked with bounty,
وَمِن قائِلٍ لا يَفضُلُ الناسَ حِلمَهُ
إِذا اِجتَمَعَ الأَقوامُ كَالقَمَرِ البَدرِ
And those who, when people gather, are most wise,
Like the full moon among the celestial bodies?
وَنَلبَسُ يَومَ الرَوعِ زَعفاً مُفاضَةً
مُضاعَفَةً بيضاً لَها حَبَبٌ يَجري
On the day of fright we don red Yemeni robes,
Lined twice over with delicate stitching,
وَنَفري سَرابيلَ الكُماةِ عَلَيهِم
إِذا ما اِلتَقَينا بِالمُهَنَّدَةِ البُترِ
And we lunge at them in baggy trousers
When we meet on the plain devoid of hills,
وَنَصبِرُ لِلمَكروهِ عِندَ لِقائِنا
وَنَرجِعُ مِنهُ بِالغَنيمَةِ وَالذِكرِ
And we show patience in adversity when we encounter it,
Returning with booty and renown,
وَقَد عَلِمَت قَيسُ بنُ عَيلانَ أَنَّنا
نَحُلُّ إِذا خافَ القَبائِلُ بِالثَغرِ
For Qays ibn ‘Aylan knew that we
Defend when the tribes fear the frontier,
بِحَيٍّ يَراهُ الناسُ غَيرَ أُشابَةٍ
لَهُم عَرضُ ما بَينَ اليَمامَةِ وَالقَهرِ
With a tribe the people see as unlike them,
Whose domain lies between Yamamah and al-Qahr.
تَرى حينَ تَأتيهِم قِباباً وَمَيسِراً
وَأَخبِيَةً مِن مُستَجيرٍ وَمِن تَجرِ
You see them receive tents and hospitality
And refugees seeking protection and shelter,
وَلا يَمنَعُ الحانوتَ مِنّا زَعانِفٌ
مِنَ الناسِ حَتّى نَستَفيقَ مِنَ الخَمرِ
And none can keep us from the tavern
Until we recover from our drunkenness,
أَنا اِبنُ الَّذي لاقى الهُمامَ فَرَدَّهُ
عَلى رُغمِهِ بَينَ المَثامِنِ وَالصَخرِ
I am the son of him who met adversities and repelled them,
Despite him, between al-Mathamin and al-Sakhr.
أَقَمنا بِقاعِ النَخلِ حينَ تَجَمَّعَت
حَلايِبُ جُعفِيٍّ عَلى مَحبِسِ النَفرِ
We dwelled in the palm groves when
The regiments of Ju’fiyy gathered at al-Nafir,
ضَرَبناهُمُ حَتّى شَفَينا نُفوسَنا
مِنَ السَيِّدِ العاتي الرَئيسِ وَمِن دَهرِ
And we struck them until we quenched our thirst
For vengeance on the tyrant lord and on fate,
وَمِن شُعَبى يَومٌ لَنا غَيرُ وابِطٍ
وَيَومُ بَني وَهيٍ وَيَومُ بَني زَحرِ
And for Shu’ba, a day for us with no fatigue,
And the day of Bani Wahb and the day of Bani Zahr.
نُعاوِرُهُم ضَرباً بِكُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ
وَنَجزيهِمُ بِالوِترِ وِتراً عَلى وِترِ
We match them blow for blow with each sharpened sword
And repay them measure for measure in full,
دُروعٌ وَغابٌ لا يُرى مِن وَرائِهِ
سَنا أُفُقٍ بادٍ وَلا جَبَلٍ وَعرِ
Coats of mail and thickets where no
Dawn’s horizon, open plain, hills or rocks can be seen.
