أَمَّا الرُّوَاءُ فَفِينَا حَدُّ تَرْئِيَةٍ

مِثْلَ الجِبَالِ الَّتِي بالجِزْعِ مِنْ إِضَمِ

The rain gives us just enough to envision

Like mountains firmly rooted

أَمَّا الإِفَادَةُ فَاسْتَوْلَتْ رَكَائِبُنَا

عِنْدَ الجَبَابِيرِ بِالبَأْسَاءِ والنِّعَمِ

Benefit has overwhelmed our ships

In the hands of tyrants, in good times and bad

أَمَّا الأَدَاةُ فَفِينَا ضُمَّرٌ صُنُعٌ

جُرْدٌ عَوَاجِرُ بالأَلْبَادِ واللُّجُمِ

As for tools, we have daggers and crafted weapons

Bare blades and piercing spears

ونَسْجُ دَاوُدَ مِنْ بِيضٍ مُضَاعَفَةٍ

مِنْ عَهْدِ عَادٍ وبَعْد الحَيِّ مِنْ إِرَمِ

And David’s weave of layered mail

From the time of Ad and after the living one from Iram

يُصْبِحْنَ بالخَبْتِ يَجْتَبْنَ النِّعَافَ عَلَى

أَصْلاَبِ هَادٍ مُعِيدٍ لاَبِسِ القَتَمِ

At daybreak they don their armor

Over the loins of steady, garment-rending warriors

لا تَحْلُبُ الحَرْبُ مِنِّي بَعْدَ عِينَتِهَا

إِلاَّ عُلاَلَة سِيدٍ مَارِدٍ سَدِمِ

War will not milk me of resolve after testing me

Except for the writhing of a defiant, mighty chief

لاَ حَرْبَ بالحَرْبِ يَشْفِيها الإله وَيَشْ

فِيها شفاعَةُ بَيْنَ الإِلِّ والرَّحِمِ

No war is cured by war, but God cures it

And in it the intercession of kinship cures

حَتَّى تَشُولَ لَقَاحاً بَعْدَ قَارِحِهَا

تَحَرَّبُوها كَحَرْبِ الذِّئْبِ لِلْغَنَمِ

Until it turns to union after estrangement

Make war on it as wolves make war on sheep

لاَ أُلْفَيَنَّ وإِيَّاكُمْ كَعَارِمَةٍ

إِلاَّ تَجِدْ عَارِماً في النَّاسِ تَعْتَرِمِ

I will not refuse you though you be unruly

Unless I find among people one who takes offense