أُنبِئتُ أَنَّ بَني جَديلَةَ أَوعَبوا

نُفراءَ مِن سَلمى لَنا وَتَكَتَّبوا

I was told the sons of Jadilah burdened

Some men of Salma against us and wrote

وَلَقَد جَرى لَهُمُ فَلَم يَتَعَيَّفوا

تَيسٌ قَعيدٌ كَالوَلِيَّةِ أَعضَبُ

And it went for them, but they did not notice

A lame billy goat like the guardian is disabled

وَأَبو الفِراخِ عَلى خَشاشِ هَشيمَةٍ

مُتَنَكِّباً إِبطَ الشَمائِلِ يَنعَبُ

And Abu Al-Firakh on a small donkey

With humps turning away, the shoulders bending

وَتَجاوَزوا ذاكُم إِلَينا كُلَّهُ

عَدواً وَمَرقَصَةً فَلَمّا قَرَّبوا

And they all went past that to us

As an enemy and a warrior, so when they came near

طَعَنوا بِمُرّانِ الوَشيجِ فَما تَرى

خَلفَ الأَسِنَّةِ غَيرَ عِرقٍ يَشخَبُ

They stabbed with spears of sinew, so you see

Nothing behind the tongues but blood dripping

وَتَبَدَّلوا اليَعبوبَ بَعدَ إِلَهِهِم

صَنَماً فَقَرّوا يا جَديلَ وَأَعذِبوا

And they changed their idol after their god

To an idol, so aim, O Jadilah, and sweeten

إِن تَقتُلوا مِنّا ثَلاثَةَ فِتيَةٍ

فَلِمَن بِساحوقَ الرَعيلُ المُطنِبُ

If you kill three of our young men

Then who owns the mass of poetry that flows

فَبِحَمدِ حَيِّهِمُ وَحَمدِ قَبيلِهِم

إِذ طالَ يَومُهُمُ وَعابَ العُيَّبُ

So by the praise of their alive and their tribes

When their day was long and the fault finder wearied

إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ في الناسِ لَيسَ لَهُ أَخٌ

إِمّا يُسَرُّ بِهِ وَإِمّا يُغضَبُ

I am a man among people who has no brother

Either glad with him or angry

وَإِذا أَخوكَ تَرَكتَهُ وَأَخا اِمرِئٍ

أَودى أَخوكَ وَكُنتَ أَنتَ تَتَبَّبُ

And when you leave your brother and the brother of a man

Your brother perishes while you wander

فَلتَعزِفِ القَيناتُ فَوقَ رُؤوسِهِم

وَشَرابُهُم ذو فَضلَةٍ وَمُحَنَّبُ

So let the lutes play over their heads

And their drink is diluted and flavored

بَل لا مَحالَةَ مِن لِقاءِ فَوارِسٍ

كَرَمٍ مَتى يُدعَوا لِرَوعٍ يَركَبوا

But meeting horsemen is inevitable

Generous, whenever called to ride they mount

شُمٍّ كَأَنَّ سَنا القَوانِسِ فَوقَهُم

نارٌ عَلى شَرَفِ اليَفاعِ تَلَهَّبُ

Keen scented as if the lamps’ brightness were over them

A fire blazing on the hilltop flaming

تَمشي بِهِم أُدمٌ تَئِطُّ نُسوعُها

خوصٌ كَما يَمشي الهِجانُ الرَبرَبُ

Udum trees walk with them, their fibrous parts

Swaying as the love-mad camel sways

وَهُمُ قَدِ اِتَّخَذوا الحَديدَ حَقائِباً

وَخِلالَهُم أُدمُ المَراكِلِ تُجنَبُ

And they have made iron their burdens

While their midst is filled with leather skins

مِن كُلِّ مَمسودِ السَراةِ مُقَلِّصٍ

قَد شَفَّهُ طولُ القِيادِ وَأَلغَبوا

From every strong, firm, compact rides

Whose length of leadership has emaciated

وَطِمِرَّةٍ كَالسيدِ يَعلو فَوقَها

ضِرغامَةٌ عَبلُ المَناكِبِ أَغلَبُ

And a red like the master rising over it

Is a black camel saddle, the sides overflowing

وَلَقَد شَبَبنا بِالجِفارِ لِدارِمٍ

ناراً بِها طَيرُ الأَشائِمِ يَنعَبُ

And we have raged against Darim’s abode

A fire in which the birds of evil omen cry

وَلَقَد تَقادَمَ بِالنِسارِ لِعامِرٍ

يَومٌ لَهُم مِنّا هُناكَ عَصَبصَبُ

And there was revenge at Al-Nisar for Aamir

A day for them from us, disputing there

حَتّى سَقَيناهُم بِكَأسٍ مُرَّةٍ

فيها المُثَمَّلُ ناقِعاً فَليَشرَبوا

Until we gave them a bitter cup

In which poison lies dormant, so let them drink

بِمُعَضِّلٍ لَجِبٍ كَأَنَّ عُقابَهُ

في رَأسِ خُرصٍ طائِرٌ يَتَقَلَّبُ

With a strong, unyielding, as if its hills

Were, on the head of an eagle, a lion turning

وَلَقَد أَتانا عَن تَميمٍ أَنَّهُم

ذَئِروا لِقَتلى عامِرٍ وَتَغَضَّبوا

And news reached us from Tameem that they

Were outraged at the dead of Aamir and angry

رَغمٌ لِأَنفِ أَبيكَ عِندي ضائِعٌ

إِنّي يَهونُ عَلَيَّ أَن لا يُعتَبوا

Damn your father’s nose! The loss to me is nothing

I think little of their not being blamed

وَغَداةَ صَبَّحنَ الجِفارَ عَوابِساً

يَهدي أَوائِلَهُنَّ شُعثٌ شُزَّبُ

And in the morning we left the Jifar scowling

The foreparts of them disheveled, unkempt

لَمّا رَأَونا وَالمَغاوِلُ وَسطَهُم

وَالخَيلُ تَبدو تارَةً وَتَغَيَّبُ

When they saw us and the swords amidst them

And the horses appearing and disappearing

وَلَّوا وَهُنَّ يَجُلنَ في آثارِهِم

شَلَلاً وَبالَطناهُمُ فَتَكَبكَبوا

They turned and fled, stumbling in their tracks

Sliding, and we made them stumble and stagger

سائِل بِنا حُجرَ بنَ أُمِّ قَطامِ إِذ

ظَلَّت بِهِ السُمرُ النَواهِلُ تَلعَبُ

Hujr bin Umm Qatam asked us when

The emaciated she-camels circled him

صَبراً عَلى ما كانَ مِن حُلَفائِنا

مِسكٌ وَغِسلٌ في الرُؤوسِ يُشَيَّبُ

Patience for what was from our allies

Musk and washing heads white

فَليَبكِهِم مَن لا يَزالُ نِساؤُهُ

يَومَ الحِفاظِ يَقُلنَ أَينَ المَهرَبُ

So let those who still have wives who say, on the day of departure

Where is the escape? weep for them