يا هاشِمُ اِبنُ حُدَيجٍ لَيسَ فَخرُكُمُ

بِقَتلِ صِهرِ رَسولِ اللَهِ بِالسَدَدِ

O Hashim son of Hudayj, your pride

O Hashim ibn Hudayj, your pride is not found

Is not in killing the son-in-law of the Messenger of God in cold blood

In the slaying of the Messenger of Allah's kinsman; there is no rectitude in it.

أَدرَجتُمُ في إِهابِ العَيرِ جُثَّتَهُ

فَبِئسَ ما قَدَّمَت أَيديكُمُ لِغَدِ

You bundled his corpse onto the litter of the camel caravan

You wrapped his corpse within the hide of a wild ass,

Evil is what your hands have sent forth for the morrow

So wretched is the offering your hands have sent forth for the Hereafter.

إِن تَقتُلوا اِبنَ أَبي بَكرٍ فَقَد قَتَلَت

حُجراً بِدارَةِ مَلحوبٍ بَنو أَسَدِ

If you kill the son of Abu Bakr, you have killed

If you have slain the son of Abu Bakr, then know that indeed,

A rock by the valley of Malhub, O clans of Asad

The Banu Asad slew Hujr at the water-course of Malhub,

وَطَرَّدوكُم إِلى الأَجبالِ مِن أَجَأٍ

طَردَ النَعامِ إِذا ما تاهَ في البَلَدِ

And they drove you into the mountains far from refuge

And they drove you all into the mountains of Aja’,

As the ostriches are driven when they stray in the wild

Driven away like ostriches when they wander lost in the land.

وَقَد أَصابَ شَراحيلاً أَبو حَنَشٍ

يَومَ الكِلابِ فَما دافَعتُمُ بِيَدِ

And at Sharahil Abu Hanash was struck down

And Abu Hanash had already struck down Sharahil,

The day of the dogs, and you did not defend with your hands

On the Day of al-Kulab, yet you did not defend him with a hand.

وَيَومَ قُلتُم لِزَيدٍ وَهوَ يَقتُلُكُم

قَتلَ الكِلابِ لَقَد أَبرَحتَ مِن وَلَدِ

And the day you said to Zayd as he was killing you

And the day you cried out to Zayd, while he slaughtered you

“He kills dogs!” You have certainly declined from noble birth

With the slaughter of dogs: 'You have gone too far, my son!'

وَكُلُّ كِندِيَّةٍ قالَت لِجارَتِها

وَالدَمعُ يَنهَلُّ مِن مَثنى وَمِن وَحِدِ

And every Kindite woman said to her neighbor

And every woman of the Kinda tribe said to her neighbor,

As tears flowed from her, both blink and wink:

While tears poured down in double streams and single drops,

أَلهى اِمرَأَ القَيسِ تَشبيبٌ بِغانِيَةٍ

عَن ثَأرِهِ وَصِفاتُ النُؤيِ وَالوَتَدِ

“The passion of Imru’ al-Qays for singing slave-girls

Imru’ al-Qais was distracted by amatory verses for a fair maiden,

Has distracted him from vengeance and firm, straight spear-shafts”

From his vengeance, and by descriptions of the trench-line and the tent-peg.