أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد أُتيحَ لَكَ الصِبا
بِذي السِدرِ بَينَ الصُلبِ فَالمُتَثَلَّمِ
Lo, many a day the joys of youth were granted to you,
Alas how often a day whose beginning
At Dhu al-Sidr, between al-Sulb and al-Mutathallam.
Was light, between acacias and smooth stones,
فَما حُمِدَت يَومَ اللِقاءُ مُجاشِعٌ
وَلا عِندَ عَقدٍ تَمنَعُ الجارَ مُحكَمِ
And Majashiʿ earned no praise on the day of battle,
Is not praised when the encounter comes
Nor under a binding covenant to protect a neighbor.
Nor at a compact’s bond denied by the confederate;
تَقولُ قُرَيشٌ أَيَّ جارٍ غَرَرتُمُ
وَقَد بُلَّ عِطفا ذي النِعالِ مِنَ الدَمِ
Quraysh says, 'What a neighbor you have betrayed!'
The Quraysh say, “What neighbor did we plunder?” —
While both sides of Dhu al-Niʿal were soaked in blood.
Yet the sandal thong of him who meets them is bloody from their violence;
شَدَدتُم حُباكُم لِلخَزيرِ وَأَعيَنٌ
يُقَرِّبُ يَكبو لِليَدَينِ وَلِلفَمِ
You tightened your knee-bindings for the meat-and-flour gruel, while Aʿyan
You have tightened your bonds for the Khazraj, and eyes
Was bringing it forward, stumbling onto his hands and mouth.
Are sleepless, meant to be pressed by the hand, to the mouth.
بَني مالِكٍ أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ نادِماً
وَمَن يَلقَ ما لاقى الفَرَزدَقُ يَندَمِ
Sons of Malik, al-Farazdaq has become regretful,
O sons of Malik, the Farazdaq is regretful;
And whoever faces what al-Farazdaq faced will regret it.
And who meets what the Farazdaq met will regret.
بَني عَبدِ عَمروٍ قَد فَرَغتُ إِلَيكُمُ
وَقَد طالَ زَجري لَو نَهاكُم تَقَدُّمي
Sons of ʿAbd ʿAmr, I have now turned my attention to you;
O sons of ‘Abdu ‘Amr, I am through with you,
And my rebukes have long continued—if only my earlier warning had deterred you!
And long has my chiding you been, if you would be warned.
أَلَم يَنهَكُم أَنّي رَمَيتُ مُجاشِعاً
بِأَسهُمِ رامٍ لا أَشَلَّ وَلا عَمي
Did it not deter you that I shot at Majashiʿ
Does it not restrain you that I shot Mijash‘a
With the arrows of an archer neither palsied nor blind?
With arrows that do not swerve from the notcher and the hotch?
أَهِزّانُ لَولا اِبنا لُجَيمٍ كِلاهُما
لَكُنتُم سَواءً قِسمَةً بَينَ أَسهُمي
O Hizzan, were it not for both sons of Lujaym,
Without the two sons of Lujaym the Ahizzan would be equal
You would have been divided equally among my arrows.
Portions among my dividing arrows.
وَكُنّا إِذا ما الخَيلُ ضَرَّجَها القَنا
وَأَقعَت عَلى الأَذنابِ قُلنا لَها اِقدُمي
And we, whenever the lances drenched the horses in blood
When our horses were galled by the mailcoats,
And they crouched on their tails, would tell them, 'Advance!'
Their croups pressing their tails, we said to them, “Charge!”
أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ قَد أَثابَت رِماحُنا
بِبُؤسى وَقَومٍ آخَرينَ بِأَنعُمِ
Lo, many a day our spears have repaid some
Alas, how often a day whose beginning
With misery, and other people with blessings.
Was joy, but others ended in woe.
Sol 6.1