أَلا ذَهَبَ المُحافِظُ وَالمُحامي

وَمانِعُ ضَيمِنا يَومَ الخِصامِ

Alas, the guardian and the lawyer are gone,

And the one who defended us on the day of dispute,

وَأَيقَنتُ التَفَرُّقَ يَومَ قالوا

تُقُسِّمَ مالُ أَربَدَ بِالسِهامِ

And I was certain of our separation the day they said,

The wealth of Arbad will be divided with arrows,

وَأَربَدُ فارِسُ الهَيجا إِذا ما

تَقَعَّرَتِ المَشاجِرُ بِالخِيامِ

And Arbad, the valiant knight of battles, when

The fights flare up among the tents,

تَطيرُ عَدائِدُ الأَشراكِ شَفعاً

وَوِتراً وَالزَعامَةُ لِلغُلامِ

The tent ropes fly evenly in pairs and unevenly,

And the leadership belongs to the young man,

كَأَنَّ هِجانَها مُتَأَبِّضاتٍ

وَفي الأَقرانِ أَصوِرَةُ الرُعامِ

As if their commotion is of white camels,

And among the couples are the images of oryx,

وَقَد كانَ المُعَصَّبُ يَعتَفيها

وَتُحبَسُ عِندَ غاياتِ الذِمامِ

The turbaned warrior used to herd them

And they are confined at the ends of the sand dunes,

عَلى فَقدِ الحَريبِ إِذا اِعتَراها

وَعِندَ الفَضلِ في القُحَمِ العِظامِ

For missing the skilled warrior when he tends to them

And for their merit among the firm bones,

خُباساتُ الفَوارِسِ كُلَّ يَومٍ

إِذا لَم يُرجَ رِسلٌ في السَوامِ

The cowardice of warriors every day

When no messengers are sent into the desert,

إِذا ما تَعزُبُ الأَنعامُ راحَت

عَلى الأَيتامِ وَالكَلِّ العِيامِ

When livestock wander off, they go

To the orphans and those naked and displaced

فَيَحمَدُ قِدرَ أَربَدَ مَن عَراها

إِذا ما ذُمَّ أَربابُ اللِحامِ

So the worth of Arbad is praised by those who tend them

When the owners of milk-animals are blamed,

وَجارَتُهُ إِذا حَلَّت إِلَيهِ

لَها نَفَلٌ وَحَظٌّ في السَنامِ

And his neighbor, when she comes to him,

Has a share and portion in the camel-hair robes,

فَإِن تَقعُد فَمُكرَمَةٌ حَصانٌ

وَإِن تَظعَن فَمُحسِنَةُ الكَلامِ

So if she sits, she is an honored mare,

And if she talks, she speaks good words,

وَإِن تَشرَب فَنِعمَ أَخو النَدامى

كَريمٌ ماجِدٌ حُلوُ النِدامِ

And if she drinks, excellent is the brother of conviviality,

Generous, glorious, sweet in companionship,

وَفِتيانٍ يَرَونَ المَجدَ غُنماً

صَبَرتَ لِحَقِّهِم لَيلَ التَمامِ

And youths who view glory as war spoils,

You were patient for their rights through the night of completion,

وَإِن بَكَروا غَدَوتَ بِمُسمِعاتٍ

وَأَدكَنَ عاتِقٍ جَلدِ العِصامِ

And if they set out early, you went out with she-camels listening,

The shoulders of the hardy laden with leather,

لَهُ زَبَدٌ عَلى الناجودِ وَردٌ

بِماءِ المُزنِ مِن ريقِ الغَمامِ

He has creamy foam on the howdah and a sight

of water from the rainclouds at the watering place,

إِذا بَكَرَ النِساءُ مُرَدَّفاتٍ

حَواسِرَ لا يُجِئنَ عَلى الخِدامِ

When the women set out early, double-mounted

Proud women who don't need servants,

يُرَينَ عَصائِباً يَركُضنَ رَهواً

سَوابِقُهُنَّ كَالرَجلِ القِيامِ

They are seen in headwraps, galloping freely,

Their racers like the standing man,

كَأَنَّ سِراعَها مُتَواتِراتٍ

حَمامٌ باكِرٌ قَبلَ الحَمامِ

As if their pace is consecutive,

Early pigeons before the dove enclosure,

فَواءَلَ يَومَ ذَلِكَ مَن أَتاهُ

كَما وَأَلَ المُحِلُّ إِلى الحَرامِ

So doom befell those who came to it

Like the pilgrim arriving at the Sacred House,

بِضَربَةِ فَيصَلٍ تَرَكَت رَئيساً

عَلى الخَدَّينِ يَنحَطُ غَيرَ نامِ

With the stroke of Fayṣal's sword which left a chieftain

Falling on his cheeks, tossed to and fro,

وَكُلِّ فَريغَةٍ عَجلى رَموحٍ

كَأَنَّ رَشاشَها لَهَبُ الضِرامِ

And every swipe of the quick, firm Rashash

As if the sparks of his blade are embers,

تَرُدُّ المَرءَ قافِلَةً يَداهُ

بِعامِلِ صَعدَةٍ وَالنَحرُ دامي

Turning a man away empty-handed, his hands

Like a laborer whose throat is still bleeding,

فَوَدِّع بِالسَلامِ أَبا حُزَيزَ

وَقَلَّ وَداعُ أَربَدَ بِالسَلامِ

So bid farewell in peace to Abu Huzayz,

And few are the farewells of Arbad in peace,

يُفَضِّلُهُ شِتاءَ الناسِ مَجدٌ

إِذا قُصِرَ السُتورُ عَلى البِرامِ

Glory distinguishes him in winter over people

When the tents are folded at the camping grounds,

فَهَل نُبِّئتَ عَن أَخَوَينِ داما

عَلى الأَيّامِ إِلّا اِبنَي شَمامِ

Have you been informed of two brothers who lasted

Through the eras except the sons of Shamam,

وَإِلّا الفَرقَدَينِ وَآلَ نَعشٍ

خَوالِدَ ما تَحَدَّثُ بِاِنهِدامِ

Except the two Farqads and the family of Na'sh,

Khuwalid, whose ruin is not talked about,

وَكُنتَ إِمامَنا وَلَنا نِظاماً

وَكانَ الجَزعُ يُحفَظُ بِالنِظامِ

You were our leader and our system for us

And anguish was kept under control by the system,

وَلَيسَ الناسُ بَعدَكَ في نَقيرٍ

وَلا هُم غَيرُ أَصداءٍ وَهامِ

And people after you are not in any light

And they are nothing but illusions and wanderers,

وَإِنّا قَد يُرى ما نَحنُ فيهِ

وَنُسحَرُ بِالشَرابِ وَبِالطَعامِ

And we may see the state we are in

And be enchanted by the drink and the food,

كَما سُحِرَت بِهِ إِرَمٌ وَعادٌ

فَأَضحَوا مِثلَ أَحلامِ النِيامِ

Just as Iram and 'Aad were enchanted by it

And became like the dreams of slumberers.