إِنّا بِالشِعبِ الَّذي دونَ سَلعٍ

لَقَتيلاً دَمُهُ ما يُطَلُّ

Indeed, in the ravine on this side of Salʿ,

we have a slain man whose blood shall never go unavenged.

خَلَّفَ العِبءَ عَلَيَّ وَوَلّى

أَنا بِالعِبءِ لَهُ مُستَقِلُّ

He left the burden upon me and departed;

alone, I shall rise to bear that burden for him.

وَوَراءَ الثَأرِ مِنّي اِبنُ أُختٍ

مَصِعٌ عُقدَتُهُ ما تُحَلُّ

And on vengeance’s trail stands his sister’s son—myself—

resolute, his knot never to be undone;

مُطرِقٌ يَرشَحُ مَوتاً كَما أَطرَقَ

أَفعى يَنفُثُ السَمَّ صِلُّ

head bowed, sweating death, as there bows

a male viper breathing venom;

خَبَرٌ ما نابَنا مُصمَإِلٌّ

جَلَّ حَتّى دَقَّ فيهِ الأَجَلُ

seasoned in whatever befalls us, standing firm,

so great that appointed death itself seems small within him.

بَزَّني الدَهرُ وَكانَ غَشوماً

بِأَبيٍّ جارُهُ ما يُذَلُّ

Time despoiled me of him—for Time was tyrannous—

My father be his ransom! His neighbor is never humbled;

شامِسٌ في القُرِّ حَتّى إِذا ما

ذَكَتِ الشِعرى فَبَردٌ وَظِلُّ

a sun in bitter cold, until, when

Sirius is mentioned, he becomes coolness and shade;

يابِسُ الجَنبَينِ مِن غَيرِ بُؤسٍ

وَنَديُّ الكَفَّينِ شَهمٌ مُدِلُّ

lean-flanked, though not from poverty,

dew-handed in bounty—a noble, self-assured lord;

ظاعِنُ بِالحَزمِ حَتّى إِذا ما

حَلَّ الحَزمُ حَيثُ يَحُلُّ

journeying with prudence, until, when

prudence makes camp, there he makes camp;

غَيثُ مُزنٍ غامِرٌ حَيثُ يُجدي

وَإِذا يَسطو فَلَيثٌ أَبَلُّ

a cloudburst, overflowing wherever his bounty falls,

and, when he attacks, a lion, sire of cubs;

مُسبِلٌ في الحَيِّ أَحوى رِفَلُ

وَإِذا يَغزو فَسِمعٌ أَزَلُّ

among his people, dark-lipped, his ample robe trailing,

but, when he raids, a lean-flanked wolf;

وَلَهُ طَعمانِ أَريٌ وَشَريٌ

وَكِلا الطَعمَينِ قَد ذاقَ كُلُّ

he had two flavors: honey and bitter colocynth,

and everyone tasted both flavors.

يَركَبُ الهَولَ وَحيداً وَلا يَصحَبُهُ

إِلّا اليَمانيُّ الأَفَلُّ

He rode into terror alone, accompanied

only by his notched Yemeni blade,

وَفُتُوٍّ هَجَّروا ثُمَّ أَم أَسروا

لَيلَهُم حَتّى إِذا اِنجابَ حَلّوا

and by young men who set out in the midday heat, then journeyed by night

through their night, until, when it drew aside, they camped.

كُلُّ ماضٍ قَد تَرَدّى بِماضٍ

كَسَنا البَرقِ إِذا ما يُسَلُّ

Each keen man was cloaked in a keen blade,

like lightning’s gleam whenever it is drawn.

فَاِحتَسَوا أَنفاسَ نَومٍ فَلَمّا

ثَمِلوا رُعتُهُم فَاِشمَعَلّوا

They sipped breaths of sleep; then, when

they were drunk with it, I startled them, and they sprang up.

فَاِدَّرَكنا الثَأرَ مِنهُم وَلَمّا

يَنجُ مِلَحَيّنِ إِلّا الأَقَلُّ

Thus we overtook our vengeance from them, while

of the two clans none escaped except the barest few.

فَلَئِن فَلَّت هُذَيلٌ خَباهُ

لَبِما كانَ هُذَيلاً يَفُلُّ

Though Hudhayl may once have blunted his edge,

how often had he blunted Hudhayl!

وَبِما أَبرَكَهُم في مُناخٍ

جَعجَعٍ يَنقَبُ فيهِ الأَظَلُّ

How often he made them kneel at an encampment,

pinning them on rough ground where hoof-soles split;

وَبِما صَبَّحَها في ذُراها

مِنهُ بَعدَ القَتلِ نَهبٌ وَشَلُّ

and how often at dawn he fell upon them on their heights—

after the killing came plunder and herds driven away.

صَلِيَت مِنّي هُذَيلٌ بِخِرقٍ

لا يَمَلُّ الشَرَّ حَتّى يَمَلّوا

Hudhayl was scorched by me—a reckless fighter

who never tires of war until they tire.

يُنهِلُ الصَعدَةَ حَتّى إِذا ما

نَهِلَت كانَ لَها مِنهُ عَلُّ

He gives the straight spear its first drink, until, when

it has drunk, from him it receives a second draught.

تَضحَكُ الضَبعُ لِقَتلى هُذَيلٍ

وَتَرى الذِئبُ لَها يَستَهِلُّ

The hyena laughs over Hudhayl’s slain,

and you see the wolf raise its cry over them.

وَطِتاقُ الطَيرُ تَهفوا بِطاناً

تَتَخَطّاهُمُ فَما تَستَقِلُّ

Rank upon rank, the birds flutter away full-bellied,

stepping over them, too gorged to rise.

حَلَّتِ الخَمرُ وَكانَت حَراماً

وَبِلَأيِ ما أَلَمَّت تَحِلُّ

Wine has become lawful, though it had been forbidden;

after what a grievous blow has it become lawful!

فَاِسقِنيها يا سَوادَ بنَ عَمروٍ

إِنَّ جِسمي بَعدَ خالِ لَخَلُّ

So give me wine to drink, Sawād ibn ʿAmr;

indeed, after my maternal uncle, my body has wasted away.