أَلَمَّ خَيالُ لَيلى أُمِّ عَمروِ

أَلَمَّ خَيالُ لَيلى أُمِّ عَمروِ

وَلَم يُلمِم بِنا إِلّا لِأَمرِ

وَلَم يُلمِم بِنا إِلّا لِأَمرِ

The phantom of Layla, Umm Amr, came visiting,

The fantasy of Layla, mother of Amr, took us

and it visited us only for a purpose.

And gathered us for some purpose

تَقولُ ظَعينَتي لَمّا اِستَقَلَّت

تَقولُ ظَعينَتي لَمّا اِستَقَلَّت

أَتَترُكُ ما جَمَعتَ صَريمَ سَحرِ

أَتَترُكُ ما جَمَعتَ صَريمَ سَحرِ

My traveling lady says, as she sets out:

My she-camel said, when she was restless:

Will you leave what you have amassed at daybreak?

“Shall I leave what you gathered at dawn?”

فَقُلتُ لَها ذَريني إِنَّ مالي

فَقُلتُ لَها ذَريني إِنَّ مالي

يَروحُ إِذا غَلَبتُهُمُ وَيَسري

يَروحُ إِذا غَلَبتُهُمُ وَيَسري

I told her: Leave me be; indeed, my wealth

I said to her: “Let me be. What I have

travels at dusk when I defeat them, and journeys by night.

Goes away when I overcome them, and flows when I'm down”

فَلَستُ لِحاصِنٍ إِن لَم تَرونا

فَلَستُ لِحاصِنٍ إِن لَم تَرونا

نُجادِلُكُم كَأَنّا شَربُ خَمرِ

نُجادِلُكُم كَأَنّا شَربُ خَمرِ

So I am no chaste woman's son if you do not see us

For a garrison, if they do not see us

battling you as though we were a band of wine-drinkers.

Arguing with them as if drunk on wine

وَتَحمِلُ حَربَهُم عَنّا قُرَيشٌ

وَتَحمِلُ حَربَهُم عَنّا قُرَيشٌ

كَأَنَّ بَنانَهُم تَفريكُ بُسرِ

كَأَنَّ بَنانَهُم تَفريكُ بُسرِ

And Quraysh bears their war in our stead,

And Quraysh undertake their war against us

as though their fingertips were crumbling unripe dates.

As if we smash their idols to pieces

وَتُدرِكُ في الخَزارِجِ كُلَّ وِترٍ

وَتُدرِكُ في الخَزارِجِ كُلَّ وِترٍ

بِذَمِّ الكاهِنَينِ وَذَمِّ عَمروِ

بِذَمِّ الكاهِنَينِ وَذَمِّ عَمروِ

And it exacts every blood-debt from the Khazraj clans

And in Al-Khawārij, every musical note is reached

by reviling the two soothsayers and reviling Amr.

With insulting the priests and insulting Amr

زَجَرنا النَخلَ وَالآطامَ حَتّى

زَجَرنا النَخلَ وَالآطامَ حَتّى

إِذا هِيَ لَم تُشَيِّعنا لِزَجرِ

إِذا هِيَ لَم تُشَيِّعنا لِزَجرِ

We urged on the palms and the strongholds, until,

We scolded the date palms and hillsides until

when they would not accompany us at our urging,

When they did not bid us farewell due to our scolding

هَمَمنا بِالإِقامَةِ ثُمَّ سِرنا

هَمَمنا بِالإِقامَةِ ثُمَّ سِرنا

كَسَيرِ حُذَيفَةِ الخَيرِ بنِ بَدرِ

كَسَيرِ حُذَيفَةِ الخَيرِ بنِ بَدرِ

we considered staying, then set out,

We intended to stay, then traveled on

like the journey of Hudhayfa the Good, son of Badr.

Like the good travel of Hudhaifa son of Badr

وَرِثنا المَجدَ قَد عَلِمَت مَعَدٌّ

وَرِثنا المَجدَ قَد عَلِمَت مَعَدٌّ

فَلَم نُغلَب وَلَم نُسبَق بِوِترِ

فَلَم نُغلَب وَلَم نُسبَق بِوِترِ

We inherited glory—Ma'add knows it well—

We inherited glory. Mu'add has known

so we have never been defeated or outstripped in vengeance.

That we were not defeated or overtaken by any musical note

مَتى تَلقَوا رِجالَ الأَوسِ تَلقَوا

مَتى تَلقَوا رِجالَ الأَوسِ تَلقَوا

لِباسَ أَساوِدٍ وَجُلودَ نُمرِ

لِباسَ أَساوِدٍ وَجُلودَ نُمرِ

Whenever you meet the men of Aws, you meet

Whenever they meet the men of AWS, they meet

the garb of black serpents and the hides of leopards.

Wearers of black clothes and leopard skins

وَنَصدُقُ في الصَباحِ إِذا اِلتَقَينا

وَنَصدُقُ في الصَباحِ إِذا اِلتَقَينا

وَلَو كانَ الصَباحُ جَحيمَ جَمرِ

وَلَو كانَ الصَباحُ جَحيمَ جَمرِ

And we fight in earnest in the morning when we meet,

And we keep our word in the morning, when we meet

even if that morning were an inferno of embers.

Even if the morning were a hellish fire

أَلا أَبلِغ بَني ظَفَرٍ رَسولاً

أَلا أَبلِغ بَني ظَفَرٍ رَسولاً

فَلَم نَذلِل بِيَثرِبَ غَيرَ شَهرِ

فَلَم نَذلِل بِيَثرِبَ غَيرَ شَهرِ

Hear this: carry a message to the sons of Zafar:

Shall I send a messenger to the people of Triumph?

for we were not humbled in Yathrib for more than a month.

For we did not humiliate anyone but a month in Yathrib

خُذِلناهُ وَأَسلَمنا المَوالي

خُذِلناهُ وَأَسلَمنا المَوالي

وَفارَقنا الصَريحُ لِغَيرِ فَقرِ

وَفارَقنا الصَريحُ لِغَيرِ فَقرِ

We were forsaken during it, and our allies gave us up,

We left it disappointed and handed over the allies

and the pureborn deserted us, not because of poverty.

And the drinkers parted for other than poverty

أَبَحنا المُسبِغينَ كَما أَباحَت

أَبَحنا المُسبِغينَ كَما أَباحَت

يَمانونا بَني سَعدِ بنِ بَكرِ

يَمانونا بَني سَعدِ بنِ بَكرِ

We made the fully armored men fair prey, as

We allowed the anointed ones just as

our Yemenis did the sons of Sa'd ibn Bakr.

The people of Saʿd ibn Bakr allowed our Yemen

فَإِن نَلحَق بِأَبرَهَةَ اليَماني

فَإِن نَلحَق بِأَبرَهَةَ اليَماني

وَنُعمانٍ يُوَجِّهُنا وَعَمروِ

وَنُعمانٍ يُوَجِّهُنا وَعَمروِ

So if we join Abraha the Yemeni,

So if we join Abrahah Al-Yamani

and Nu'man, who directs us, and Amr,

And Nu'man who guides us and Amr

وَإِن نَنزِل بِذي النَجَداتِ كُرزٍ

وَإِن نَنزِل بِذي النَجَداتِ كُرزٍ

نُلاقِ لَدَيهِ شُرباً غَيرَ نَزرِ

نُلاقِ لَدَيهِ شُرباً غَيرَ نَزرِ

and if we lodge with Kurz, the man of valiant deeds,

And if we descend to Thul Najdah Kurz

we find with him drink in no scant measure.

We will find with him a drink other than mean

لَهُ سَجلانِ سَجلٌ مِن صَريحٍ

لَهُ سَجلانِ سَجلٌ مِن صَريحٍ

وَسَجلُ تَريكَةٍ بِعَتيقِ خَمرِ

وَسَجلُ تَريكَةٍ بِعَتيقِ خَمرِ

He has two brimming vessels: one of pure milk,

He has two registers: a register of drink

and an ostrich-egg bowl brimming with aged wine.

And Tariqah's register of aged wine

وَنَمنَعُ ما أَرادوا لا يُعانى

وَنَمنَعُ ما أَرادوا لا يُعانى

مُقيمٌ في المَحَلَّةِ وَسطَ قَسرِ

مُقيمٌ في المَحَلَّةِ وَسطَ قَسرِ

And we protect what they desire; no harm befalls

And we prevent what they wanted. No resident will be wronged

a dweller in the camp, amid Qasr.

In Al-Maḥallah in the middle of the palace

وَإِن تَغدو بِنا غَطَفانُ نُردِف

وَإِن تَغدو بِنا غَطَفانُ نُردِف

نِساءَهُمُ وَنَقتُل كُلَّ صَقرِ

نِساءَهُمُ وَنَقتُل كُلَّ صَقرِ

And if Ghatafan advances against us at dawn, we seat behind us

And if Ghaṭafān come to us at daybreak, we will

their women, and kill every hawk.

Make their women ride behind us and kill every falcon

فَنَحنُ النازِلونَ عَلى المَنايا

فَنَحنُ النازِلونَ عَلى المَنايا

وَنَحنُ الآخِذونَ بِكُلِّ ثَغرِ

وَنَحنُ الآخِذونَ بِكُلِّ ثَغرِ

For we are those who descend upon death,

For we are the ones imposing death

and we are those who hold every frontier.

And we are the ones taking every frontier