إن يوم الهباة أورثني الذل

فأصبحت ظالماً مظلوما

Indeed, the day of al-Habāh brought me humiliation,

so I became both a wrongdoer and one wronged.

كان ظلمي قتل سارةِ بني بدرٍ

فأصبحت بعدهم مرحوما

My wrongdoing was killing the nobles of the sons of Badr,

and after them I became an object of pity.

فخصبت السنانَ من ثُغر القومِ

وكانوا للناظرين نجوما

So I stained the spearpoint with blood from the hollows of the men's throats,

and to those who looked, they were stars.

كان ثأري لمالك بن زهيرٍ واحداً

كان فيهم معلوما

My vengeance for Mālik ibn Zuhayr was against one man;

he was known among them.

فقتلت الجميع من حذرِ الثكلِ

لقد كُنت في الدماءِ منهوما

So I killed them all for fear of bereavement;

indeed, I was ravenous for blood.

كان ظلمي وكان ظلمهم أمسِ

عظيماً ورأيهم موصوما

My wrongdoing and their wrongdoing yesterday

were grievous, and their judgment was tainted.

لطم القومُ داحساً حذرَ السبقِ

لقد كان داحسٌ مشؤوما

The men slapped Dāḥis, fearing he would win;

Dāḥis was indeed ill-omened.

ظلمونا بقتلهم وظلمنا

معشراً كان يومهم محتوما

They wronged us through their killing, and we wronged

a people whose day was foreordained.

إن للنمر في إجارتها الجارَ

وأمنِ الطريد حظاً عظيما

Indeed, al-Namir, in sheltering the neighbor

and keeping the fugitive safe, has great distinction.

يأمن الجارُ فيهم وترى

وسطهم ذا خثولةٍ وعموما

The neighbor is safe among them, and you see

in their midst a man full-bellied and tall;

يملأ الدلو قبل دلو أخي النمرِ

وما حوضُ جارهم مهدوما

he fills his bucket before a tribesman of al-Namir fills his,

and their neighbor's trough is not demolished.