إِذا المَرءُ لَم يُدنَس مِنَ اللُؤمِ عِرضُهُ

إِذا المَرءُ لَم يُدنَس مِنَ اللُؤمِ عِرضُهُ

فَكُلُّ رِداءٍ يَرتَديهِ جَميلُ

فَكُلُّ رِداءٍ يَرتَديهِ جَميلُ

If a man's honor is not sullied by baseness,

If a man's honor is untouched by disgrace,

Then every cloak he wears is beautiful.

Then every garment he dons is comely.

وَإِن هُوَ لَم يَحمِل عَلى النَفسِ ضَيمَها

وَإِن هُوَ لَم يَحمِل عَلى النَفسِ ضَيمَها

فَلَيسَ إِلى حُسنِ الثَناءِ سَبيلُ

فَلَيسَ إِلى حُسنِ الثَناءِ سَبيلُ

And if he does not make his soul endure its hardships,

And if he does not burden his soul with injustice,

Then there is no path to worthy praise.

Then no path to praiseworthy fame is barred.

تُعَيِّرُنا أَنّا قَليلٌ عَديدُنا

تُعَيِّرُنا أَنّا قَليلٌ عَديدُنا

فَقُلتُ لَها إِنَّ الكِرامَ قَليلُ

فَقُلتُ لَها إِنَّ الكِرامَ قَليلُ

She taunts us because our numbers are few;

They taunt us that few in number are we—

So I told her: 'The noble are few.'

But say to them: Not small are we, but valiant!

وَما قَلَّ مَن كانَت بَقاياهُ مِثلَنا

وَما قَلَّ مَن كانَت بَقاياهُ مِثلَنا

شَبابٌ تَسامى لِلعُلى وَكُهولُ

شَبابٌ تَسامى لِلعُلى وَكُهولُ

And none are few whose remaining kin are like us:

None remain whose deeds match ours

Young men aspiring to glory, and mature men.

Save vigorous youths aspiring high and wise elders.

وَما ضَرَّنا أَنّا قَليلٌ وَجارُنا

وَما ضَرَّنا أَنّا قَليلٌ وَجارُنا

عَزيزٌ وَجارُ الأَكثَرينَ ذَليلُ

عَزيزٌ وَجارُ الأَكثَرينَ ذَليلُ

And being few has not harmed us, for our protected neighbor is

It matters not that we are few, while our neighbor

Honored, while the neighbor of the many is abased.

Is mighty, when our neighbor is the coward throng.

لَنا جَبَلٌ يَحتَلُّهُ مَن نُجيرُهُ

لَنا جَبَلٌ يَحتَلُّهُ مَن نُجيرُهُ

مَنيعٌ يَرُدُّ الطَرفَ وَهُوَ كَليلُ

مَنيعٌ يَرُدُّ الطَرفَ وَهُوَ كَليلُ

We have a mountain inhabited by those we protect,

We own a mountain that the protector we choose

Impregnable, sending the gaze back weary.

Ascends impregnable, unwearied though assailed.

رَسا أَصلُهُ تَحتَ الثَرى وَسَما بِهِ

رَسا أَصلُهُ تَحتَ الثَرى وَسَما بِهِ

إِلى النَجمِ فَرعٌ لا يُنالُ طَويلُ

إِلى النَجمِ فَرعٌ لا يُنالُ طَويلُ

Its base is rooted beneath the soil, while it is lifted

A tree whose roots are fed by moisture underground,

Toward the stars by a lofty summit beyond reach.

And whose branches soar to the stars beyond all reach.

هُوَ الأَبلَقُ الفَردُ الَّذي شاعَ ذِكرُهُ

هُوَ الأَبلَقُ الفَردُ الَّذي شاعَ ذِكرُهُ

يَعِزُّ عَلى مَن رامَهُ وَيَطولُ

يَعِزُّ عَلى مَن رامَهُ وَيَطولُ

It is al-Ablaq, the peerless, whose fame has spread;

The unrivaled, matchless one—famed far and wide—

It defies whoever seeks it, and towers high.

Frustrating the schemes of those who plot against him.

وَإِنّا لَقَومٌ لا نَرى القَتلَ سُبَّةً

وَإِنّا لَقَومٌ لا نَرى القَتلَ سُبَّةً

إِذا ما رَأَتهُ عامِرٌ وَسَلولُ

إِذا ما رَأَتهُ عامِرٌ وَسَلولُ

And we are indeed a people who do not deem being slain a disgrace,

We are a folk who think death no disgrace

Even when Amir and Salul deem it so.

When it meets us in the tents of honored women.

يُقَرِّبُ حُبُّ المَوتِ آجالَنا لَنا

يُقَرِّبُ حُبُّ المَوتِ آجالَنا لَنا

وَتَكرَهُهُ آجالُهُم فَتَطولُ

وَتَكرَهُهُ آجالُهُم فَتَطولُ

Love of death brings our appointed ends nearer to us,

For us, love of death draws near our lifespans' end,

While their lifespans hate it, and so grow long.

While their lifespans stretch out, hatred of death prolonging them.

وَما ماتَ مِنّا سَيِّدٌ حَتفَ أَنفِهِ

وَما ماتَ مِنّا سَيِّدٌ حَتفَ أَنفِهِ

وَلا طُلَّ مِنّا حَيثُ كانَ قَتيلُ

وَلا طُلَّ مِنّا حَيثُ كانَ قَتيلُ

And no chief of ours has died a natural death,

No lord of ours has perished defending his women,

Nor has any slain man of ours, wherever he was, gone unavenged.

Nor have we lost men where our slain were lying.

تَسيلُ عَلى حَدِّ الظُباتِ نُفوسُنا

تَسيلُ عَلى حَدِّ الظُباتِ نُفوسُنا

وَلَيسَت عَلى غَيرِ الظُباتِ تَسيلُ

وَلَيسَت عَلى غَيرِ الظُباتِ تَسيلُ

Our souls flow over the edges of blades,

Our souls flow free as the charge of wild mares

And they flow nowhere but over blades.

And flow nowhere but onto the points of lances.

صَفَونا فَلَم نَكدُر وَأَخلَصَ سِرَّنا

صَفَونا فَلَم نَكدُر وَأَخلَصَ سِرَّنا

إِناثٌ أَطابَت حَملَنا وَفُحولُ

إِناثٌ أَطابَت حَملَنا وَفُحولُ

We have remained clear, never grown turbid; our lineage was purified

Chaste were the wombs that conceived us, the loins pure

By mothers who bore us nobly, and by sires.

That sired us—no tainted blood runs in our veins.

فَنَحنُ كَماءِ المُزنِ ما في نِصابِنا

فَنَحنُ كَماءِ المُزنِ ما في نِصابِنا

كَهامٌ وَلا فينا يُعَدُّ بَخيلُ

كَهامٌ وَلا فينا يُعَدُّ بَخيلُ

So we are like rain-cloud water; in our stock there is no

Like water in measures we are, holding no rancor;

Weakling, nor is any miser counted among us.

None parsimonious are we, none tight-fisted.

وَنُنكِرُ إِن شِئنا عَلى الناسِ قَولَهُم

وَنُنكِرُ إِن شِئنا عَلى الناسِ قَولَهُم

وَلا يُنكِرونَ القَولَ حينَ نَقولُ

وَلا يُنكِرونَ القَولَ حينَ نَقولُ

And, if we wish, we challenge what others say,

Our word carries weight if we choose to speak out,

But they do not challenge our words when we speak.

While their words bear no weight when they choose to speak out.

إِذا سَيِّدٌ مِنّا خَلا قامَ سَيِّدٌ

إِذا سَيِّدٌ مِنّا خَلا قامَ سَيِّدٌ

قَؤُولٌ لِما قالَ الكِرامُ فَعُولُ

قَؤُولٌ لِما قالَ الكِرامُ فَعُولُ

When a chief of ours passes away, another chief arises,

When a lord of ours passes on, a lord rises up

Eloquent in what the noble say, and a man of deeds.

To carry on where the noble lords left off.

وَما أُخمِدَت نارٌ لَنا دونَ طارِقٍ

وَما أُخمِدَت نارٌ لَنا دونَ طارِقٍ

وَلا ذَمَّنا في النازِلينَ نَزيلُ

وَلا ذَمَّنا في النازِلينَ نَزيلُ

And no fire of ours has been quenched before a night guest could reach it,

No fire of ours was ever quenched for want of fuel,

Nor has any guest among our lodgers ever blamed us.

Nor were we ever shamed among those who lodged with us as guests.

وَأَيّامُنا مَشهورَةٌ في عَدُوِّنا

وَأَيّامُنا مَشهورَةٌ في عَدُوِّنا

لَها غُرَرٌ مَعلومَةٌ وَحُجولُ

لَها غُرَرٌ مَعلومَةٌ وَحُجولُ

And our battle-days are renowned among our enemies;

Our days of glory are known to our foes

They bear well-known white forehead-blazes and white leg-markings.

Fraught with grave perils, fateful encounters.

وَأَسيافُنا في كُلِّ شَرقٍ وَمَغرِبٍ

وَأَسيافُنا في كُلِّ شَرقٍ وَمَغرِبٍ

بِها مِن قِراعِ الدارِعينَ فُلولُ

بِها مِن قِراعِ الدارِعينَ فُلولُ

And our swords, in every east and west,

In every land to east and west our swords

Bear notches from clashing with armored warriors.

Carved remnants and relics from the skins of regiments.

مُعَوَّدَةٌ أَلّا تُسَلَّ نِصالُها

مُعَوَّدَةٌ أَلّا تُسَلَّ نِصالُها

فَتُغمَدَ حَتّى يُستَباحَ قَبيلُ

فَتُغمَدَ حَتّى يُستَباحَ قَبيلُ

They are accustomed, once their blades are drawn,

Their blades are accustomed to leaving their sheaths

Not to be sheathed until a tribe is laid waste.

Not to be sheathed again till the tribe is despoiled.

سَلي إِن جَهِلتِ الناسَ عَنّا وَعَنهُمُ

سَلي إِن جَهِلتِ الناسَ عَنّا وَعَنهُمُ

فَلَيسَ سَواءً عالِمٌ وَجَهولُ

فَلَيسَ سَواءً عالِمٌ وَجَهولُ

Ask people, if you do not know, about us and about them:

Peace, if you are ignorant of us and of them—

For one who knows and one who is ignorant are not equal.

For not equal are those who know and those who do not know.