إِنّي مِنَ القَومِ الَّذينَ إِذا

إِنّي مِنَ القَومِ الَّذينَ إِذا

أَزِمَ الشِتاءُ وَدوخِلَت حُجَرُه

أَزِمَ الشِتاءُ وَدوخِلَت حُجَرُه

I am of a people who, when

I am of those people, when

winter grows harsh and its shelters are huddled close,

Winter intensifies and its cold pierces,

يَوماً وَدونِيَتِ البُيوتُ لَهُ

يَوماً وَدونِيَتِ البُيوتُ لَهُ

فَثَنى قُبَيلَ رَبيعِهِم قِرَرُه

فَثَنى قُبَيلَ رَبيعِهِم قِرَرُه

one day, and the tents are drawn together against it,

And the homes are closed to it for a day,

and its cold returns just before their spring,

Their spring has folded its abdomen,

رَفَعوا المَنيحَ وَكانَ رِزقَهُمُ

رَفَعوا المَنيحَ وَكانَ رِزقَهُمُ

في المُنقِياتِ يُقيمُهُ يَسَرُه

في المُنقِياتِ يُقيمُهُ يَسَرُه

lift the manīḥ gambling arrow, while their sustenance

They raised the camel litters, and their livelihood

lies in marrow-fat camels, maintained by its gambler,

Was in the filled waterskins, its ease facilitating it,

شَرطاً قَويماً لَيسَ يَحبِسُهُ

شَرطاً قَويماً لَيسَ يَحبِسُهُ

لَمّا تَتابَعَ وِجهَةً عُسُرُه

لَمّا تَتابَعَ وِجهَةً عُسُرُه

as a fair, firm pledge he does not withhold

A strong, upright condition, nothing holding it back

when his hardships follow one course in succession.

When the course of its hardship continues,

تَلقى الجِفانَ بِكُلِّ صادِقَةٍ

تَلقى الجِفانَ بِكُلِّ صادِقَةٍ

ثُمَّت تُرَدَّدُ بَينَهُم حِيَرُه

ثُمَّت تُرَدَّدُ بَينَهُم حِيَرُه

You find the bowls in every bitter blast;

It meets with every truthful woman,

then its pools of broth are passed around among them.

Then it waveres between them in confusion,

وَتَرى الجِفانَ لَدى مَجالِسِنا

وَتَرى الجِفانَ لَدى مَجالِسِنا

مُتَحَيَّراتٍ بَينَهُم سُؤُرُه

مُتَحَيَّراتٍ بَينَهُم سُؤُرُه

And you see the bowls beside our gatherings,

And you see the camel litters in our sitting places

with its leftover portions pooling among them.

Perplexed amongst them are its saddle-cloths,

فَكَأَنَّها عَقرى لَدى قُلُبٍ

فَكَأَنَّها عَقرى لَدى قُلُبٍ

يَصفَرُّ مِن أَغرابِها صَقَرُه

يَصفَرُّ مِن أَغرابِها صَقَرُه

And so they seem like slaughtered camels beside wells,

So it is as if it is a wild animal next to a heart

its juices yellowing along their rims.

Whose falcon has yellowed from its strangeness,

إِنّا لَنَعلَمُ أَن سَيُدرِكُنا

إِنّا لَنَعلَمُ أَن سَيُدرِكُنا

غَيثٌ يُصيبُ سَوامَنا مَطَرُه

غَيثٌ يُصيبُ سَوامَنا مَطَرُه

Indeed, we know that there will reach us

We know that rain will reach us

rain whose showers fall upon our grazing herds.

Watering our highlands its wetness,

وَإِذا المُغيرَةُ لِلهِياجِ غَدَت

وَإِذا المُغيرَةُ لِلهِياجِ غَدَت

بِسُعارِ مَوتٍ ظاهِرٍ ذُعُرُه

بِسُعارِ مَوتٍ ظاهِرٍ ذُعُرُه

And when the raiding cavalry rides out to battle,

And when the raid for the excited ones goes out

with the fever of death, its terror plain to see,

With the rising smoke of evident death,

وَلّوا وَأَعطَونا الَّذي سُئِلوا

وَلّوا وَأَعطَونا الَّذي سُئِلوا

مِن بَعدِ مَوتٍ ساقِطٍ أُزُرُه

مِن بَعدِ مَوتٍ ساقِطٍ أُزُرُه

they turn away and give us what was asked of them,

They turned away and gave us that which they were asked

after death has shed its waist-wraps.

After the falling of the dead their loincloths,

إِنّا لَنَكسوهُم وَإِن كَرِهوا

إِنّا لَنَكسوهُم وَإِن كَرِهوا

ضَرباً يَطيرُ خِلالَهُ شَرَرُه

ضَرباً يَطيرُ خِلالَهُ شَرَرُه

Indeed, we surely clothe them, though they dislike it,

We will clothe them even if they dislike it

in blows with sparks flying amid them.

With a strike its sparks fly through it

وَالمَجدُ نَنميهِ وَنُتلِدُهُ

وَالمَجدُ نَنميهِ وَنُتلِدُهُ

وَالحَمدُ في الأَكفاءِ نَدَّخِرُه

وَالحَمدُ في الأَكفاءِ نَدَّخِرُه

And glory we increase and make an heirloom,

And glory we nurture it and birth it

and praise we store up among our peers.

And praise in the brave ones we hoard it

نَعفو كَما تَعفو الجِيادُ عَلى ال

نَعفو كَما تَعفو الجِيادُ عَلى ال

عِلّاتِ وَالمَخذولُ لا نَذَرُه

عِلّاتِ وَالمَخذولُ لا نَذَرُه

We give freely, as noble steeds run freely despite

We pardon just as the thoroughbreds pardon

ailments; and we do not abandon the forsaken,

Over the defects and we do not neglect the downtrodden

إِن غابَ عَنهُ الأَقرَبونَ وَلَم

إِن غابَ عَنهُ الأَقرَبونَ وَلَم

يُصبَح بِرَيِّقِ مائِهِ شَجَرُه

يُصبَح بِرَيِّقِ مائِهِ شَجَرُه

if his nearest kin are absent from him, and

If his closest kin are absent from him

his trees receive no morning draught of his freshest water.

And its trees have not awoken with the scent of their water

إِنَّ التَبالِيَ في الحَياةِ وَلا

إِنَّ التَبالِيَ في الحَياةِ وَلا

يُغني نَوائِبَ ماجِدٍ عُذَرُه

يُغني نَوائِبَ ماجِدٍ عُذَرُه

Indeed, the proving of worth is in life, and

Truly recklessness in life does not

a noble man's excuses do not avert his misfortunes.

Excuse the laments of a glorious man his argument

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ فيما أَلَمَّ بِهِ

كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ فيما أَلَمَّ بِهِ

يَوماً يَبينُ مِنَ الغِنى فُقُرُه

يَوماً يَبينُ مِنَ الغِنى فُقُرُه

For every man, in whatever befalls him

Every person one day shows

one day, his poverty stands out from his wealth.

From prosperity his poverty