أَلَيسَ وَرائي أَن أَدِبَّ عَلى العَصا

أَلَيسَ وَرائي أَن أَدِبَّ عَلى العَصا

فَيَشمَتَ أَعدائي وَيَسأَمُني أَهلي

فَيَشمَتَ أَعدائي وَيَسأَمُني أَهلي

Is it not in store for me to hobble on a staff,

Should I be scolded for leaning on my staff,

so my enemies gloat and my family tires of me,

So my enemies rejoice and my family grow weary of me?

رَهينَةُ قَعرِ البَيتِ كُلَّ عَشِيَّةٍ

رَهينَةُ قَعرِ البَيتِ كُلَّ عَشِيَّةٍ

يُطيفُ بِيَ الوِلدانُ أَهدُجُ كَالرَألِ

يُطيفُ بِيَ الوِلدانُ أَهدُجُ كَالرَألِ

a captive in the depths of the house every evening,

Each evening I remain a prisoner at the bottom of the house

while children circle me as I totter like an ostrich chick?

While the children tease me as I huddle like a scabby camel.

أَقيموا بَني لُبنى صُدورَ رِكابَكُم

أَقيموا بَني لُبنى صُدورَ رِكابَكُم

فَكُلُّ مَنايا النَفسِ خَيرٌ مِنَ الهَزلِ

فَكُلُّ مَنايا النَفسِ خَيرٌ مِنَ الهَزلِ

Sons of Lubna, turn your riding camels' chests straight ahead,

My sons, set up your traveling litters,

for every way of dying is better than wasting away.

For death is better than this disgraceful life.

فَإِنَّكُمُ لَن تَبلِغوا كُلَّ هِمَّتي

فَإِنَّكُمُ لَن تَبلِغوا كُلَّ هِمَّتي

وَلا أَرَبي حَتّى تَرَوا مَنبِتَ الأَثلِ

وَلا أَرَبي حَتّى تَرَوا مَنبِتَ الأَثلِ

For you will not reach the full extent of my ambition,

You'll never fully realize my ambition

nor my desire, until you see where the tamarisks grow.

Until you see the roots of Athl trees.

فَلَو كُنتُ مَثلوجَ الفُؤادِ إِذا بَدَت

فَلَو كُنتُ مَثلوجَ الفُؤادِ إِذا بَدَت

بِلادُ الأَعادي لا أُمِرُّ وَلا أُحلي

بِلادُ الأَعادي لا أُمِرُّ وَلا أُحلي

For had I been frozen at heart when there appeared

If my heart froze when the lands of enemies appeared,

the enemy lands, making neither bitter nor sweet,

I'd neither pass through nor settle.

رَجِعتُ عَلى حِرسَينِ إِذ قالَ مالِكٌ

رَجِعتُ عَلى حِرسَينِ إِذ قالَ مالِكٌ

هَلَكتَ وَهَل يُلحى عَلى بُغيَةٍ مِثلي

هَلَكتَ وَهَل يُلحى عَلى بُغيَةٍ مِثلي

I would have turned back at Hirsayn when Malik said,

When Malik said I was doomed for my terrible crimes,

'You are doomed!' Yet is one like me blamed for pursuing his goal?

I turned against my guards.

لَعَلَّ اِنطِلاقي في البِلادِ وَبُغيَتي

لَعَلَّ اِنطِلاقي في البِلادِ وَبُغيَتي

وَشَدّي حَيازيمَ المَطِيَّةِ بِالرَحلِ

وَشَدّي حَيازيمَ المَطِيَّةِ بِالرَحلِ

Perhaps my roaming through the lands and my quest,

Perhaps my wandering the lands in rebellion

and my cinching the saddle around the riding camel's chest,

And cinching the saddles tightly

سَيَدفَعُني يَوماً إِلى رَبِّ هَجمَةٍ

سَيَدفَعُني يَوماً إِلى رَبِّ هَجمَةٍ

يُدافِعُ عَنها بِالعُقوقِ وَبِالبُخلِ

يُدافِعُ عَنها بِالعُقوقِ وَبِالبُخلِ

will one day lead me to the owner of a large camel herd,

Will someday drive me to a raid

who defends it through unkindness to kin and stinginess.

Defended against through disobedience and stinginess.

قَليلٌ تَواليها وَطالِبُ وِترِها

قَليلٌ تَواليها وَطالِبُ وِترِها

إِذا صُحتُ فيها بِالفَوارِسِ وَالرَجلِ

إِذا صُحتُ فيها بِالفَوارِسِ وَالرَجلِ

Few are its followers and those who seek vengeance for it,

Few continue them and seek their opportunity

when I raise my cry among it with horsemen and men on foot.

When I call out among horsemen and men on foot.

إِذا ما هَبَطنا مَنهَلاً في مَخوفَةٍ

إِذا ما هَبَطنا مَنهَلاً في مَخوفَةٍ

بَعَثنا رَبيئاً في المَرابِئِ كَالجِذلِ

بَعَثنا رَبيئاً في المَرابِئِ كَالجِذلِ

Whenever we descend to a watering-place in perilous country,

When we descend on an unprotected watering place,

we post a lookout at the watchposts, like a tree trunk;

We stir up a dust cloud in the hollows like palm fiber.

يُقَلِّبُ في الأَرضِ الفَضاءِ بِطَرفِهِ

يُقَلِّبُ في الأَرضِ الفَضاءِ بِطَرفِهِ

وَهُنَّ مُناخاتٌ وَمِرجَلُنا يَغلي

وَهُنَّ مُناخاتٌ وَمِرجَلُنا يَغلي

he sweeps the open land with his gaze,

With a glance it scours the bare earth

while the camels kneel and our cauldron boils.

While our resting places boil with activity.