أما كان في قَسْبِ اليمامة والثمر

أما كان في قَسْبِ اليمامة والثمر

وفي أدم البحرين والنبق الصفرِ

وفي أدم البحرين والنبق الصفرِ

Was there not, in al-Yamama’s dried dates and fruit,

Was there not in the palm trees of Yamama and their fruit,

and in Bahrain’s hides and the yellow lote berries,

And in the silk of Bahrain and the saffron yellow,

ولا في مناديل قسَمْتَ طَريفَها

ولا في مناديل قسَمْتَ طَريفَها

وأهديتها حظٌّ لنا يا أبا بكرِ

وأهديتها حظٌّ لنا يا أبا بكرِ

or in the kerchiefs whose fine new pieces you divided

Nor in the handkerchiefs you divided in pieces

and gave as gifts, a share for us, O Abu Bakr?

And gifted us a share, O Abu Bakr,

سَرَتْ نحو أقوام فلا هنأتهم

سَرَتْ نحو أقوام فلا هنأتهم

ولم ينتصف منها المُقلّ ولا المثري

ولم ينتصف منها المُقلّ ولا المثري

They went to certain people—may they bring them no joy!

That went to people who enjoyed them,

And neither the poor nor the wealthy received a fair share of them.

While neither the stingy nor the spendthrift got any.

أأنت إلى طالوت ذي الوفر والغنى

أأنت إلى طالوت ذي الوفر والغنى

وآل أبي حرب ذوي النَّشَب الدَّثرِ

وآل أبي حرب ذوي النَّشَب الدَّثرِ

Are you inclined toward Talut, a man of plenty and wealth,

Do you go to Talut with his abundance and wealth,

and Abu Harb’s family, owners of abundant property?

And the family of Abi Harb, with their sharp swords,

ولم تأتني ولا الرباشي ثمرة

ولم تأتني ولا الرباشي ثمرة

غصصت بباقي ما ادخرت من التمر

غصصت بباقي ما ادخرت من التمر

Yet not a single fruit reached me or al-Rabashi.

And not come to me, nor the grapes to Al-Ribashi,

May you choke on the rest of the dates you stored away!

Who hoarded the rest of the dates he had saved,

ولم يُعْطَ منها النهشلي أداوةً

ولم يُعْطَ منها النهشلي أداوةً

تكون له في القيظ ذخرا مدى الدهرِ

تكون له في القيظ ذخرا مدى الدهرِ

Nor was al-Nahshali given a small waterskin of them,

Nor was any remedy given to Al-Nuhshal

to serve him as a reserve in summer’s heat, for all time.

That would sustain him in heat forevermore.

أقول لفتيان طويت لطْيهم

أقول لفتيان طويت لطْيهم

عرى البِيْدِ منشورَ المخافة والذعرِ

عرى البِيْدِ منشورَ المخافة والذعرِ

I say to young men: I folded away, for their passage through

I say to the youths who folded up their sleeves,

the desert’s reaches, the outspread fear and dread:

Baring the white arms in fear and dread,

لئن حكم السّدريّ بالعدل فيكم

لئن حكم السّدريّ بالعدل فيكم

لما أنصف السّدريّ في ثمر السّدرِ

لما أنصف السّدريّ في ثمر السّدرِ

If al-Sidri has judged justly among you,

If the Sidri judges you with justice,

al-Sidri has certainly not been fair with the lote-tree’s fruit.

The Sidri did not do justice with the fruit of the Sidr.

لئن لم تكن عيناك عذرك لم تكن

لئن لم تكن عيناك عذرك لم تكن

لدينا بمحمود ولا ظاهر العذرِ

لدينا بمحمود ولا ظاهر العذرِ

If your eyes were not your excuse, you would not be

If your eyes were not your excuse, they would not be

praiseworthy to us, nor plainly excused.

Commendable or apparent with any excuse before us.