أَلا كُلِّ بَصرِيٍّ يَرى أَنَّما العُلى

أَلا كُلِّ بَصرِيٍّ يَرى أَنَّما العُلى

مُكَمَّهَةٌ سُحقٌ لَهُنَّ جَرينُ

مُكَمَّهَةٌ سُحقٌ لَهُنَّ جَرينُ

Lo, every Basran thinks that glory is only

Behold! Every visionary sees that glory

Behold, every Basran deems that high glory consists / Of tall, laden palms with drying yards beneath.

capped, towering palms with their date-drying floor.

Is but a cloak patched and tattered.

So if you plant palm trees, know that our planting / Is the striking of swords and hot lances in the throat.

فَإِن تُغرِسوا نَخلاً فَإِنَّ غِراسَنا

فَإِن تُغرِسوا نَخلاً فَإِنَّ غِراسَنا

ضِرابٌ وَطَعنٌ في النُحورِ سَخينُ

ضِرابٌ وَطَعنٌ في النُحورِ سَخينُ

So if you plant date palms, what we plant is

If you plant palms, our planting

And though I be of Basra, my migration was / To Damascus—yet the story branches into grief.

blows and hot thrusts into upper chests.

Is stabbing and piercing in the breasts made keen.

Neighboring a people with whom I share no ties, / Save for a nominal call and mere suspicion.

وَإِن أَكُ بَصرِيّاً فَإِنَّ مُهاجَري

وَإِن أَكُ بَصرِيّاً فَإِنَّ مُهاجَري

دِمَشقُ وَلَكِنَّ الحَديثَ شُجونُ

دِمَشقُ وَلَكِنَّ الحَديثَ شُجونُ

And though I am a Basran, the place I migrated to is

If I am a visionary, still my emigration

When the registrar calls out my name, I answer him, / Responding to a summons that weighs lightly upon me.

Damascus—but talk has many branches.

Is Damascus; but the tale is agonizing.

The Azd of Oman have a sudden burst of pride in Al-Muhallab / When tribes begin to boast, though soon it softens.

مُجاوِرُ قَومٍ لَيسَ بَيني وَبَينَهُم

مُجاوِرُ قَومٍ لَيسَ بَيني وَبَينَهُم

أَواصِرُ إِلّا دَعوَةٌ وَظُنونُ

أَواصِرُ إِلّا دَعوَةٌ وَظُنونُ

I live beside a people with whom I have no

An associate of a folk between whom and me

And Bakr deems that the spirit of prophecy came down / Upon Masma' while he was yet a fetus in the womb.

kinship bonds except a claimed affiliation and conjectures.

Are no family ties - just a call and fancies.

And Tamim declared: We do not see that any single one / Shall ever equal our Ahnaf until the hour of death.

إِذا ما دَعا بِاسمي العَريفُ أَجَبتُهُ

إِذا ما دَعا بِاسمي العَريفُ أَجَبتُهُ

إِلى دَعوَةٍ مِمّا عَلَيَّ تَهونُ

إِلى دَعوَةٍ مِمّا عَلَيَّ تَهونُ

Whenever the clan head calls my name, I answer him,

When the noble calls me by name I answer him

So I blamed not Qays thereafter regarding Qutayba, / And their pride in him—for boasting is an art of many forms.

in response to a summons that means little to me.

To a call wherein is nothing heavy for me.

لَأَزدِ عُمانٍ بِالمُهَلَّبِ نَزوَةٌ

لَأَزدِ عُمانٍ بِالمُهَلَّبِ نَزوَةٌ

إِذا افتَخَرَ الأَقوامُ ثُمَّ تَلينُ

إِذا افتَخَرَ الأَقوامُ ثُمَّ تَلينُ

The Azd of Oman have a burst of pride in al-Muhallab

For Oman's sake, the Muhalhil has a whim

when the tribes boast; then it subsides.

Whenever the tribes boast, thereafter obedient.

وَبَكرٌ تَرى أَنَّ النُبُوَّةِ أُنزِلَت

وَبَكرٌ تَرى أَنَّ النُبُوَّةِ أُنزِلَت

عَلى مَسمَعٍ في الرَحمِ وَهوَ جَنينُ

عَلى مَسمَعٍ في الرَحمِ وَهوَ جَنينُ

And Bakr believe that prophethood was sent down

And Bakr, you see, holds that prophethood

upon Masmaʿ in the womb, while he was still a fetus.

Was revealed to one hearing it as an embryo.

وَقالَت تَميمٌ لا نَرى أَنَّ واحِداً

وَقالَت تَميمٌ لا نَرى أَنَّ واحِداً

كَأَحنَفِنا حَتّى المَماتِ يَكونُ

كَأَحنَفِنا حَتّى المَماتِ يَكونُ

And Tamim said, "We do not believe that anyone

And Tamim said, "We see not that any one

will be like our Ahnaf before we die."

Is like our Ahnaf till death comes to be."

فَما لُمتُ قَيساً بَعدَها في قُتَيبَةٍ

فَما لُمتُ قَيساً بَعدَها في قُتَيبَةٍ

وَفَخرٍ بِهِ إِنَّ الفَخارَ فُنونُ

وَفَخرٍ بِهِ إِنَّ الفَخارَ فُنونُ

So after that I did not blame Qays over Qutayba

So I blamed not Qais thereafter for Kutaiba

and their boasting of him: boasting takes many forms.

And pride in him; boasting is tricks.