تُنازِعُني ضُبيعَةُ أَمرَ قَومي

تُنازِعُني ضُبيعَةُ أَمرَ قَومي

وَما كانَت ضُبَيعَةُ لِلأُمورِ

وَما كانَت ضُبَيعَةُ لِلأُمورِ

Dubayʿah disputes with me over my people's affairs,

The slave girl presumes to manage my people's affairs,

yet Dubayʿah was not fit to manage affairs.

Yet slave girls should not manage affairs.

وَهَل كانَت ضُبَيعَةُ غَيرَ عَبدٍ

وَهَل كانَت ضُبَيعَةُ غَيرَ عَبدٍ

ضَمَمناهُ إِلى نَسَبٍ شَطيرِ

ضَمَمناهُ إِلى نَسَبٍ شَطيرِ

And was Dubayʿah anything but a slave

Was she ever more than a slave

whom we attached to a distant lineage?

Whom we attached to a noble lineage?

وَأَوصاني أَب فَحَفَظتُ عَنهُ

وَأَوصاني أَب فَحَفَظتُ عَنهُ

بِفَكِّ الغِلِّ عَن عُنُقِ الأَسيرِ

بِفَكِّ الغِلِّ عَن عُنُقِ الأَسيرِ

And a father charged me, and I remembered his counsel:

My father commanded me to protect them,

to remove the shackle from the captive's neck.

So I defend prisoners from their shackles.

وَأَوصى جَحدَرٌ فَوقي بَنِيه

وَأَوصى جَحدَرٌ فَوقي بَنِيه

بِإِرسالِ القُرّاد عَلى البَعيرِ

بِإِرسالِ القُرّاد عَلى البَعيرِ

And Jahdar, above me, charged his sons

Jahdar commanded me to watch over his sons

to release the ticks upon the camel.

By sending couriers with messages on camelback.