لَعَمري لَقَد ناطَت هَوازِنُ أَمرَها

لَعَمري لَقَد ناطَت هَوازِنُ أَمرَها

بِمُستَربِعينَ الحَربَ شُمِّ المَناخِرِ

بِمُستَربِعينَ الحَربَ شُمِّ المَناخِرِ

By my life, Hawazin has indeed entrusted its cause

By my life, Hawazin has indeed entrusted its cause

to men strong enough to shoulder war, proud and high of nose—

To men who can shoulder war, with nostrils held high.

مَراجيحُ في الميزانِ لا يَستَخِفُّهُم

مَراجيحُ في الميزانِ لا يَستَخِفُّهُم

سُلَيمٌ وَلا أَمثالُ رَهطِ المُساوِرِ

سُلَيمٌ وَلا أَمثالُ رَهطِ المُساوِرِ

men weighty in the balance, whom neither Sulaym

Weighty in the balance, not to be unsettled

nor the likes of al-Musawir’s band can treat as light.

By Sulaym, nor by the likes of al-Musawir's clan.

إِذا المَلكُ آلى أَن يُقيمَ قَناتَنا

إِذا المَلكُ آلى أَن يُقيمَ قَناتَنا

فَلَيسَ عَلَينا يَومَ ذاكَ بِقادِرِ

فَلَيسَ عَلَينا يَومَ ذاكَ بِقادِرِ

If the king swears that he will straighten our spear,

If the king swears to straighten our spear-shaft,

that day he will have no power over us.

He has no power over us that day.

إِذا الأَصيَدُ الجَبّارُ صَعَّرَ خَدَّهُ

إِذا الأَصيَدُ الجَبّارُ صَعَّرَ خَدَّهُ

أَقَمنا لَهُ مِن خَدِّهِ المُتَصاعِرِ

أَقَمنا لَهُ مِن خَدِّهِ المُتَصاعِرِ

When a proud, tyrannical lord turns his cheek aside,

If the haughty tyrant turns his cheek in scorn,

we straighten that haughtily averted cheek for him

We straighten for him his disdainfully turned cheek,

بِضَربَةِ سَيفٍ أَو بِنَجلاءَ ثَرَّةٍ

بِضَربَةِ سَيفٍ أَو بِنَجلاءَ ثَرَّةٍ

إِذا نَشَجَت مَجَّت دِماءَ الأَباهِرِ

إِذا نَشَجَت مَجَّت دِماءَ الأَباهِرِ

with a sword-stroke, or a broad, freely gushing wound

With a sword-stroke, or a broad, gushing wound

that, when it sobs, spits out the blood of the great arteries.

That, when it sobs, spews blood from the great arteries.

فَلَو كُنتَ يا اِبنَ الصَعقِ إِذ كُنتَ عامِلاً

فَلَو كُنتَ يا اِبنَ الصَعقِ إِذ كُنتَ عامِلاً

صَبَرتَ وَلَيسَ العامِرِيُّ بِصابِرِ

صَبَرتَ وَلَيسَ العامِرِيُّ بِصابِرِ

If only, son of al-Sa‘iq, when you held command,

So had you, son of al-Sa'q, when you held office,

you had stood firm—but an Amiri does not endure.

Stood firm—though the 'Amiri does not stand firm—

لَهانَ عَلَينا وَالَّذي أَنا عَبدُهُ

لَهانَ عَلَينا وَالَّذي أَنا عَبدُهُ

دُعاؤُكَ في أَرماحِنا يالَ عامِرِ

دُعاؤُكَ في أَرماحِنا يالَ عامِرِ

By Him whose servant I am, it would have mattered little to us—

It would have mattered little to us—by Him whose servant I am—

your cry amid our spears: “O House of Amir!”

Your cry amid our spears: 'O 'Amir, to my aid!'

وَلَكِنَّما لاقَيتَ حَيّاً جَنابَةً

وَلَكِنَّما لاقَيتَ حَيّاً جَنابَةً

قَفا العَينِ فَاِستَعجَلتَ نَقدَ الصَرائِرِ

قَفا العَينِ فَاِستَعجَلتَ نَقدَ الصَرائِرِ

But you encountered a people unfamiliar to your eyes,

But you encountered a tribe far away,

unseen before, and hastened to assay their hidden mettle.

Beyond the eye's reach, so you hastened to test their resolve.

إِذا عارِضٌ مِنّا أَبادَ قَبيلَةً

إِذا عارِضٌ مِنّا أَبادَ قَبيلَةً

أَبانَ لِأُخرى صَوبَ آخَرَ ماطِرِ

أَبانَ لِأُخرى صَوبَ آخَرَ ماطِرِ

Whenever one storm cloud of ours annihilates a people,

When a storm-cloud of ours annihilates a tribe,

it shows another the downpour of yet another rain cloud.

It reveals to another the downpour of another rain-laden cloud.

أَمَعشَرَ قَيسٍ طالَما قَد بَطِنتُمُ

أَمَعشَرَ قَيسٍ طالَما قَد بَطِنتُمُ

مِنَ الخُبثِ فَاِطوُوا مِن بُطونِ الخَواصِرِ

مِنَ الخُبثِ فَاِطوُوا مِن بُطونِ الخَواصِرِ

O host of Qays, long have you filled your bellies

O people of Qays, long have you filled your bellies

with vileness; now draw in the flanks of those bellies.

With filth; now draw in your bellies at the flanks.

وَسيروا إِلى الأَرضِ الَّتي تَعرِفونَها

وَسيروا إِلى الأَرضِ الَّتي تَعرِفونَها

يَكُن ذادُكُم فيها فَصيدَ الأَباعِرِ

يَكُن ذادُكُم فيها فَصيدَ الأَباعِرِ

Go on to the land that you know;

And go to the land you know;

there let your provisions be blood drawn from camels.

Your provisions there shall be blood drawn from camels.

كُلوا الكَلبَ وَاِبنَ العَيرِ وَالباقِعَ الَّذي

كُلوا الكَلبَ وَاِبنَ العَيرِ وَالباقِعَ الَّذي

يَبيتُ يَعُسُّ اللَيلَ أَهلَ المَقابِرِ

يَبيتُ يَعُسُّ اللَيلَ أَهلَ المَقابِرِ

Eat dog, the wild ass’s foal, and that pied scavenger

Eat the dog, the ass's foal, and the spotted hyena that

that spends the night prowling among the graveyard folk.

Spends the night prowling for the dwellers of graves.

فَلَولا قُرَيشٌ عولِجَت قُمَّلِيَّةٌ

فَلَولا قُرَيشٌ عولِجَت قُمَّلِيَّةٌ

عَلى أَعجَفِ الذِفرى دَقيقِ المَشافِرِ

عَلى أَعجَفِ الذِفرى دَقيقِ المَشافِرِ

Were it not for Quraysh, a lice-ridden woman would have been made to copulate

And but for Quraysh, a puny woman would have been mounted

atop a man hollow behind the ear and thin-lipped—

Atop a scrawny-naped man with thin, camel-like lips,

كَأَنَّ غَراضيفَ اِستِها حَولَ أَيرِهِ

كَأَنَّ غَراضيفَ اِستِها حَولَ أَيرِهِ

وَحَجمَ تَراقيها سَكاكينُ جازِرِ

وَحَجمَ تَراقيها سَكاكينُ جازِرِ

as though the gristly folds of her anus around his penis

As though the cartilages of her anus around his penis

and the jut of her collarbones were a butcher’s knives.

And the jut of her collarbones were a butcher's knives.