هَنيءَ أَجيبي دَعوَةً إِن سَمِعتِها

هَنيءَ أَجيبي دَعوَةً إِن سَمِعتِها

وَلا تُكثِري أَمناً هَنيءَ وَلا ذُعرا

وَلا تُكثِري أَمناً هَنيءَ وَلا ذُعرا

Hanīʾ, answer a summons if you hear it.

Answer my call, my love, should you hear it,

And do not feel too safe, Hanīʾ, nor too terrified.

Don't be constantly happy or in dread.

وَكونوا كَأَنَّ الذُعرَ لَم تَشعُروا بِهِ

وَكونوا كَأَنَّ الذُعرَ لَم تَشعُروا بِهِ

إِذا لَقِيَت بَكرٌ عَلى حَنَقٍ بَكرا

إِذا لَقِيَت بَكرٌ عَلى حَنَقٍ بَكرا

And act as though you had not felt the terror,

Be as if you never felt dread,

When Bakr meets Bakr in wrath.

Whenever an angry virgin meets a virgin.

وَكونوا عَلى مَخشِيَّةٍ مِن رِماحِنا

وَكونوا عَلى مَخشِيَّةٍ مِن رِماحِنا

بَني عَبدِ بَكرٍ فَاِنظُروا نَظَراً شَزرا

بَني عَبدِ بَكرٍ فَاِنظُروا نَظَراً شَزرا

And live in fear of our spears,

Yet keep in awe of our spears,

Sons of ʿAbd Bakr; cast a hostile, sidelong glance

O sons of Abd Bakr, and gaze intently.

لِقَومٍ أَلَظّوكُم بِبُؤسى كَأَنَّكُم

لِقَومٍ أَلَظّوكُم بِبُؤسى كَأَنَّكُم

نَشاوى وَلَم تُسقَوا طِلاءً وَلا خَمرا

نَشاوى وَلَم تُسقَوا طِلاءً وَلا خَمرا

At a people who harried you with misery, as though you were

At a people who have treated you harshly, as though

Drunk, though you were given neither boiled grape must nor wine.

You were thirsty, given no milk or wine.

وَلا تَزعُموا بِالوَعرِ أَن قَد مَنَعتُم

وَلا تَزعُموا بِالوَعرِ أَن قَد مَنَعتُم

وَلَم تَمنَعوا بِالوَعرِ بَطناً وَلا ظَهرا

وَلَم تَمنَعوا بِالوَعرِ بَطناً وَلا ظَهرا

And do not claim that you have secured protection through rugged terrain;

Do not allege it was the rugged land protected you,

You have protected neither belly nor back through rugged terrain.

When the rugged land protected neither belly nor back.

فَما أَنتُمُ بِالمانِعينَ وَأَنتُمُ

فَما أَنتُمُ بِالمانِعينَ وَأَنتُمُ

تُؤَدّونَها مِن كُلِّ فائِجَةٍ قَسرا

تُؤَدّونَها مِن كُلِّ فائِجَةٍ قَسرا

For you are no defenders, while you

You cannot prevent it, yet you

Pay it from every broad pass under compulsion.

Are still made to pay it, willy nilly.

شَدَدنا عَلَيكُم شَدَّةً فَكَأَنَّما

شَدَدنا عَلَيكُم شَدَّةً فَكَأَنَّما

طَرَدنا بِوَدمٍ وَالنَخابِقَةِ الحُمرا

طَرَدنا بِوَدمٍ وَالنَخابِقَةِ الحُمرا

We charged upon you so fiercely, it was as though

We have pressed you hard, as though

We were chasing the red ones at Wadm and al-Nakhābiqah.

We hunted oryx and gray rabbits with hounds.

وَما رِمتُمُ البَطحاءَ حَتّى رَدَدتُمُ

وَما رِمتُمُ البَطحاءَ حَتّى رَدَدتُمُ

هِجانَ اِبنِ حَربٍ وَالشَآمِيَّةَ الصُفرا

هِجانَ اِبنِ حَربٍ وَالشَآمِيَّةَ الصُفرا

And you did not leave al-Baṭḥāʾ until you returned

Nor did you shoot arrows into the plain, saving when

Ibn Ḥarb’s white camels and the yellow Syrian ones.

You repulsed the attack of Ibn Harb and the yellow Syrian woman.

وَبِالمَرءِ أُفنونٍ فَسائِل وَرَهطِهِ

وَبِالمَرءِ أُفنونٍ فَسائِل وَرَهطِهِ

فَما ضَرَّ في الهَيجا أَباناً وَلا كِسرا

فَما ضَرَّ في الهَيجا أَباناً وَلا كِسرا

And ask about the man Ufnūn and his clan:

By a man of diverse skills, both inquirer and his friends,

For in battle he harmed neither Abān nor Kisrā.

No harm was done them in battle, nor any shame.

وَسَل حَنَشاً عَن حَربِنا وَاِبنَ مالِكٍ

وَسَل حَنَشاً عَن حَربِنا وَاِبنَ مالِكٍ

وَجَدُّكَ لَم يُرجِع سَواماً وَلا وَفرا

وَجَدُّكَ لَم يُرجِع سَواماً وَلا وَفرا

And ask Ḥanash about our war, and Ibn Mālik too.

Ask [our enemies] Hanash and Ibn Malik

And, by your fortune, he brought back neither grazing livestock nor riches.

About our war, and your grandfather did not return fleers or cavalry.

نَفَيناهُ في أَرضِ العَدُوِّ فَأَصبَحَت

نَفَيناهُ في أَرضِ العَدُوِّ فَأَصبَحَت

وُجوهُ صُفَيٍّ مِن عَداوَتِنا صُفرا

وُجوهُ صُفَيٍّ مِن عَداوَتِنا صُفرا

We banished him into the enemy’s land, and so

We drove him off into enemy land, till the faces

Ṣufayy’s faces turned yellow from our enmity.

Of [his clan] Sufyan turned sallow because of us.

فَلَو كانَ حَبلُ اِبنَي طَريفٍ مُعَلَّقاً

فَلَو كانَ حَبلُ اِبنَي طَريفٍ مُعَلَّقاً

بِأَحقي كِرامٍ أَحدَثوا فيهِما أَمرا

بِأَحقي كِرامٍ أَحدَثوا فيهِما أَمرا

For had the rope of Ṭarīf’s two sons been hung

Had the rope of the sons of Tarif been hanging

From noble men’s waists, they would have dealt with those two.

On my most honorable kinsmen, they would have stirred up trouble against them.

لَقَد كانَ جاراهُم قَتيلاً وَخائِفاً

لَقَد كانَ جاراهُم قَتيلاً وَخائِفاً

أَصَمَّ فَقَد زادوا مَسامِعَهُ وَقرا

أَصَمَّ فَقَد زادوا مَسامِعَهُ وَقرا

Indeed, their two protégés were one slain, the other afraid—

Verily their neighbor was a slain man and a fearful one

Deaf—for they had added yet more heaviness to his ears.

Deaf — they increased his deafness and repelled him.