إِذا ما قُلتُ قَد صالَحتُ بَكراً

إِذا ما قُلتُ قَد صالَحتُ بَكراً

أَبى الأَضغانُ وَالنَسَبُ البَعيدُ

أَبى الأَضغانُ وَالنَسَبُ البَعيدُ

Whenever I say, “I have made peace with Bakr,”

If I say I've made peace with Bakr

grudges and distant kinship refuse it,

The grudges and distant lineage refuse

وَمُهراقُ الدِماءِ بِوارِداتٍ

وَمُهراقُ الدِماءِ بِوارِداتٍ

تَبيدُ المُخزِياتُ وَلا تَبيدُ

تَبيدُ المُخزِياتُ وَلا تَبيدُ

and the bloodshed at Wāridāt—

And the shedders of blood with fresh attacks

disgraces fade, but that bloodshed does not.

Destroy the disgraced but not destroyed

وَأَيّامٌ لَنا وَلَهُم طِوالٌ

وَأَيّامٌ لَنا وَلَهُم طِوالٌ

يَعَضُّ الهامَ فيهِنَّ الحَديدُ

يَعَضُّ الهامَ فيهِنَّ الحَديدُ

And long days for us and for them,

And we and they have days prolonged

in which iron bites into skulls.

In them iron bites the zealous soul

هُما أَخَوانِ يَصطَلِيانِ ناراً

هُما أَخَوانِ يَصطَلِيانِ ناراً

رِداءُ المَوتِ بَينَهُما جَديدُ

رِداءُ المَوتِ بَينَهُما جَديدُ

They are two brothers warming themselves at a fire;

They're two brothers warming at a fire

death’s mantle is fresh between them.

The new cloak of death between the two

يَشولُ اِبنُ اللَبونِ إِذا رَآني

يَشولُ اِبنُ اللَبونِ إِذا رَآني

وَيَخشاني الضُواضِيَةُ المُعيدُ

وَيَخشاني الضُواضِيَةُ المُعيدُ

The two-year-old camel raises its tail when it sees me,

Son of Laboon looks at me awry

and the huge, seasoned bull camel fears me.

And the fickle raiders fear me too

أَتوعِدُني الوِبارُ بَنو سُلَيمٍ

أَتوعِدُني الوِبارُ بَنو سُلَيمٍ

وَما تَحمي الوِبارُ وَلا تَصيدُ

وَما تَحمي الوِبارُ وَلا تَصيدُ

Do the hyraxes threaten me—the sons of Sulaym?

Do the hyenas, Bano Suleym, threaten me?

And the hyraxes neither defend nor hunt.

Hyenas neither protect nor hunt

وَما جَرَحَت يَدي بِبَني سُلَيمٍ

وَما جَرَحَت يَدي بِبَني سُلَيمٍ

وَلا شِعري فَيَهجوني الشَريدُ

وَلا شِعري فَيَهجوني الشَريدُ

And my hand has not wounded the sons of Sulaym,

My hand did no harm to Bano Suleym

nor has my verse, that the outcast should lampoon me.

Nor did my poetry, though the outcast raves

وَلَولا أَن أُخَشِّنَ صَدرَ مَعنٍ

وَلَولا أَن أُخَشِّنَ صَدرَ مَعنٍ

وَعُتبَةَ قامَ بِالحَرَمِ النَشيدُ

وَعُتبَةَ قامَ بِالحَرَمِ النَشيدُ

And were it not that I would vex the heart of Maʿn

If I didn't fear saddening Ma'n's heart

and ʿUtba, the chant would rise in the Sacred Precinct.

And noble Utbah standing guard at the inviolate house