أَتاني ما يَقولُ لي اِبنُ بُظرى

أَتاني ما يَقولُ لي اِبنُ بُظرى

أَقَيسٌ يا اِبنَ ثَعلَبَةِ الصَباحِ

أَقَيسٌ يا اِبنَ ثَعلَبَةِ الصَباحِ

What Ibn Buẓrā says to me has reached me:

The son of Buthra has said to me,

Is Qays, O son of Thaʿlaba al-Ṣabāḥ,

"Are you wise, O son of Tha'labah's dawn?"

لَعَبدانَ اِبنِ عاهِرَةٍ وَخِلطٍ

لَعَبدانَ اِبنِ عاهِرَةٍ وَخِلطٍ

رَجوفِ الأَصلِ مَدخولِ النَواحي

رَجوفِ الأَصلِ مَدخولِ النَواحي

of ʿAbdān, son of a harlot and a mongrel,

To a slave son of a whore and a scoundrel,

of shaky stock and tainted on every side?

Of unknown origin and diverse haunts.

لَقَد سَفَرَت بَنو عَبدانَ بَيناً

لَقَد سَفَرَت بَنو عَبدانَ بَيناً

فَما شَكَروا بِلَأمي وَالقِداحِ

فَما شَكَروا بِلَأمي وَالقِداحِ

The sons of ʿAbdān have indeed laid bare their estrangement;

Indeed the sons of 'Abdan have traveled far and wide

and they showed no gratitude for my armor and the arrows.

Yet they did not thank my mother or my drinking cups.

إِلَيكُم قَبلَ تَجهيزِ القَوافي

إِلَيكُم قَبلَ تَجهيزِ القَوافي

تَزورُ المُنجِدينَ مَعَ الرِياحِ

تَزورُ المُنجِدينَ مَعَ الرِياحِ

Away with you, before the rhymes are dispatched,

Before you finish composing verses,

to visit those in Najd with the winds.

Seek help from grammarians along with the winds.

فَما شَتمي بِسَنّوتٍ بِزُبدٍ

فَما شَتمي بِسَنّوتٍ بِزُبدٍ

وَلا عَسَلٍ تُصَفِّقُهُ بِراحِ

وَلا عَسَلٍ تُصَفِّقُهُ بِراحِ

So my invective is no honey with butter,

You have not insulted me for many years,

nor honey that you blend with wine,

Nor with honey that claps with wind.

وَلَكِن ماءُ عَلقَمَةٍ وَسَلعٍ

وَلَكِن ماءُ عَلقَمَةٍ وَسَلعٍ

يُخاضُ عَلَيهِ مِن عَلَقِ الذُباحِ

يُخاضُ عَلَيهِ مِن عَلَقِ الذُباحِ

but the juice of colocynth and salʿ,

But only the water of 'Alqamah and Sal'

stirred with the blood-like sap of dhubāḥ.

Churned from the coagulated blood of slaughter.

لَأُمُّكَ بِالهِجاءِ أَحَقُّ مِنّا

لَأُمُّكَ بِالهِجاءِ أَحَقُّ مِنّا

لِما أَبَلَتكَ مِن شَوطِ الفِضاحِ

لِما أَبَلَتكَ مِن شَوطِ الفِضاحِ

Your mother surely deserves satire more than we do,

In satire, your mother is more deserving than us

for the course of disgrace she has put you through.

For what she bore of excessive immorality.

أَلَسنا المانِعينَ إِذا فَزَعنا

أَلَسنا المانِعينَ إِذا فَزَعنا

وَزافَت فَيلَقٌ قَبلَ الصَباحِ

وَزافَت فَيلَقٌ قَبلَ الصَباحِ

Are we not the defenders, when we spring to arms,

Are we not the defenders when we are alarmed

and a battle host advances before dawn,

And regiments charge before dawn?

سَوامَ الحَيِّ حَتّى نَكتَفيهِ

سَوامَ الحَيِّ حَتّى نَكتَفيهِ

وَجودُ الخَيلِ تَعثُرُ في الرِماحِ

وَجودُ الخَيلِ تَعثُرُ في الرِماحِ

of the tribe’s grazing herds, until we have enough of them,

We exhaust the living fire

while noble steeds stumble among the spears?

While the generosity of horses stumbles into spears.

أَلَسنا المُقتَفينَ بِمَن أَتانا

أَلَسنا المُقتَفينَ بِمَن أَتانا

إِذا ما حارَدَت خورُ اللِقاحِ

إِذا ما حارَدَت خورُ اللِقاحِ

Are we not those who honor whoever comes to us,

Are we not the pursuers of those who came to us

when the rich-milking she-camels withhold their milk?

When the fertile valleys were violated?

أَلَسنا الفارِجينَ لِكُلِّ كَربٍ

أَلَسنا الفارِجينَ لِكُلِّ كَربٍ

إِذا ما غُصَّ بِالماءِ القَراحِ

إِذا ما غُصَّ بِالماءِ القَراحِ

Are we not those who relieve every distress,

Are we not the relief for every affliction

when one chokes on pure water?

When water is scarce in the pond?

أَلَسنا نَحنُ أَكرَمَ إِن نُسِبنا

أَلَسنا نَحنُ أَكرَمَ إِن نُسِبنا

وَأَضرَبَ بِالمُهَنَّدَةِ الصَفاحِ

وَأَضرَبَ بِالمُهَنَّدَةِ الصَفاحِ

Are we not ourselves nobler, if our lineage is traced,

Are we not the most honorable when tracing ancestry

and harder-striking with broad Indian-steel swords?

And the purest that strikes with Indian swords?