أَقسَمتُ لا أَنفَكُّ أُهدي قَصيدَةً

أَقسَمتُ لا أَنفَكُّ أُهدي قَصيدَةً

لِصَخرٍ أَخي المِفضالِ في كُلِّ مَجمَعِ

لِصَخرٍ أَخي المِفضالِ في كُلِّ مَجمَعِ

I swore never to cease offering a poem

I swore I would not cease to dedicate a poem

To Sakhr, my generous brother, at every gathering.

To my brother Mifdhal's rock at every assembly

فَدَتكَ سُلَيمٌ كَهلُها وَغُلامُها

فَدَتكَ سُلَيمٌ كَهلُها وَغُلامُها

وَجُدَّعَ مِنها كُلُّ أَنفٍ وَمِسمَعِ

وَجُدَّعَ مِنها كُلُّ أَنفٍ وَمِسمَعِ

May Sulaym be your ransom—its mature men and its youths—

So for your sake Sulaym offered up her old man and her young

And may every nose and ear among them be cut off.

And from her every nose and ear was docked