ألا عَللاني كُلُّ حَيٍّ مُعَلَّلُ

ألا عَللاني كُلُّ حَيٍّ مُعَلَّلُ

ولا تَعِداني الشَّرَّ والخَيرُ مُقبِلُ

ولا تَعِداني الشَّرَّ والخَيرُ مُقبِلُ

Come, console me, you two; every living soul is consoled.

Alas! Every living being is afflicted

And do not promise me evil, you two, while good is coming.

And neither good nor evil promise me they'll come

فانكما لا تَدريان أما مضَى

فانكما لا تَدريان أما مضَى

مِن الدَّهرِ أو ما قَد تأخَّرَ أَطوَلُ

مِن الدَّهرِ أو ما قَد تأخَّرَ أَطوَلُ

For you two do not know whether what has passed

You know not what of time has passed

Of time, or what still lies ahead, is longer.

Or what prolonged remains to come

وما لِلفتى مَالٌ إذا مَرَّ نَعشُهُ

وما لِلفتى مَالٌ إذا مَرَّ نَعشُهُ

على عَمَدٍ فَوقَ المناكِبِ يُحمَلُ

على عَمَدٍ فَوقَ المناكِبِ يُحمَلُ

And a young man has no wealth when his bier passes,

A youth owns no wealth when his bier

Carried on poles above the shoulders.

Is carried on poles across shoulders borne

أحاديثُ عَن عادٍ وجُرهُمَ جمَّّةٌ

أحاديثُ عَن عادٍ وجُرهُمَ جمَّّةٌ

يُثوِّرُها العِضّان زَيدٌ ودَغفَلُ

يُثوِّرُها العِضّان زَيدٌ ودَغفَلُ

Many are the tales of ʿAd and Jurhum,

Tales of ‘Aad and their throng in multitude

Stirred up by the two shrewd men, Zayd and Daghfal.

Stirred up by Zayd and Daghfal so headstrong

لنا لَيلَةٌ منها بعَيساءَ اسهُمٍ

لنا لَيلَةٌ منها بعَيساءَ اسهُمٍ

وليلتُنا بالجدّ أصبى وأجهَلُ

وليلتُنا بالجدّ أصبى وأجهَلُ

One such night was ours at ʿAysāʾ of As-hum;

We have a night with them at Bu‘aytha’s valley

And our night at al-Jadd was more amorous and more foolish.

And our night in battle is more bleak and long

ولما عَرَفنَ الجدَّ جدَّ ابنِ ملقَطٍ

ولما عَرَفنَ الجدَّ جدَّ ابنِ ملقَطٍ

عَدَلنَ له وانصاعَ مِنهُنَّ أَوَّلُ

عَدَلنَ له وانصاعَ مِنهُنَّ أَوَّلُ

And when they recognized al-Jadd, Ibn Malqat's well,

When they knew battle was in earnest

They turned toward it, and the first of them sped ahead.

Ibn Mulaqit's kin acquiesced and were among the first

وَقَعنَ وقوعَ الموحشِ المبتغي القِرى

وَقَعنَ وقوعَ الموحشِ المبتغي القِرى

به لعدادٍ حُسَّرَاً مايُظل

به لعدادٍ حُسَّرَاً مايُظل

They alighted like a lonely stranger seeking hospitality,

To fall like the lonesome seeking pasture

There, for a reckoning, exhausted, with no shade [wording unclear].

With charges against the houses they besiege

فَظَلَّ يَرُدُّ الحائماتِ ابنُ ملقَطِ

فَظَلَّ يَرُدُّ الحائماتِ ابنُ ملقَطِ

وناداهم غُضفَ الجمامِ تَرَحَّلوا

وناداهم غُضفَ الجمامِ تَرَحَّلوا

So Ibn Malqat kept driving back those circling for water,

Ibn Mulqat kept repealing the protectors

And called to them: 'You with drooping locks, move on!'

And the war cries of their army told them: “Move on!”

وقالوا صَرانا اليومَ عَينٌ بَكيَّةٌ

وقالوا صَرانا اليومَ عَينٌ بَكيَّةٌ

وكذّانة صاقورُها يَتَفَلَّلُ

وكذّانة صاقورُها يَتَفَلَّلُ

And they said: 'A weeping spring held us back today,

They said: “Today a weeping eye has afflicted us

And stony ground that blunts the pickaxe used on it.'

And Kuthayyir's hawk with twisted anklets.”

يَلُذنَ باعقارِ الحياضِ كأنها

يَلُذنَ باعقارِ الحياضِ كأنها

نساءُ النَّصارى أَصبَحَت وَهيَ كُفَّلُ

نساءُ النَّصارى أَصبَحَت وَهيَ كُفَّلُ

They seek refuge at the backs of the watering troughs, as though they were

Taking delight in meadow’s nectar as though

Christian women at daybreak, wrapped in cloaks.

Christian women ‘neath their mantillas at dawn