ألا بَكَرَت مَيِّ بغيرِ سَفاهَةٍ

ألا بَكَرَت مَيِّ بغيرِ سَفاهَةٍ

تعاتِبُ والمودودُ يَنفَعُه العَزرُ

تعاتِبُ والمودودُ يَنفَعُه العَزرُ

Lo, Mayy came early, without foolishness,

Oh, the wine was not frivolously poured,

reproaching me; the beloved benefits from rebuke.

Reproaching while the beloved benefits from blaming.

فَقُلتُ لها إنّي بحلمِكِ واثِقٌ

فَقُلتُ لها إنّي بحلمِكِ واثِقٌ

وغنَّ سوى ما تأمرينَ هُوَ الآمرُ

وغنَّ سوى ما تأمرينَ هُوَ الآمرُ

So I told her: I trust your forbearance,

So I said to her: I am confident in your forbearance,

yet what commands me is other than what you command.

And anything other than your command is the commander.

وتَرعِيَّةٍ لم يَدرِ ما الخمرُ قبلَنا

وتَرعِيَّةٍ لم يَدرِ ما الخمرُ قبلَنا

سقيناهُ حتى صارَ قيداً له السُّكرُ

سقيناهُ حتى صارَ قيداً له السُّكرُ

And many a shepherd who had not known wine before us,

And a ward whom wine had not known before us-

we gave drink until drunkenness became his fetter.

We made him drink until drunkenness became his shackle.

فثمَّ كفيناهُ البَدادَ ولم نكُن

فثمَّ كفيناهُ البَدادَ ولم نكُن

لننكدَهُ عما يَضِنُّ به الصَّدرُ

لننكدَهُ عما يَضِنُّ به الصَّدرُ

There we covered his share of the cost, and we would not

Then we stopped supplying him with wine, for we were not

deprive him of what his breast held dear.

Going to burden him with what pains the breast.

وَظلَّ الى أن باتَ عندي بنعمةٍ

وَظلَّ الى أن باتَ عندي بنعمةٍ

الى أن غدا لا لومَ أهلي ولا خَمرُ

الى أن غدا لا لومَ أهلي ولا خَمرُ

And he stayed until he spent the night with me in comfort,

He stayed with me in comfort until he slept,

until he set out at dawn—no blame from my kin, and no wine left.

Until morning came with no blame from my family or wine.

غطاريفُ يَدعون الكريمَ أخاهم

غطاريفُ يَدعون الكريمَ أخاهم

وإن لم يكن فيهم له مِنهُمُ صَهرُ

وإن لم يكن فيهم له مِنهُمُ صَهرُ

Noble chiefs call the generous man their brother,

Noblemen who call the generous man their brother

even if he has no kinsman by marriage among them.

Even if he has no marital bond to connect them.

وتغلِبُ حَيَّ وَرَّثَ المجدَ وائلاً

وتغلِبُ حَيَّ وَرَّثَ المجدَ وائلاً

مَراسِلُها حُشدٌ مرافِدُها غُزرُ

مَراسِلُها حُشدٌ مرافِدُها غُزرُ

And Taghlib is a tribe that bequeathed glory to Wa'il;

Life triumphs and bequeaths glory to Wael

its milk-giving camels yield richly, and its bounty is abundant.

Whose lineage has flowing tributaries.

دَعوا النَمرَ لا تثنوا عليهم خِنايَةً

دَعوا النَمرَ لا تثنوا عليهم خِنايَةً

فقد أحسنت فيما خلا بينَنا النَمرُ

فقد أحسنت فيما خلا بينَنا النَمرُ

Leave al-Namir alone; speak no abuse against them,

Leave the leopard be! Do not denounce him slanderously

for al-Namir treated us well in times gone by.

For the leopard has been good in what was between us.

وكنا كما كانوان إذا نَزَلت بهم

وكنا كما كانوان إذا نَزَلت بهم

من المُعضلاتِ لا عَوانٌ ولا بِكرُ

من المُعضلاتِ لا عَوانٌ ولا بِكرُ

And we were as they were whenever there befell them

We were as the two tribes were whenever

grievous trials—none, seasoned or virgin, [went unanswered].

Hardships that had no helpers or camels befell them.

وكنا إذا نابَت من الدَّهرِ نوبةٌ

وكنا إذا نابَت من الدَّهرِ نوبةٌ

كفتها الهوادي من بني جُشَمَ الزهرُ

كفتها الهوادي من بني جُشَمَ الزهرُ

And whenever a calamity from Time befell us,

And we were, whenever fate brought about a calamity

the radiant vanguard of Banu Jusham warded it off.

The valleys of Bani Jusham al-Zahar held it back.

ألم تَرَ همّاماً فتى تغلِب الذي

ألم تَرَ همّاماً فتى تغلِب الذي

تعاورُه الأيامُ واضطَرَّهُ الدَّهرُ

تعاورُه الأيامُ واضطَرَّهُ الدَّهرُ

Have you not seen Hammam, Taghlib's young champion,

Did you not see Hammaam, the young knight of Taghlib

whom the days assail in turn, and Time has driven into hardship?

Whom the days contend with and time has constrained,

بنى بَينَ حَيَّي وائِلٍ بصنيعةٍ

بنى بَينَ حَيَّي وائِلٍ بصنيعةٍ

فلا تغلِبٌ لامَت أخاها ولا بَكرُ

فلا تغلِبٌ لامَت أخاها ولا بَكرُ

Through a kindly deed he built a bond between Wa'il's two tribes,

Who built between the two tribes of Wael with a feat

so neither Taghlib nor Bakr blamed its brother.

So glorious that Taghlib acknowledged its brother and Bakr submitted?

لَعَمرُ أبي أمِّ الأراقم إنها

لَعَمرُ أبي أمِّ الأراقم إنها

لَغرّاءُ مذكارٌ تجنُّبُها النَّززُ

لَغرّاءُ مذكارٌ تجنُّبُها النَّززُ

By the life of the father of al-Araqim's mother, it is

By the life of Umm Al-Arajam's father, it

a glorious, male-bearing one, which the flighty shun.

Is unassailable, protected, avoiding weak points!

ولو ثَوَّبَ الدّاعي بشَيبانَ زَعزَعَت

ولو ثَوَّبَ الدّاعي بشَيبانَ زَعزَعَت

رماحٌ وجَاشَت من جوانِبِها القِدرُ

رماحٌ وجَاشَت من جوانِبِها القِدرُ

And if the summoner cried out to Shayban, there would shake

And if the caller to war roused it with grey hair,

spears, and the cauldron would boil up along its sides—

Spears would clash and cauldrons bubble over from its sides.

لَجِيميةٌ خرساءُ أو ثعلبيَّةٌ

لَجِيميةٌ خرساءُ أو ثعلبيَّةٌ

يُحشنَ حُمَيَّاها المساعِرةُ الزَهرُ

يُحشنَ حُمَيَّاها المساعِرةُ الزَهرُ

a mute Lujaymi one, or a Tha'labi one,

It is an invincible, speechless she-camel, or a skilled doe

whose raging heat the radiant fire-kindlers stoke.

Whose guardians are the bright-eyed Zahir.

هُمُ يَومَ ذي قارٍ اناخوا وجالَدوا

هُمُ يَومَ ذي قارٍ اناخوا وجالَدوا

كتائبَ كسرى بعد ما وَقَد الجَمرُ

كتائبَ كسرى بعد ما وَقَد الجَمرُ

On the day of Dhi Qar, they made their camels kneel and fought

They on the day of Dhi Qar lined up and battled

Kisra's battalions after the embers had blazed.

The regiments of Chosroes after the live coals burned.

وظلت بناتُ الحُصنِ بالمِسكِ تطّلي

وظلت بناتُ الحُصنِ بالمِسكِ تطّلي

اليهم وقد طابَت بأيدِيهِمُ الخَمرُ

اليهم وقد طابَت بأيدِيهِمُ الخَمرُ

And the fortress's daughters kept anointing themselves with musk,

The fortress maidens with musk continued perfuming themselves

for them, while the wine had grown sweet in their hands.

For them, and in their hands the wine was refined.