أَتَشتُمُ أَزدَ القَريَتَينِ وَطَيِّئاً

أَتَشتُمُ أَزدَ القَريَتَينِ وَطَيِّئاً

لَقَد رُمتَ أَمراً كاَ غَيرَ مَرومِ

لَقَد رُمتَ أَمراً كاَ غَيرَ مَرومِ

Do you revile the Azd of the two towns and Tayyiʾ?

You insult Azd and the two tribes of Tay

You have indeed sought something [that was] beyond attainment.

You have embarked on something never attempted before

وَإِن تَهجُ عُليا طَيِّئٍ تَلقَ طَيِّئاً

وَإِن تَهجُ عُليا طَيِّئٍ تَلقَ طَيِّئاً

إِلَيها تَناهى نَعتُ كُلَّ كَريمِ

إِلَيها تَناهى نَعتُ كُلَّ كَريمِ

And if you lampoon the nobility of Tayyiʾ, you will find Tayyiʾ—

And if you revile the eminent Uliyy of Tayy

in whom the qualities of every noble man reach their height.

To them this reputation reaches every generous man

بِهِم مَثَلُ الناسِ الَّذي تَعرِفونَهُ

بِهِم مَثَلُ الناسِ الَّذي تَعرِفونَهُ

وَأَهلِ الوَفاءِ مِن حادِثٍ وَقَديمِ

وَأَهلِ الوَفاءِ مِن حادِثٍ وَقَديمِ

Among them is the exemplar of men whom you know,

In them is the example of people you know

and men of loyalty, of recent times and old.

And the people of loyalty, old and new

وَأَنتَ عَلى الجيرانِ قُنفُذُ تَلعَةٍ

وَأَنتَ عَلى الجيرانِ قُنفُذُ تَلعَةٍ

أَزومٌ عَلى السَوءاتِ وَاِبنُ أَزومِ

أَزومٌ عَلى السَوءاتِ وَاِبنُ أَزومِ

To your neighbors you are a hedgehog of a ravine,

While you are to the neighbors a pesky weasel

clinging fast to shameful deeds, and son of one who clings.

Accursed in evil, and son of accursed

إِذا خافَ وارى أَنفَهُ مِن عَدُوِّهِ

إِذا خافَ وارى أَنفَهُ مِن عَدُوِّهِ

وَإِن لَم يَخَفهُ باتَ غَيرَ نَؤومِ

وَإِن لَم يَخَفهُ باتَ غَيرَ نَؤومِ

When frightened, it hides its nose from its enemy;

When he fears, he hides his snout from his enemies

and if it does not fear him, it passes the night wakeful.

And if he does not fear them, he spends the night restless

لَنا اليَمَنُ الخَضراءُ وَالشَرقُ كُلُّهُ

لَنا اليَمَنُ الخَضراءُ وَالشَرقُ كُلُّهُ

وَأَحساءُ أُبلى يا اِبنَ قَينِ تَميمِ

وَأَحساءُ أُبلى يا اِبنَ قَينِ تَميمِ

Ours are verdant Yemen and all the East,

For us is verdant Yemen and all of the East

and the sandy waterholes of Ubla, O son of Tamim’s smith.

And fertile Ahsa, O son of Qain of Tamim

لَنا مَعقِلا نَجدٍ عَلى الناسِ كُلِّهِم

لَنا مَعقِلا نَجدٍ عَلى الناسِ كُلِّهِم

وَنَحنُ بِنَجدٍ حِرزُ كُلِّ مَضيمِ

وَنَحنُ بِنَجدٍ حِرزُ كُلِّ مَضيمِ

Ours, above all men, are Najd’s two strongholds;

For us is the fortress of Najd over all people

and in Najd we are a refuge for every wronged man.

And we in Najd are the refuge of all the oppressed

تُضَيِّعُ عُقرَ الجِعثِنِ اِبنَةِ غالِبٍ

تُضَيِّعُ عُقرَ الجِعثِنِ اِبنَةِ غالِبٍ

وَتَبكي لِقَتلى مَنقَرٍ وَصَريمِ

وَتَبكي لِقَتلى مَنقَرٍ وَصَريمِ

You neglect the compensation for the violation of al-Jiʿthin, Ghalib’s daughter,

You squander the sanctuary of the daughter of Ghalib

and weep for the slain of Manqar and Sarim.

And cry for the dead of Manqar and Sarim

وَتَبكي عَلى أَصحابِ لَيلَةِ جِعثِنٍ

وَتَبكي عَلى أَصحابِ لَيلَةِ جِعثِنٍ

بُكاءَ اِمرِئٍ لِلمُخزِياتِ رَؤومِ

بُكاءَ اِمرِئٍ لِلمُخزِياتِ رَؤومِ

And you weep for the companions of Jiʿthin’s night,

And cry for the companions of the night of Jithn

the weeping of a man tenderly attached to shameful deeds.

The crying of a man grieving over disgraces

وَما أَنتَ إِن قَرما أُمَيَّةَ أَجهَدا

وَما أَنتَ إِن قَرما أُمَيَّةَ أَجهَدا

نُجوماً مِنَ الأَزدَينِ بَعدَ نُجومِ

نُجوماً مِنَ الأَزدَينِ بَعدَ نُجومِ

And what are you, if Umayya’s two chiefs wore down

You are not, if Qurma exhausts Umayya

stars of the two Azd tribes, star after star?

Stars of the two Azds after the stars

بِذي العَرشِ نالَتهُم أُمَيَّةُ بَعدَما

بِذي العَرشِ نالَتهُم أُمَيَّةُ بَعدَما

مَنَحتُم رِماحَ الأَزدِ كُلَّ حَريمِ

مَنَحتُم رِماحَ الأَزدِ كُلَّ حَريمِ

By the Lord of the Throne, Umayya overcame them, after

By the Owner of the Throne, Umayya took them after

you had yielded all you held inviolate to Azd’s spears.

You gave the spears of Azd every inviolable thing

أَبَعدَ غَداةِ الأَزدِ تَطمَعُ أَن تَرى

أَبَعدَ غَداةِ الأَزدِ تَطمَعُ أَن تَرى

لِقَومِكَ يَوماً ثَمَّ غَيرَ ذِميمِ

لِقَومِكَ يَوماً ثَمَّ غَيرَ ذِميمِ

After Azd’s morning, do you hope to see

Do you hope after the morning of Azd to see

a day for your people there that is not disgraceful?

For your people a day, then other than disgraceful?

فَإِن لا تَمُت حَتّى تَحُكَّ عَصاعِصاً

فَإِن لا تَمُت حَتّى تَحُكَّ عَصاعِصاً

نَدِن مِثلَها في عُقرِ دارِ تَميمِ

نَدِن مِثلَها في عُقرِ دارِ تَميمِ

So if you do not die before you rub tailbones,

If you do not die until you rub sticks together

we shall repay in kind in the heart of Tamim’s land.

We will rub the likes of them in the homes of Tamim

وَقَد أَلجَأَتكَ الأَزدُ يَومَ لَقيتَها

وَقَد أَلجَأَتكَ الأَزدُ يَومَ لَقيتَها

إِلى حَسَبٍ يا اِبنَ القُيونِ لَئيمِ

إِلى حَسَبٍ يا اِبنَ القُيونِ لَئيمِ

And Azd drove you, the day you encountered them,

And Azd made you take refuge, the day you met them

to an ignoble lineage, O son of smiths.

To a lineage, O son of mean hyenas

فَإِن تَميمِيّاً يُسامي بِقَومِهِ

فَإِن تَميمِيّاً يُسامي بِقَومِهِ

جَماجِمَ مِن قَحطانَ غَيرُ حَليمِ

جَماجِمَ مِن قَحطانَ غَيرُ حَليمِ

For a Tamimi who, with his people, vies in greatness

If a Tamimi prides himself on his people

with the mighty heads of Qahtan is no wise man.

Heads of those from Qahtan, other than forbearing

وَلَو نَفَحَتكُم ريحُ قَحطانَ نَفحَةً

وَلَو نَفَحَتكُم ريحُ قَحطانَ نَفحَةً

بِنَكباءَ عَن وَجهِ الرِياحِ عَقيمِ

بِنَكباءَ عَن وَجهِ الرِياحِ عَقيمِ

And were Qahtan’s wind to strike you with one blast

And if the wind of Qahtan blew on you a gust

of a barren crosswind, veering from the winds’ course,

With necks turned away from the face of barren winds

لَقُلتَ أَلا يا لَيتَ سَعداً وَمالِكاً

لَقُلتَ أَلا يا لَيتَ سَعداً وَمالِكاً

قَذىً بِاِستِ شَيطانٍ أَصَمَّ رَجيمِ

قَذىً بِاِستِ شَيطانٍ أَصَمَّ رَجيمِ

you would surely say: “Ah, if only Saʿd and Malik

You would say, oh if only Sa’d and Malik

were grit in the anus of a deaf, accursed devil!”

Were foreskins cut by the hand of a deaf accursed devil

أَغَضَّت عَلَيكَ الشامَ قَحطانُ بِالقَنا

أَغَضَّت عَلَيكَ الشامَ قَحطانُ بِالقَنا

بِأَقطارِها عَن ظاعِنٍ وَمُقيمِ

بِأَقطارِها عَن ظاعِنٍ وَمُقيمِ

Qahtan has barred Syria to you with spears,

Qahtan veiled Sham from you with the spear

throughout its reaches, barring traveler and resident alike.

In its regions, resident and transient

فَإِن تَكُ خَيرَ اِبنَي مَناةَ كِلَيهِماً

فَإِن تَكُ خَيرَ اِبنَي مَناةَ كِلَيهِماً

فَأَلأَمُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ خَيرُ تَميمِ

فَأَلأَمُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ خَيرُ تَميمِ

So if you are the better of both sons of Manat,

If you are the best of the two sons of Manah, both wretched

then Tamim’s best is the vilest man on earth.

Then I am the finest of people, the best of Tamim