وَحيٍّ مِن بَني جُشَمِ بْنِ بَكرٍ

وَحيٍّ مِن بَني جُشَمِ بْنِ بَكرٍ

يُزيرونَ القَنا ثُغَرَ الأَعادي

يُزيرونَ القَنا ثُغَرَ الأَعادي

And a clan of the sons of Jusham ibn Bakr,

A vision from the sons of Jusham son of Bakr

who make their spears visit the hollows of their foes’ throats.

They watch over Qina, the threshold of enemies

إِذا نَزلوا الحِمَى مِن أَرض نجدٍ

إِذا نَزلوا الحِمَى مِن أَرض نجدٍ

كَفَوهُ تَرَقُّبَ الدِّيَمِ الغَوادي

كَفَوهُ تَرَقُّبَ الدِّيَمِ الغَوادي

When they settle in the protected pasture of Najd,

When they descend to protect Himyar from the land of Najd

they spare it waiting for the steady morning rains.

Its anticipation suffices to guard the permanent dwellings

أَعاريبٌ إِذا غَضِبوا تَروَّتْ

أَعاريبٌ إِذا غَضِبوا تَروَّتْ

دَماً سَرِباً أَنابيبُ الصِّعادِ

دَماً سَرِباً أَنابيبُ الصِّعادِ

Bedouins—when they rage, drenched

Arabs, when they get angry, blood pours

in streaming blood are the shafts of their straight spears.

Coppiously from the veins of warriors

لَهم أَيدٍ تَشُدُّ عُرا عُلاهُم

لَهم أَيدٍ تَشُدُّ عُرا عُلاهُم

بِأَطرافِ المُهَنَّدَةِ الحِدادِ

بِأَطرافِ المُهَنَّدَةِ الحِدادِ

They have hands that tighten the bonds of their greatness

They have hands that tighten the reins of their steeds

with the points of sharp Indian-steel swords.

With the edges of decorated iron

وأَعناقٌ بِها صَيَدٌ قَديمٌ

وأَعناقٌ بِها صَيَدٌ قَديمٌ

تُواري العِزَّ بِاللَّمَمِ الجِعادِ

تُواري العِزَّ بِاللَّمَمِ الجِعادِ

And necks stiff with age-old pride,

And necks on which is an old hunt

that veil their glory beneath curly locks.

Hiding glory with excellent mounts

وَلَو جاوَرتهم لَنُشِغْتَ كِبراً

وَلَو جاوَرتهم لَنُشِغْتَ كِبراً

يُخَيِّمُ بَينَ جيدِكَ وَالنِّجادِ

يُخَيِّمُ بَينَ جيدِكَ وَالنِّجادِ

And were you to dwell beside them, you would surely be force-fed pride

And if you lived next to them you would be burdened

that encamps between your neck and your sword-strap.

Brooding between your neck and achievement

إِذا ما جَفَّ ظَهرُ الأَرضِ مَحلاً

إِذا ما جَفَّ ظَهرُ الأَرضِ مَحلاً

فَهُم أَندى البَريَّةِ بَطنَ وادِ

فَهُم أَندى البَريَّةِ بَطنَ وادِ

Whenever the earth’s back dries up from drought,

When the back of the earth dries up

theirs is the moistest valley-bed in all creation.

They are the most verdant of the lands, valley and plateau

وَفيهم كُلُّ واضِحَةِ المُحَيّا

وَفيهم كُلُّ واضِحَةِ المُحَيّا

كأَنَّ وِشاحَها قَلِقاً وِسادي

كأَنَّ وِشاحَها قَلِقاً وِسادي

And among them is every radiant-faced woman,

And among them are all distinctly beautiful

as though her restless girdle were my pillow.

As if their face veil is restless and a pillow

وَلَولا عَتبُها اِنتَعَلَتْ نَجيعاً

وَلَولا عَتبُها اِنتَعَلَتْ نَجيعاً

إِلى حَضَنٍ حوافرُ مِن جيادي

إِلى حَضَنٍ حوافرُ مِن جيادي

And but for her reproach, they would have worn fresh blood as shoes—

And were it not for her criticism, she would have ridden

the hooves of my steeds, all the way to Hadan.

To the lap whose hooves are from thoroughbred horses

نأتْ فكأَنَّ أَجفاني طَوَتها

نأتْ فكأَنَّ أَجفاني طَوَتها

تباريحُ الهمومِ على قَتادِ

تباريحُ الهمومِ على قَتادِ

She has gone far away; it is as though my eyelids were folded

She came so it seemed my eyelids scolded me

by the torments of sorrow over a thorny qatad bush.

The passages of worries upon the crown

وَبَينَ عُقودِها وَالقُرطِ بُعدٌ

وَبَينَ عُقودِها وَالقُرطِ بُعدٌ

حكى ما بَينَهُنَّ مِنَ البِعادِ

حكى ما بَينَهُنَّ مِنَ البِعادِ

And between her necklaces and her earring lies a distance

And between her necklaces and earrings is a distance

that mirrors the separation between them.

That describes what is between them of separation

أَغصُّ العَينَ بالعَبَراتِ وَجداً

أَغصُّ العَينَ بالعَبَراتِ وَجداً

لأَنّي بِالهَوى شَرِقُ الفؤادِ

لأَنّي بِالهَوى شَرِقُ الفؤادِ

I choke my eye with tears of longing,

I choke my eyes with tears of passion

for my heart is choking on love.

For I am lovesick and brokenhearted