سائِل بِالهُذَيلِ وَما يُلاقي

سائِل بِالهُذَيلِ وَما يُلاقي

عَلى الحَدَثانِ مِن بَعثِ الحُروبِ

عَلى الحَدَثانِ مِن بَعثِ الحُروبِ

Ask about al-Hudhayl and what he faces

The questioner with reproach and what he meets

Amid time’s vicissitudes, from the stirring of wars.

On the youths from the arising of wars

وَعَتّاباً فَلا تَنسى وَعَمرواً

وَعَتّاباً فَلا تَنسى وَعَمرواً

وَأَربابَ الزَميلِ بَني الرَقوبِ

وَأَربابَ الزَميلِ بَني الرَقوبِ

And ʿAttab—do not forget—and ʿAmr,

And censurer so do not forget Amr

And the masters of al-Zamil, the sons of al-Raqub.

And the lords of the confederation, the sons of Raqub

أَلَم نَفتِقهُمُ بِالبِشرِ طَعناً

أَلَم نَفتِقهُمُ بِالبِشرِ طَعناً

وَضَرباً مِثلَ تَشقيقِ الضَروبِ

وَضَرباً مِثلَ تَشقيقِ الضَروبِ

Did we not rip them open at al-Bishr with spear-thrusts,

Did we not rip them open with the spear as a stab

And with blows like the splitting of honeycombs?

And a blow like the splitting of clubs

نُساقيهِم بِها حَتّى تُمَلّوا

نُساقيهِم بِها حَتّى تُمَلّوا

ذَنوباً بَعدَ تَفريغِ الذَنوبِ

ذَنوباً بَعدَ تَفريغِ الذَنوبِ

We ply them with it until you are wearied,

We lead them to drink it until they are filled

A bucketful after each bucket is emptied.

With sins after the emptying of sins

وَلَيلى قَد سَبَيناها جِهاراً

وَلَيلى قَد سَبَيناها جِهاراً

وَأَروى بِنتَ موذِنَ في ضُروبِ

وَأَروى بِنتَ موذِنَ في ضُروبِ

And Layla—we took her captive openly,

And Layla we have openly captured her

And Arwa, daughter of Mudhin, at Durub.

And I gave to drink the daughter of the mu'adhin in attacks

وَرَيحانُ الهَذيلِ قَدِ اِصطَفَينا

وَرَيحانُ الهَذيلِ قَدِ اِصطَفَينا

وَقُلنا دونَكُم عَلقَ الذَنوبِ

وَقُلنا دونَكُم عَلقَ الذَنوبِ

And al-Hudhayl’s Rayhan we chose for ourselves,

And the basil of Hudhayl we have chosen

And we said: “Take the bucket’s rope!”

And we said without you the crimes stick