فَإِن تَنجُ مِنها يا حَزيمَ بنَ طارِقٍ

فَإِن تَنجُ مِنها يا حَزيمَ بنَ طارِقٍ

فَقَد تَرَكَت ما خَلفَ ظَهرِكَ بَلقَعا

فَقَد تَرَكَت ما خَلفَ ظَهرِكَ بَلقَعا

So if you escape it, O Hazim son of Tariq,

If you survive it, O wise Hazima son of Tariq

then it has left everything behind you a barren waste.

Then you have left behind what was behind your back as ruins

وَنادى مُنادي الحَيِّ أَن قَد أُتيتُمُ

وَنادى مُنادي الحَيِّ أَن قَد أُتيتُمُ

وَقَد شَرِبَت ماءَ المَزادَةِ أَجمَعا

وَقَد شَرِبَت ماءَ المَزادَةِ أَجمَعا

And the clan’s herald cried, “You have been attacked!”

And the caller of the living called out that you have come

and she had drunk all the water in the waterskin.

And you all drank the water of al-Mazada to the last drop

وَقُلتُ لِكَأسٍ أَلجِميها فَإِنَّما

وَقُلتُ لِكَأسٍ أَلجِميها فَإِنَّما

نَزَلنا الكَثيبَ مِن زَرودَ لِنَفزَعا

نَزَلنا الكَثيبَ مِن زَرودَ لِنَفزَعا

And I said to Kaʾs, “Bridle her, for it was only

And I said to the cup “Calm it down” for we only

to answer the alarm that we camped on the dune at Zarud.”

Came down the hill from Zarud to take a rest

كَأَنَّ بِليتَيها وَبَلدَةِ نَحرِها

كَأَنَّ بِليتَيها وَبَلدَةِ نَحرِها

مِنَ النَّبلِ كُرَّاثَ الصَّريمِ المُنَزَّعا

مِنَ النَّبلِ كُرَّاثَ الصَّريمِ المُنَزَّعا

As though on both sides of her neck and the middle of her breast

As if its quiver and the pit of its throat

the arrows were uprooted leeks of al-Sarim.

Were from the arrows the outpouring torrent washed away

فَأَدرَكَ إِبقاءَ العَرادَةِ ظَلعُها

فَأَدرَكَ إِبقاءَ العَرادَةِ ظَلعُها

وَقَد جَعَلَتني مِن حَزيمَةَ إِصبَعا

وَقَد جَعَلَتني مِن حَزيمَةَ إِصبَعا

Then al-Aradah’s limp made her hold back,

But its surviving rib reached Ibqa’s ascent

though she had brought me within a finger’s breadth of Hazimah.

And it made of me, from Hazima, a finger

أَمَرتُكُمُ أَمري بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِّوى

أَمَرتُكُمُ أَمري بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِّوى

وَلا أَمرَ لِلمَعصِيِّ إِلّا مُضَيَّعا

وَلا أَمرَ لِلمَعصِيِّ إِلّا مُضَيَّعا

I gave you my counsel at the bend of al-Liwa,

I ordered you at the winding ascent of Liwa

but the counsel of one who is disobeyed only goes to waste.

And no order to the disobedient except to waste away

إِذا المَرءُ لَم يَغشَ الكَريهَةَ أَوشَكَت

إِذا المَرءُ لَم يَغشَ الكَريهَةَ أَوشَكَت

حِبالُ الهُوَينا بِالفَتى أَن تَقَطَّعا

حِبالُ الهُوَينا بِالفَتى أَن تَقَطَّعا

If a man does not face battle’s ordeal, soon

When a man does not cheat fate, soon

the cords of ease will snap beneath the young man.

The ropes of love will be cut off from the young man