أَرمى وَجَدِّكَ مِن رامي بَني ثُعَلٍ

أَرمى وَجَدِّكَ مِن رامي بَني ثُعَلٍ

حَتفٌ لَدَيهِ إِزاءُ الحَوضِ وَالعُقُرُ

حَتفٌ لَدَيهِ إِزاءُ الحَوضِ وَالعُقُرُ

A surer archer, by your fortune, than the archer of Banū Thuʿal

The skills of your archers, O tribe of Tha'labah,

is death; the trough’s inlet and rear both lie before it.

Are shields against which the water troughs and ewes huddle.

يَغشاهُمُ الكُرهُ في الدُنيا فَآدِبُهُم

يَغشاهُمُ الكُرهُ في الدُنيا فَآدِبُهُم

مِنهُ كَآدِبِ قَيسٍ لَيسَ يَنتَقِرُ

مِنهُ كَآدِبِ قَيسٍ لَيسَ يَنتَقِرُ

Hardship assails them in this world; the one who invites them

They attack the enemies with loathing in this life, so they discipline them,

to its feast is like Qays’s host: he invites without distinction.

Disciplining them as Qays disciplined those who would not make amends.

إِن عُوِّضوا بِذُنوبٍ أُسلِفَت سَقَراً

إِن عُوِّضوا بِذُنوبٍ أُسلِفَت سَقَراً

فَلَم تَرُمهُم عَلى عِلّاتِها سَقَرُ

فَلَم تَرُمهُم عَلى عِلّاتِها سَقَرُ

If they are repaid with Saqar for sins committed before,

If they are requited for sins which earned them Hellfire,

then Saqar, for all its afflictions, has not sought them out.

Hellfire does not pity them for their sins.

أَغناهُمُ اللَهُ مِن مالٍ وَأَفقَرَهُم

أَغناهُمُ اللَهُ مِن مالٍ وَأَفقَرَهُم

مِنَ الرَشادِ فَما اِستَغنَوا بَل اِفتَقَروا

مِنَ الرَشادِ فَما اِستَغنَوا بَل اِفتَقَروا

God enriched them with wealth and impoverished them

God enriched them with wealth but impoverished them

in right guidance; so they grew not rich, but poor.

Of guidance, so they did not become independent, but rather grew dependent.

وَيَحقِرونَ أَخا الإِعدامِ بَينَهُمُ

وَيَحقِرونَ أَخا الإِعدامِ بَينَهُمُ

وَإِنَّ أَفضَلَ مِنهُم لِلَّذي اِحتَقَروا

وَإِنَّ أَفضَلَ مِنهُم لِلَّذي اِحتَقَروا

And they despise the destitute man among them,

They look down on the brother of death among them,

yet the one they despised is surely better than they.

Yet the one they look down upon is better than them.

كَأَنَّما العَمرُ سِلكٌ مَدَّهُ قَدَرٌ

كَأَنَّما العَمرُ سِلكٌ مَدَّهُ قَدَرٌ

فيهِ الفَواقِرُ لا دُرٌّ وَلا فِقَرُ

فيهِ الفَواقِرُ لا دُرٌّ وَلا فِقَرُ

As though life were a thread stretched out by fate,

It is as if lifetime is a path which Fate has extended,

strung with calamities, neither pearls nor beads.

In which there are neither pearls nor poverty.

وَلاجَتِ النارُ كَالشَقراءِ يَحبِسُها

وَلاجَتِ النارُ كَالشَقراءِ يَحبِسُها

عَن مُهرِها القَيدُ وَهناً فَهيَ لا تَقِرُ

عَن مُهرِها القَيدُ وَهناً فَهيَ لا تَقِرُ

And the fire flared like a chestnut mare, held back

The fire burned fiercely like an unmarried woman

from her foal by a tether late at night, so she cannot settle.

Whom the fetters prevent from her bridewealth, and so she is not still.

بَدَت بِلَيلٍ كَعَينِ الديكِ عَن شَحطٍ

بَدَت بِلَيلٍ كَعَينِ الديكِ عَن شَحطٍ

أَو عُرفِهَ بِمَحَلٍّ دَونَهُ أُقَرُ

أَو عُرفِهَ بِمَحَلٍّ دَونَهُ أُقَرُ

It appeared at night, from afar, like a cock’s eye,

It appeared at night like the eye of a cock above the rubbish heap,

or its comb, at a spot beyond hollows.

Or like its crest in a place below which is a sheep pen.

يُعاقِرُ الراحَ شَربٌ حَولَها سُهُدٌ

يُعاقِرُ الراحَ شَربٌ حَولَها سُهُدٌ

تَروي التُرابَ نَجيعاً سُوقُ ما عَقَروا

تَروي التُرابَ نَجيعاً سُوقُ ما عَقَروا

A wakeful company of drinkers quaffs wine around it;

The wind makes the departing camels quake around it,

the shanks of the beasts they slaughtered drench the dust with blood.

Shedding tears copiously where they had camped.