أَلاAh ياO اِسلَميbe safe حُيِّيتِmay you be greeted أُختَsister بَنيsons of بَكرِBakr
أَلا يا اِسلَمي حُيِّيتِ أُختَ بَني بَكرِ
تَحِيَّةَthe greeting of مَنone who صَلّىscorched فُؤادَكِyour heart بِالجَمرِwith embers
تَحِيَّةَ مَن صَلّى فُؤادَكِ بِالجَمرِ
Ah, be safe—greetings to you, sister of Banu Bakr—
Be greeted, O Muslim woman of the clan of Bakr
the greeting of one who scorched your heart with embers,
With the regards of one whose heart was seared by embers
بِآيَةِby the token of ماwhat لاقَيتِyou endured مِنof كُلِّevery حَسرَةٍanguish
بِآيَةِ ما لاقَيتِ مِن كُلِّ حَسرَةٍ
وَماand what قَدalready أَذَقناكِwe made you taste الهَوانَhumiliation عَلىin صُغرِabasement
وَما قَد أَذَقناكِ الهَوانَ عَلى صُغرِ
as witnessed by every anguish you have endured,
By the sign of all the sorrow you have known
and the humiliation we have already made you taste in abasement.
And the disgrace we made you suffer in your youth
فَكائِنso how many رَأَيتِyou saw مِنof حَميمٍa dear kinsman تَجُرُّهُdrag him
فَكائِن رَأَيتِ مِن حَميمٍ تَجُرُّهُ
صُدورُthe points of العَواليlong spears وَالجِيادُand the steeds بِناbearing us تَجريrace
صُدورُ العَوالي وَالجِيادُ بِنا تَجري
And how many a dear kinsman you have seen dragged
Whatever sincere affection you have seen
by the points of long spears, as the steeds raced carrying us!
Whose ardour the resolute souls and steeds with us felt
وَماand why ذِكرُهُhis mentioning بِكرِيَّةًa woman of Bakr جُشَمِيَّةًof Jusham
وَما ذِكرُهُ بِكرِيَّةً جُشَمِيَّةً
بِدارِin the abode of ذَويthose possessing الأَوتارِblood-feuds وَالأَعيُنِand eyes الخُزرِsidelong in hostility
بِدارِ ذَوي الأَوتارِ وَالأَعيُنِ الخُزرِ
And why does he mention a woman of Bakr and Jusham
Whenever it was recalled with pride, boastfully
in the abode of men with blood-feuds and hostile sidelong eyes?
In the abode of the stringed instrument and the green eyes
فَلَنso will not تَشرَبيyou drink إِلّاexcept بِرَنقٍwith murkiness وَلَنand will not تَرَيyou see
فَلَن تَشرَبي إِلّا بِرَنقٍ وَلَن تَرَي
سَواماًgrazing herds وَحَيّاًand a clan بِالقُصَيبَةِat al-Qusaybah فَالبِشرِthen al-Bishr
سَواماً وَحَيّاً بِالقُصَيبَةِ فَالبِشرِ
So you will drink only murky water, and you will not see
You shall drink only from a goblet, and you shall see
grazing herds or a clan at al-Qusaybah or al-Bishr.
No plain water or milk in the drinking bowl, so rejoice
أَباO father of مالِكٍMalik لاdo not تَنطُقِyou utter الشِعرَpoetry بَعدَهاafter it
أَبا مالِكٍ لا تَنطُقِ الشِعرَ بَعدَها
وَأَعطِand give القِيادَthe reins القائِدينَthose who lead عَلىin كَسرِbrokenness
وَأَعطِ القِيادَ القائِدينَ عَلى كَسرِ
O Abu Malik, utter no poetry after this,
O Abā Mālik, do not recite poetry after this
and, broken, yield the reins to those who lead.
And give the leadership to the two victorious commanders
فَلَنfor it will not يَنشُرَraise to life المَوتىthe dead وَلَنand will not يُذهِبَremove الجِزىtribute payments
فَلَن يَنشُرَ المَوتى وَلَن يُذهِبَ الجِزى
هَوِيُّthe tumbling of القَوافيrhymes بَينَbetween أَنيابِكَyour fangs الخُضرِgreen
هَوِيُّ القَوافي بَينَ أَنيابِكَ الخُضرِ
For it will neither raise the dead nor do away with tribute—
The dead shall not be revived, nor the punishment removed
the tumbling of rhymes between your green fangs.
By the fanciful rhymes between your green fangs
وَلَوand if كُنتَyou were فيamong الحامينَthose defending أَحسابَancestral honors of وائِلٍWa'il
وَلَو كُنتَ في الحامينَ أَحسابَ وائِلٍ
غَداةَon the morning of الطِعانِspear-fighting لَاِجتُرِرتَyou would surely be dragged إِلىto القَبرِthe grave
غَداةَ الطِعانِ لَاِجتُرِرتَ إِلى القَبرِ
And had you been among those defending Wa'il's ancestral honor,
Had you been the noblest of the clan of Wā’il
on the morning of spear-fighting, you would have been dragged to the grave.
The morning after the piercing, you would have crawled to the grave
وَلَولاand but for الفِرارُflight كُلَّevery يَومِday of وَقيعَةٍbattle
وَلَولا الفِرارُ كُلَّ يَومِ وَقيعَةٍ
لَنالَتكَwould surely strike you زُرقٌblue spearheads مِنfrom مَطارِدِناour lances الحُمرِred
لَنالَتكَ زُرقٌ مِن مَطارِدِنا الحُمرِ
And but for your flight on every day of battle,
Were it not for fleeing every day at the attack
the blue points of our red lances would have struck you.
You would have been stained red by our pursuing brown swords
وَماand no حارَبَتناfought us مِنof مَعَدٍّMa'add قَبيلَةٌtribe
وَما حارَبَتنا مِن مَعَدٍّ قَبيلَةٌ
فَنَترُكَهاso we leave it حَتّىuntil تُقِرّواyou accept عَلىwith وِترِan unavenged loss
فَنَترُكَها حَتّى تُقِرّوا عَلى وِترِ
And no tribe of Ma'add has fought us
No tribe ever battled us
that we leave alone before you accept an unavenged loss.
And we left them until you were pacified and plucked
وَكُنتَand you were كَكَلبٍlike a dog قَتَّلَmassacred الجَيشُthe army رَهطَهُits kin
وَكُنتَ كَكَلبٍ قَتَّلَ الجَيشُ رَهطَهُ
فَأَصبَحَso it became يَعويhowling فيin دِيارِهِمُtheir dwellings الغُبرِdust-gray
فَأَصبَحَ يَعوي في دِيارِهِمُ الغُبرِ
And you were like a dog whose kin the army slaughtered,
You were like a dog whose kin the army killed
so it came to howl in their dust-gray dwellings,
So it howled in their ruined and dusty abodes
بِمَلحَمَةٍamid carnage لاnot يَستَقِلُّtakes flight غُرابُهاits raven
بِمَلحَمَةٍ لا يَستَقِلُّ غُرابُها
دَفيفاًwith flapping wings وَيُمسيand spends the evening الذِئبُthe wolf فيهاin it مَعَwith النِسرِthe vulture
دَفيفاً وَيُمسي الذِئبُ فيها مَعَ النِسرِ
amid carnage whose raven cannot rise
With a battle in which its ravens cannot manage a mouthful
with flapping wings, while the wolf spends the evening there with the vulture.
And the wolf in it becomes food for the eagles
وَنَحنُand we تَرَكناleft تَغلِبَTaghlib اِبنَةَdaughter of وائِلٍWa'il
وَنَحنُ تَرَكنا تَغلِبَ اِبنَةَ وائِلٍ
كَمُنكَسِرِlike one with broken الأَنيابِfangs مُنقَطِعِsevered الظَهرِthe back
كَمُنكَسِرِ الأَنيابِ مُنقَطِعِ الظَهرِ
And we left Taghlib, daughter of Wa'il,
While we left Tughlib, daughter of Wā’il
like one with broken fangs and a snapped back.
Like one whose fangs are broken and back is severed
وَكانواand they were كَذيlike one having كَفَّينِtwo hands أَصبَحَbecame راضِياًcontent
وَكانوا كَذي كَفَّينِ أَصبَحَ راضِياً
بِواحِدَةٍwith one شَلّاءَparalyzed مِنout of قَصَبٍfinger bones عَشرِten
بِواحِدَةٍ شَلّاءَ مِن قَصَبٍ عَشرِ
And they were like a man with two hands, who became content
And they became like the one whose two palms
with one paralyzed finger out of ten.
Were content with a single split reed out of ten
أَلَمhas not? يَأتِreached عَمرواً'Amr وَالمَفاوِزُand the deserts دونَهُbefore him
أَلَم يَأتِ عَمرواً وَالمَفاوِزُ دونَهُ
مَصارِعُthe deaths of ساداتِthe chiefs of الأَراقِطِal-Araqit وَالنَمرِand al-Namir
مَصارِعُ ساداتِ الأَراقِطِ وَالنَمرِ
Has word not reached 'Amr, though deserts lie between,
Did ‘Amr not come, while the expanses were his
of the deaths of the chiefs of al-Araqit and al-Namir?
The killing-places of the lords of Iraq and the tigers
تَدورُturns رَحاناour millstone كُلَّevery يَومٍday عَلَيهِمُupon them
تَدورُ رَحانا كُلَّ يَومٍ عَلَيهِمُ
بِواقِدِwith the blaze of حَربٍwar لاneither عَوانٍseasoned وَلاnor بِكرِvirgin
بِواقِدِ حَربٍ لا عَوانٍ وَلا بِكرِ
Our millstone turns upon them every day
Whose spears circle them every day
with the blaze of war, neither seasoned nor virgin.
With war having neither supporter nor reinforcements
وَنَحنُand we قَتَلناkilled مِنfor جَلالِكَyour sake وائِلاًWa'il
وَنَحنُ قَتَلنا مِن جَلالِكَ وائِلاً
وَنَحنُand we بَكَيناwept بِالسُيوفِwith swords عَلىover عَمروِ'Amr
وَنَحنُ بَكَينا بِالسُيوفِ عَلى عَمروِ
And we killed Wa'il for your sake,
And we, it was we who killed Wā’il for you in vengeance
and with swords we wept over 'Amr.
And we, it was we who lamented ‘Amr with our swords
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.