حَكِّم سُيوفَكَ في رِقابِ العُذَّلِ

حَكِّم سُيوفَكَ في رِقابِ العُذَّلِ

وَإِذا نَزَلتَ بِدارِ ذُلٍّ فَاِرحَلِ

وَإِذا نَزَلتَ بِدارِ ذُلٍّ فَاِرحَلِ

Make your swords judges over the reproachers' necks.

Wield your swords upon the necks of the wretched,

And if you settle in an abode of humiliation, depart.

And if you alight in an abode of humiliation, move on,

وَإِذا بُليتَ بِظالِمٍ كُن ظالِماً

وَإِذا بُليتَ بِظالِمٍ كُن ظالِماً

وَإِذا لَقيتَ ذَوي الجَهالَةِ فَاِجهَلي

وَإِذا لَقيتَ ذَوي الجَهالَةِ فَاِجهَلي

And if you are afflicted by an oppressor, be an oppressor.

And if you are wronged by an oppressor, be an oppressor,

And if you meet the insolent, act insolently.

And if you meet the ignorant, be ignorant.

وَإِذا الجَبانُ نَهاكَ يَومَ كَريهَةٍ

وَإِذا الجَبانُ نَهاكَ يَومَ كَريهَةٍ

خَوفاً عَلَيكَ مِنَ اِزدِحامِ الجَحفَلِ

خَوفاً عَلَيكَ مِنَ اِزدِحامِ الجَحفَلِ

And if a coward restrains you on a day of battle,

And if the coward forbids you on an ominous day,

fearing for you the crush of the massed host,

Fearing for you the thronging of the throngs,

فَاِعصِ مَقالَتَهُ وَلا تَحفِل بِها

فَاِعصِ مَقالَتَهُ وَلا تَحفِل بِها

وَاِقدِم إِذا حَقَّ اللِقا في الأَوَّلِ

وَاِقدِم إِذا حَقَّ اللِقا في الأَوَّلِ

then defy his words and pay no heed to them.

Then disobey his words and pay no heed,

And advance, when battle is certain, in the forefront.

And advance when the time of battle comes at first.

وَاِختَر لِنَفسِكَ مَنزِلاً تَعلو بِهِ

وَاِختَر لِنَفسِكَ مَنزِلاً تَعلو بِهِ

أَو مُت كَريماً تَحتَ ظُلِّ القَسطَلِ

أَو مُت كَريماً تَحتَ ظُلِّ القَسطَلِ

And choose for yourself a station through which you rise,

And choose for yourself a high abode,

or die nobly beneath the shadow of battle-dust.

Or die nobly beneath the shadow of a spear,

فَالمَوتُ لا يُنجيكَ مِن آفاتِهِ

فَالمَوتُ لا يُنجيكَ مِن آفاتِهِ

حِصنٌ وَلَو شَيَّدتَهُ بِالجَندَلِ

حِصنٌ وَلَو شَيَّدتَهُ بِالجَندَلِ

For you cannot be saved from death's ravages

For death will not save you from its harms,

by a fortress, even if you built it of stone.

Though you build a fortress of marble.

مَوتُ الفَتى في عِزَّةٍ خَيرٌ لَهُ

مَوتُ الفَتى في عِزَّةٍ خَيرٌ لَهُ

مِن أَن يَبيتَ أَسيرَ طَرفٍ أَكحَلِ

مِن أَن يَبيتَ أَسيرَ طَرفٍ أَكحَلِ

A young man's death in honor is better for him

Better for a man to die with honor,

than spending the night captive to a kohl-dark eye.

Than to pass the night a captive of a blue-eyed maid.

إِن كُنتَ في عَدَدِ العَبيدِ فَهِمَّتي

إِن كُنتَ في عَدَدِ العَبيدِ فَهِمَّتي

فَوقَ الثُرَيّا وَالسِماكِ الأَعزَلِ

فَوقَ الثُرَيّا وَالسِماكِ الأَعزَلِ

If you are counted among the slaves, then my ambition

If I am counted among the slaves, still my spirit

is above the Pleiades and al-Simak the Unarmed.

Is higher than Sirius and the bare-tailed shooting star.

أَو أَنكَرَت فُرسانُ عَبسٍ نِسبَتي

أَو أَنكَرَت فُرسانُ عَبسٍ نِسبَتي

فَسِنانُ رُمحي وَالحُسامُ يُقِرُّ لي

فَسِنانُ رُمحي وَالحُسامُ يُقِرُّ لي

Or if the horsemen of Abs deny my lineage,

Or if the horsemen of ‘Abs denied my lineage,

then the point of my spear and the keen sword attest for me.

Then the spearheads and the swords affirm me,

وَبِذابِلي وَمُهَنَّدي نِلتُ العُلا

وَبِذابِلي وَمُهَنَّدي نِلتُ العُلا

لا بِالقَرابَةِ وَالعَديدِ الأَجزَلِ

لا بِالقَرابَةِ وَالعَديدِ الأَجزَلِ

And with my slender spear and Indian blade I attained eminence,

And with my raids and onslaughts I attained exaltation,

not through kinship or greater numbers.

Not through ties of kinship or numerous tribe.

وَرَمَيتُ مُهري في العَجاجِ فَخاضَهُ

وَرَمَيتُ مُهري في العَجاجِ فَخاضَهُ

وَالنارُ تَقدَحُ مِن شِفارِ الأَنصُلِ

وَالنارُ تَقدَحُ مِن شِفارِ الأَنصُلِ

And I hurled my colt into the dust, and he plunged through it,

And I flung my prize into ‘Ajjāj, stirring it up,

while fire flashed from the edges of the blades.

As fire kindles from the striker of the flints.

خاضَ العَجاجَ مُحَجَّلاً حَتّى إِذا

خاضَ العَجاجَ مُحَجَّلاً حَتّى إِذا

شَهِدَ الوَقيعَةَ عادَ غَيرَ مُحَجَّلِ

شَهِدَ الوَقيعَةَ عادَ غَيرَ مُحَجَّلِ

He plunged through the dust white-stockinged, until, when

He stirred up ‘Ajjāj, all armed, until when

he had seen battle, he returned no longer white-stockinged.

He witnessed the battle, he returned unarmed.

وَلَقَد نَكَبتُ بَني حُريقَةَ نَكبَةً

وَلَقَد نَكَبتُ بَني حُريقَةَ نَكبَةً

لَمّا طَعَنتُ صَميمَ قَلبِ الأَخيَلِ

لَمّا طَعَنتُ صَميمَ قَلبِ الأَخيَلِ

And indeed I brought calamity upon the sons of Huriqa,

And I dealt the Banū Ḥurayqah a terrible blow

when I pierced the very heart of al-Akhyal.

When I stabbed the heart of their cavalry.

وَقَتَلتُ فارِسَهُم رَبيعَةَ عَنوَةً

وَقَتَلتُ فارِسَهُم رَبيعَةَ عَنوَةً

وَالهَيذُبانَ وَجابِرَ بنَ مُهَلهَلِ

وَالهَيذُبانَ وَجابِرَ بنَ مُهَلهَلِ

And I slew their horseman Rabi'a by force,

And I killed their champion Rabī‘ah by force

and al-Haydhuban, and Jabir son of Muhalhal,

And Al-Haydhabān and Jābir ibn Muhallal,

وَاِبنَي رَبيعَةَ وَالحَريشَ وَمالِكا

وَاِبنَي رَبيعَةَ وَالحَريشَ وَمالِكا

وَالزِبرِقانُ غَدا طَريحَ الجَندَلِ

وَالزِبرِقانُ غَدا طَريحَ الجَندَلِ

and Rabi'a's two sons, and al-Harish, and Malik,

And the two sons of Rabī‘ah and Al-Ḥarish and Mālik,

and al-Zibriqan lay prostrate upon the stones.

And tomorrow Az-Zubayriqān will lie slain.

وَأَنا اِبنُ سَوداءِ الجَبينِ كَأَنَّها

وَأَنا اِبنُ سَوداءِ الجَبينِ كَأَنَّها

ضَبُعٌ تَرَعرَعَ في رُسومِ المَنزِلِ

ضَبُعٌ تَرَعرَعَ في رُسومِ المَنزِلِ

And I am the son of a black-browed woman, as though she were

And I am the son of a black-browed mother, as if

a hyena that grew up among the traces of a dwelling.

She were a hyena nurtured among homestead ruins,

الساقُ مِنها مِثلُ ساقِ نَعامَةٍ

الساقُ مِنها مِثلُ ساقِ نَعامَةٍ

وَالشَعرُ مِنها مِثلُ حَبِّ الفُلفُلِ

وَالشَعرُ مِنها مِثلُ حَبِّ الفُلفُلِ

Her leg is like the leg of an ostrich,

With legs like an ostrich’s legs

and her hair is like peppercorns.

And hair like grains of pepper,

وَالثَغرُ مِن تَحتِ اللِثامِ كَأَنَّهُ

وَالثَغرُ مِن تَحتِ اللِثامِ كَأَنَّهُ

بَرقٌ تَلَألَأَ في الظَلامِ المُسدَلِ

بَرقٌ تَلَألَأَ في الظَلامِ المُسدَلِ

And her mouth beneath the face-veil is as though it were

And a mouth beneath the veil as if it were

lightning flashing in the enveloping darkness.

Lightning flashing in the darkest night.

يا نازِلينَ عَلى الحِمى وَدِيارِهِ

يا نازِلينَ عَلى الحِمى وَدِيارِهِ

هَلّا رَأَيتُم في الدِيارِ تَقَلقُلي

هَلّا رَأَيتُم في الدِيارِ تَقَلقُلي

O you who dwell on the protected land and in its dwellings,

O you who alight at the sanctuary and its lands!

have you not seen my restlessness in the dwellings?

Have you not seen me restless in these lands?

قَد طالَ عِزَّكُم وَذُلّي في الهَوى

قَد طالَ عِزَّكُم وَذُلّي في الهَوى

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ عِزَّكُم وَتَذَلَّلي

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ عِزَّكُم وَتَذَلَّلي

Long have your exaltation and my abasement in love endured,

Long has your glory lasted, and long my love,

and among the wonders are your exaltation and my self-abasement.

And of wonders is your glory and my abasement.

لا تَسقِني ماءَ الحَياةِ بِذِلَّةٍ

لا تَسقِني ماءَ الحَياةِ بِذِلَّةٍ

بَل فَاِسقِني بِالعِزِّ كَأسَ الحَنظَلِ

بَل فَاِسقِني بِالعِزِّ كَأسَ الحَنظَلِ

Do not give me the water of life to drink in humiliation;

Give me not the water of life in abasement,

rather, give me with honor a cup of bitter colocynth.

Nay, give me the cup of honor to drink as hanzal.

ماءُ الحَياةِ بِذِلَّةٍ كَجَهَنَّمٍ

ماءُ الحَياةِ بِذِلَّةٍ كَجَهَنَّمٍ

وَجَهَنَّمٌ بِالعِزِّ أَطيَبُ مَنزِلِ

وَجَهَنَّمٌ بِالعِزِّ أَطيَبُ مَنزِلِ

The water of life in humiliation is like Hell,

The water of life in abasement is like Hell,

and Hell with honor is the sweetest abode.

While Hell with honor is the fairest abode.