أَلا كَيفَ البَقاءُ لِباهِلِيٍّ

أَلا كَيفَ البَقاءُ لِباهِلِيٍّ

هَوى بَينَ الفَرَزدَقِ وَالجَحيمِ

هَوى بَينَ الفَرَزدَقِ وَالجَحيمِ

Ah, how can a Bahili survive,

Alas! How can the ignorant survive

fallen between al-Farazdaq and Hell?

When he has fallen between Farazdaq and Hell?

أَلَستَ أَصَمَّ أَبكَمَ باهِلِيّاً

أَلَستَ أَصَمَّ أَبكَمَ باهِلِيّاً

مَسيلَ قَرارَةِ الحَسَبِ اللَئيمِ

مَسيلَ قَرارَةِ الحَسَبِ اللَئيمِ

Are you not a deaf, mute Bahili,

Are you not a deaf mute, O ignorant one,

the gutter at the bottom of ignoble ancestry?

Shedding the pained tears of despised origins?

أَلَستَ إِذا نُسِبتَ لِباهِلِيٍّ

أَلَستَ إِذا نُسِبتَ لِباهِلِيٍّ

لَأَلأَمَ مَن تَرَكَّضَ في المَشيمِ

لَأَلأَمَ مَن تَرَكَّضَ في المَشيمِ

Are you not, when traced to a Bahili,

When you are attributed to the ignorant,

surely the basest of all who kicked within the fetal sac?

I will humiliate those who strut proudly.

وَهَل يُنجي اِبنَ نَخبَةَ حينَ يَعوي

وَهَل يُنجي اِبنَ نَخبَةَ حينَ يَعوي

تَناوُلُ ذي السِلاحِ مِنَ النُجومِ

تَناوُلُ ذي السِلاحِ مِنَ النُجومِ

And can the son of Nakhbah, when he howls, be saved

Will the son of an elite tribe survive

by reaching for the Weapon-Bearer among the stars?

When the armed man seizes him from the stars?

أَلَم نَترُك هَوازِنَ حَيثُ هَبَّت

أَلَم نَترُك هَوازِنَ حَيثُ هَبَّت

عَلَيهِم ريحُنا مِثلَ الهَشيمِ

عَلَيهِم ريحُنا مِثلَ الهَشيمِ

Did we not leave Hawazin—where there blew

Did we not leave Hawazin when our wind

our wind upon them—like shattered dry stalks,

Blew upon them like chaff?

عَشِيَّةَ لا قُتَيبَةَ مِن نِزارٍ

عَشِيَّةَ لا قُتَيبَةَ مِن نِزارٍ

إِلى عَدَدٍ وَلا نَسَبٍ كَريمِ

إِلى عَدَدٍ وَلا نَسَبٍ كَريمِ

that evening when Qutaybah had no place among Nizar,

One evening not Qutaybah of Nizar

in its numbers, nor in noble lineage;

Nor a noble lineage with any number.

عَشِيَّةَ زَيَّلَت عَنهُ المَنايا

عَشِيَّةَ زَيَّلَت عَنهُ المَنايا

دِماءَ المُلزَقينَ مِنَ الصَميمِ

دِماءَ المُلزَقينَ مِنَ الصَميمِ

that evening when death cut away from him

One evening when death unveiled for him

the blood of the grafted-on from that of true stock?

The blood of the tenacious from their core.

فَمَن يَكُ تارِكاً ما كانَ شَيئاً

فَمَن يَكُ تارِكاً ما كانَ شَيئاً

فَإِنّي لا أُضيعُ بَني تَميمِ

فَإِنّي لا أُضيعُ بَني تَميمِ

So whoever may abandon anything at all,

So whoever remains as nothing,

I, for my part, will not forsake the sons of Tamim.

I do not fail the clan of Tamim.

أَنا الحامي المُضَمَّنُ كُلَّ أَمرٍ

أَنا الحامي المُضَمَّنُ كُلَّ أَمرٍ

جَنَوهُ مِنَ الحَديثِ مَعَ القَديمِ

جَنَوهُ مِنَ الحَديثِ مَعَ القَديمِ

I am the protector, bound to answer for every deed

I am the guaranteed protector of every matter,

they have committed, recent and old alike.

Its dangers old and new.

فَإِنّي قَد ضَمِنتُ عَلى المَنايا

فَإِنّي قَد ضَمِنتُ عَلى المَنايا

نَوائِبَ كُلِّ ذي حَدَثٍ عَظيمِ

نَوائِبَ كُلِّ ذي حَدَثٍ عَظيمِ

For I have pledged to bear, in defiance of death,

I have guaranteed against the days of death

the burdens of every man responsible for a grave offense.

The misfortunes of each tremendous event.

وَقَد عَلِمَت مَعَدُّ الفَضلِ أَنّا

وَقَد عَلِمَت مَعَدُّ الفَضلِ أَنّا

ذَوُو الحَسَبِ المَكَمَّلِ وَالحُلومِ

ذَوُو الحَسَبِ المَكَمَّلِ وَالحُلومِ

And noble Ma'add knows full well that we

The virtuous Maʿadd knows we

possess consummate ancestral honor and wisdom,

Possess perfect pedigree and forbearance.

وَأَنَّ رِماحَنا تَأبى وَتَحمى

وَأَنَّ رِماحَنا تَأبى وَتَحمى

عَلى ما بَينَ عالِيَةٍ وَرومِ

عَلى ما بَينَ عالِيَةٍ وَرومِ

and that our spears are defiant and grow fierce

Our spears refuse and protect

over all that lies between Aliyah and Rum.

All between lofty Syria and Rome.

حَلَفتُ بِشُحَّبِ الأَجسامِ شُعثٍ

حَلَفتُ بِشُحَّبِ الأَجسامِ شُعثٍ

قِيامٍ بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالحَطيمِ

قِيامٍ بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالحَطيمِ

I swore by the gaunt-bodied, disheveled ones,

I swore by the unkempt bodies, disheveled hair,

standing between Zamzam and al-Hatim:

Standing between Zamzam and the Ruins:

لَقَد رَكِبَت هَوازِنُ مِن هِجائي

لَقَد رَكِبَت هَوازِنُ مِن هِجائي

عَلى حَدباءَ يابِسَةِ العُقومِ

عَلى حَدباءَ يابِسَةِ العُقومِ

Hawazin has indeed ridden, because of my satire,

Hawazin rode the barren humps

upon a humpbacked mount with dried-out joints.

Of my insults upon slender camels.