وَأَضيافِ لَيلٍ قَد نَقَلنا قِراهُمُ

وَأَضيافِ لَيلٍ قَد نَقَلنا قِراهُمُ

إِلَيهِم فَأَتلَفنا المَنايا وَأَتلَفوا

إِلَيهِم فَأَتلَفنا المَنايا وَأَتلَفوا

And many guests by night—we brought their fare

And guests of night whose abodes we once knew

to them; we dealt out death, and so did they.

To them we came and shared our fate while they shared theirs

قَرَيناهُمُ المَأثورَةَ البيضَ قَبلَها

قَرَيناهُمُ المَأثورَةَ البيضَ قَبلَها

يُثِجُّ العُروقَ الأَزأَنِيُّ المُثَقَّفُ

يُثِجُّ العُروقَ الأَزأَنِيُّ المُثَقَّفُ

We served them bright, patterned swords; before those,

Their distinguished dwellings, white before,

the straightened Azʾanī spear made the veins gush.

Now stir the nerves, cultivated and lettered

وَمَسروحَةً مِثلَ الجَرادِ يَسوقُها

وَمَسروحَةً مِثلَ الجَرادِ يَسوقُها

مُمَرٌّ قُواهُ وَالسَراءُ المُعَطَّفُ

مُمَرٌّ قُواهُ وَالسَراءُ المُعَطَّفُ

And arrows loosed like locusts, driven

And open like locusts herded on

by a cord whose strands are tightly twisted, and bent sarāʾ wood.

By a leader, strong and cloaked

فَأَصبَحَ في حَيثُ اِلتَقَينا شَريدُهُم

فَأَصبَحَ في حَيثُ اِلتَقَينا شَريدُهُم

طَليقٌ وَمَكتوفُ اليَدَينِ وَمُزعَفُ

طَليقٌ وَمَكتوفُ اليَدَينِ وَمُزعَفُ

So by morning, where we had met, their routed men were

Thus in the morning where we met, their wanderer

free, bound by both hands, and struck dead.

Roamed free, hands clasped, in tatters clothed

وَكُنّا إِذا ما اِستَكرَهَ الضَيفُ بِالقِرى

وَكُنّا إِذا ما اِستَكرَهَ الضَيفُ بِالقِرى

أَتَتهُ العَوالي وَهيَ بِالسُمِّ تَرعَفُ

أَتَتهُ العَوالي وَهيَ بِالسُمِّ تَرعَفُ

And whenever a guest balked at our fare,

Whenever a guest felt unease in their abodes

the spearpoints came to him, dripping poison.

Misfortune came to them, with poison wet

وَلا نَستَجِمُّ الخَيلَ حَتّى نُعيدَها

وَلا نَستَجِمُّ الخَيلَ حَتّى نُعيدَها

غَوانِمَ مِن أَعدائِنا وَهيَ زُحَّفُ

غَوانِمَ مِن أَعدائِنا وَهيَ زُحَّفُ

And we give the horses no rest until we bring them back

Nor did we let horses rest before returning them

with booty from our enemies, dragging with exhaustion.

As spoils from our enemies, while they crept

كَذَلِكَ كانَت خَيلُنا مَرَّةً تُرى

كَذَلِكَ كانَت خَيلُنا مَرَّةً تُرى

سِماناً وَأَحياناً تُقادُ فَتَعجَفُ

سِماناً وَأَحياناً تُقادُ فَتَعجَفُ

Thus our horses were at one time seen

Thus were our horses, sometimes seen

fat, and at others led along, growing lean.

Saddled, and sometimes led, stumbling as they stepped

عَلَيهِنَّ مِنّا الناقِصونَ ذَحولَهُم

عَلَيهِنَّ مِنّا الناقِصونَ ذَحولَهُم

فَهُنَّ بِأَعباءِ المَنِيَّةِ كُتَّفُ

فَهُنَّ بِأَعباءِ المَنِيَّةِ كُتَّفُ

Upon them ride men of ours who settle their blood-feuds;

The destitute rode them, with baggy robes

so they are laden with the burdens of death,

Bearing the burdens of death, shoulders bent

مَداليقُ حَتّى تَأتِيَ الصارِخَ الَّذي

مَداليقُ حَتّى تَأتِيَ الصارِخَ الَّذي

دَعا وَهوَ بِالثَغرِ الَّذي هُوَ أَخوَفُ

دَعا وَهوَ بِالثَغرِ الَّذي هُوَ أَخوَفُ

rushing onward until they reach the caller who

Wandering until the screaming one came

cried for aid at the most fearsome frontier.

Calling, from the most dreadful gaping tent

وَكُنّا إِذا نامَت كُلَيبٌ عَنِ القِرى

وَكُنّا إِذا نامَت كُلَيبٌ عَنِ القِرى

إِلى الضَيفِ نَمشي بِالعَبيطِ وَنَلحَفُ

إِلى الضَيفِ نَمشي بِالعَبيطِ وَنَلحَفُ

And whenever Kulaib slept, neglecting hospitality,

And when the hounds had neglected the dwellings

we walked to the guest with fresh meat and gave generously.

To the guest we’d walk with hyena and fox

وَقِدرٍ فَثَأنا غَليَها بَعدَما غَلَت

وَقِدرٍ فَثَأنا غَليَها بَعدَما غَلَت

وَأُخرى حَشَشنا بِالعَوالي تُؤَثَّفُ

وَأُخرى حَشَشنا بِالعَوالي تُؤَثَّفُ

And many a cauldron—we stilled its boiling after it seethed,

And a cooking pot whose boil had ceased

and another we stoked, set upon tall spears as hearthstones.

Another we’d pack with misfortune enclosed

وَكُلُّ قِرى الأَضيافِ نَقري مِنَ القَنا

وَكُلُّ قِرى الأَضيافِ نَقري مِنَ القَنا

وَمُعتَبَطٍ فيهِ السَنامُ المُسَدَّفُ

وَمُعتَبَطٍ فيهِ السَنامُ المُسَدَّفُ

And we serve every sort of guest-fare—spears,

And all the guests’ abodes we’d pick clean

and a freshly slaughtered camel, its hump cut into portions.

With ladle inside, the saddlebags tossed

وَلَو تَشرَبُ الكَلبى المَراضُ دِماءَنا

وَلَو تَشرَبُ الكَلبى المَراضُ دِماءَنا

شَفَتها وَذو الداءِ الَّذي هُوَ أَدنَفُ

شَفَتها وَذو الداءِ الَّذي هُوَ أَدنَفُ

And if the sick, rabid ones drank our blood,

And if, with our blood, the mangy hounds’ mouths

it would heal them; and the sufferer more gravely ill

Were wet, from the greater malady they were saved

مِنَ الفائِقِ المَحبوسِ عَنهُ لِسانُهُ

مِنَ الفائِقِ المَحبوسِ عَنهُ لِسانُهُ

يَفوقُ وَفيهِ المَيِّتُ المُتَكَنَّفُ

يَفوقُ وَفيهِ المَيِّتُ المُتَكَنَّفُ

than the gasping man whose tongue is stilled

The tongue surpasses though it’s locked

would draw breath, with a dead man enclosed within him.

In the deceased, shrouded and wrapped

وَجَدنا أَعَزَّ الناسِ أَكثَرَهُم حَصىً

وَجَدنا أَعَزَّ الناسِ أَكثَرَهُم حَصىً

وَأَكرَمَهُم مَن بِالمَكارِمِ يُعرَفُ

وَأَكرَمَهُم مَن بِالمَكارِمِ يُعرَفُ

We found the mightiest people to be those with the most pebbles,

We found the noblest people the most populous

and the noblest, those known for noble deeds.

And the most generous were the most famed

وَكِلتاهُما فينا إِلى حَيثُ تَلتَقي

وَكِلتاهُما فينا إِلى حَيثُ تَلتَقي

عَصائِبُ لاقى بَينَهُنَّ المُعَرَّفُ

عَصائِبُ لاقى بَينَهُنَّ المُعَرَّفُ

And both are ours, all the way to where there meet

And both amongst us, wherever tribes connect

bands whom al-Muʿarraf has brought together.

Through ties, by standards, creed, and arms bound