وَأَنتُم عَضاريطِ الخَميسِ عَتادُكُم

وَأَنتُم عَضاريطِ الخَميسِ عَتادُكُم

إِذا ما غَدا أَرباقُهُ وَحَبائِلُه

إِذا ما غَدا أَرباقُهُ وَحَبائِلُه

And you, the army’s lackeys—your equipment,

You are the knights of Thursday, your equipment

when it marches out, is its tethers and snares.

When its saddles and ropes march tomorrow.

وَإِنّا لَمَنّاعونَ تَحتَ لِوائِنا

وَإِنّا لَمَنّاعونَ تَحتَ لِوائِنا

حِمانا إِذا ما عاذَ بِالسَيفِ حامِلُه

حِمانا إِذا ما عاذَ بِالسَيفِ حامِلُه

And we are staunch defenders beneath our banner

We are the protectors under our banner,

of our protected land, whenever the sword’s bearer seeks its protection.

Sheltering when the sword bearer takes refuge.

وَقالَت كُلَيبٌ قَمِّشوا لِأَخيكُمُ

وَقالَت كُلَيبٌ قَمِّشوا لِأَخيكُمُ

فَفِرّوا بِهِ إِنَّ الفَرَزدَقَ آكِلُه

فَفِرّوا بِهِ إِنَّ الفَرَزدَقَ آكِلُه

And Kulayb said, “Gather what you can for your brother,

Kulayb said "Help your brother escape,

then flee with him: al-Farazdaq will devour him.”

For al-Farazdaq will devour him".

فَهَل أَحَدٌ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ هارِبٌ

فَهَل أَحَدٌ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ هارِبٌ

مِنَ المَوتِ إِنَّ المَوتَ لا بُدَّ نائِلُه

مِنَ المَوتِ إِنَّ المَوتَ لا بُدَّ نائِلُه

So can anyone, son of al-Marāgha, escape

So is there anyone, O Ibn Al-Maragha fleeing,

death? Death will surely overtake him.

From death? Death will inevitably reach him.

فَإِنّي أَنا المَوتُ الَّذي هُوَ ذاهِبٌ

فَإِنّي أَنا المَوتُ الَّذي هُوَ ذاهِبٌ

بِنَفسِكَ فَاِنظُر كَيفَ أَنتَ مُحاوِلُه

بِنَفسِكَ فَاِنظُر كَيفَ أَنتَ مُحاوِلُه

For I am death, which will carry off

I am death that is going after your soul,

your life; see, then, how you will contend with it.

So see how you try to escape it.

أَنا البَدرُ يُعشي طَرفَ عَينَيكَ فَاِلتَمِس

أَنا البَدرُ يُعشي طَرفَ عَينَيكَ فَاِلتَمِس

بِكَفَّيكَ يا اِبنَ الكَلبِ هَل أَنتَ نائِلُه

بِكَفَّيكَ يا اِبنَ الكَلبِ هَل أَنتَ نائِلُه

I am the full moon that dazzles your eyes; reach for it

I am the full moon that will blind your eyes,

with both hands, son of the dog—can you reach it?

So look with your palms, O son of a dog, will you attain it?

أَتَحسِبُ قَلبي خارِجاً مِن حِجابِهِ

أَتَحسِبُ قَلبي خارِجاً مِن حِجابِهِ

إِذا دُفُّ عَبّادٍ أَرَنَّت جَلاجِلُه

إِذا دُفُّ عَبّادٍ أَرَنَّت جَلاجِلُه

Do you think my heart will leave its enclosure

Do you think my heart leaves its veil,

when the bells of ʿAbbād’s tambourine ring?

When the drums of 'Abadden resound and its anklets jingle?

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَمالِ اِبنِ مالِكٍ

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَمالِ اِبنِ مالِكٍ

لِأَيِّ بَني ماءِ السَماءِ جَعائِلُه

لِأَيِّ بَني ماءِ السَماءِ جَعائِلُه

So I said, unable to restrain myself, “O Mālik, son of Mālik,

I said, not having the hopes of Ibn Malik's son,

for which sons of Māʾ al-Samāʾ are his bounties?”

"To which of the Bani Maa' tribe do its twisting paths lead?"

أَفي قَمَلِيٍّ مِن كُلَيبٍ هَجَوتُهُ

أَفي قَمَلِيٍّ مِن كُلَيبٍ هَجَوتُهُ

أَبو جَهضَمٍ تَغلي عَلَيَّ مَراجِلُه

أَبو جَهضَمٍ تَغلي عَلَيَّ مَراجِلُه

Is it over a louse-ridden man of Kulayb whom I satirized

Shall I satirize a louse from Kulayb who lampooned me?

that Abū Jahḍam’s cauldrons boil against me?

Abu Jahdam whose cooking pots boil against me?

أَحارِثُ داري مَرَّتَينِ هَدَمتَها

أَحارِثُ داري مَرَّتَينِ هَدَمتَها

وَكُنتَ اِبنُ أُختٍ لا تُخافُ غَوائِلُه

وَكُنتَ اِبنُ أُختٍ لا تُخافُ غَوائِلُه

O Ḥārith, twice you demolished my house,

O Harith of the Dari, twice you destroyed it,

though you were a sister’s son whose treachery was not feared.

And you were the sister’s son, whose twisting paths are not feared.

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ بَطحاءُ مَكَّةَ لَم يَزَل

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ بَطحاءُ مَكَّةَ لَم يَزَل

بِها مِنكُمُ مُعطي الجَزيلِ وَفاعِلُه

بِها مِنكُمُ مُعطي الجَزيلِ وَفاعِلُه

And you are a man—in Mecca’s valley there has always been

While you are Imru’u al-Qays in the valley of Mecca,

among you a lavish giver and a doer of generous deeds.

The generous and the doer amongst you has not ceased to be.

فَقُلنا لَهُ لا تُشمِتَنَّ عَدُوَّنا

فَقُلنا لَهُ لا تُشمِتَنَّ عَدُوَّنا

وَلا تَنسَ مِن أَصحابِنا مَن نُواصِلُه

وَلا تَنسَ مِن أَصحابِنا مَن نُواصِلُه

So we said to him, “Do not give our enemy cause to gloat,

So we said to him “Do not gloat over our enemy,

and do not forget those of our companions with whom we keep ties.”

And do not forget those of our companions we befriend.”

فَقَبلَكَ ما أَعيَيتُ كاسِرَ عَينِهِ

فَقَبلَكَ ما أَعيَيتُ كاسِرَ عَينِهِ

زِياداً فَلَم تَقدِر عَلَيَّ حَبائِلُه

زِياداً فَلَم تَقدِر عَلَيَّ حَبائِلُه

For before you I had indeed baffled the man who lowered his eye—

I did not grow tired of one who poked out Ziyad’s eye,

Ziyād; his snares could not prevail against me.

While his ropes could not overcome me.

فَأَقسَمتُ لا آتيهِ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

فَأَقسَمتُ لا آتيهِ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

وَلَو نُشِرَت عَينُ القُباعِ وَكاهِلُه

وَلَو نُشِرَت عَينُ القُباعِ وَكاهِلُه

Then I swore not to visit him for seventy years,

I swore I will not come to him for seventy pilgrimages,

even if al-Qubāʿ’s eye and shoulder were sawn apart.

Even if the stars of Al-Quba’a and its shoulders appear.

فَما كانَ شَيءٌ كانَ مِمّا نُجِنَّهُ

فَما كانَ شَيءٌ كانَ مِمّا نُجِنَّهُ

مِنَ الغِشِّ إِلّا قَد أَبانَت شَواكِلُه

مِنَ الغِشِّ إِلّا قَد أَبانَت شَواكِلُه

So there was nothing among what we concealed

Nothing happened except what our deceit brought out,

of deceit that its signs had not already laid bare.

Its features were made clear by its bags.

وَقُلتُ لَهُم صَبراً كُلَيبُ فَإِنَّهُ

وَقُلتُ لَهُم صَبراً كُلَيبُ فَإِنَّهُ

مَقامُ كِظاظٍ لا تَتِمَّ حَوامِلُه

مَقامُ كِظاظٍ لا تَتِمَّ حَوامِلُه

And I told them, “Patience, Kulayb, for this is

I said to them “Have patience, O Kulayb,

a place of crushing conflict—may its pregnant women never reach full term!”

For it is an abode of ruggedness, none can accomplish its burdens”.