لَعَمري لَقَد كانَ اِبنُ ثَورٍ لِنَهشَلٍ

لَعَمري لَقَد كانَ اِبنُ ثَورٍ لِنَهشَلٍ

غَروراً كَما غَرَّ السَليمَ تَمائِمُه

غَروراً كَما غَرَّ السَليمَ تَمائِمُه

By my life, Ibn Thawr was indeed to Nahshal

By my life, Ibn Thawr has certainly made the Bani Nahshal arrogant,

A deceiver, as a snake-bitten man's amulets deceive him.

Just as ornaments make the bride vain,

فَدَلّاهُمُ حَتّى إِذا ما تَذَبذَبوا

فَدَلّاهُمُ حَتّى إِذا ما تَذَبذَبوا

بِمَهواةِ نيقٍ أَسلَمَتهُم سَلالِمُه

بِمَهواةِ نيقٍ أَسلَمَتهُم سَلالِمُه

So he lowered them until, when they hung swaying,

So he led them on until when they wavered,

Over a mountain peak's chasm, his ladders abandoned them.

At the pit of death, its ladders made them fall.

فَأَصبَحَ مَن تَحمي رُمَيلَةُ وَاِبنُها

فَأَصبَحَ مَن تَحمي رُمَيلَةُ وَاِبنُها

مُباحاً حِماهُ مُستَحَلّاً مَحارِمُه

مُباحاً حِماهُ مُستَحَلّاً مَحارِمُه

Thus whoever Rumaylah and her son protect was left

And so he who protects Umaylah and her son,

With his sanctuary laid open and his sacred bounds made violable.

Became permitted, though forbidden his sanctities.

وَمِثلُكَ قَد أَبطَرتُهُ قَدرَ ذَرعِهِ

وَمِثلُكَ قَد أَبطَرتُهُ قَدرَ ذَرعِهِ

إِذا نَظَرَ الأَقوامُ كَيفَ أُراجِمُه

إِذا نَظَرَ الأَقوامُ كَيفَ أُراجِمُه

And I have confounded one like you to the limit of his endurance,

And the like of you, I have sized up your worth,

When the tribes watched how I pelted him.

When men look how I pelt you with stones.

فَمَن يَزدَجِر طَيرَ اليَمينِ فَإِنَّما

فَمَن يَزدَجِر طَيرَ اليَمينِ فَإِنَّما

جَرَت لِاِبنِ مَسعودٍ يَزيدَ أَشائِمُه

جَرَت لِاِبنِ مَسعودٍ يَزيدَ أَشائِمُه

So whoever takes omens from birds on the right—only

So who will drive away the bird of ill omen? For verily

Ill-omened birds have flown for Yazid ibn Mas‘ud.

Misfortunes befell the son of Mas'ud and increased his woes,

تَسَمَّع وَأَنصِت يا يَزيدُ مَقالَتي

تَسَمَّع وَأَنصِت يا يَزيدُ مَقالَتي

وَهَل أَنتَ إِن أَفهَمتُكَ الحَقَّ فاهِمُه

وَهَل أَنتَ إِن أَفهَمتُكَ الحَقَّ فاهِمُه

Listen closely and attend in silence, Yazid, to my words;

Listen and pay heed, O Yazeed, to my speech,

And if I explain the truth to you, will you understand it?

And will you, if I make the truth clear to you, understand?

أُنَبِّئكَ ما قَد يَعلَمُ الناسُ كُلُّهُم

أُنَبِّئكَ ما قَد يَعلَمُ الناسُ كُلُّهُم

وَما جاهِلٌ شَيئاً كَمَن هُوَ عالِمُه

وَما جاهِلٌ شَيئاً كَمَن هُوَ عالِمُه

I tell you what all people already know,

I will inform you what all the people know,

And one ignorant of a thing is not like one who knows it.

And nothing is unknown to the knowledgeable.

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نَحنُ أَفضَلُ مِنكُمُ

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نَحنُ أَفضَلُ مِنكُمُ

قَديماً كَما خَيرُ الجَناحِ قَوادِمُه

قَديماً كَما خَيرُ الجَناحِ قَوادِمُه

Have you not seen that we ourselves have been superior to you,

Do you not see that we are superior to you,

From ancient times, as a wing's best feathers are its foremost?

As the best of wings are the first to arrive?

وَما زالَ باني العِزِّ مِنّا وَبَيتُهُ

وَما زالَ باني العِزِّ مِنّا وَبَيتُهُ

وَفي الناسِ باني بَيتِ عِزٍّ وَهادِمُه

وَفي الناسِ باني بَيتِ عِزٍّ وَهادِمُه

And the builder of glory and his house have always been among us;

And the builder of honor has always been from us,

And among people are those who build a house of glory and those who destroy it.

And among men is the builder and demolisher of the house of honor.

قَديماً وَرِثناهُ عَلى عَهدِ تُبَّعٍ

قَديماً وَرِثناهُ عَلى عَهدِ تُبَّعٍ

طِوالاً سَواريهِ شِداداً دَعائِمُه

طِوالاً سَواريهِ شِداداً دَعائِمُه

Long ago we inherited it, in the days of Tubba‘,

From ancient times we inherited it in Tubba's era,

Its columns tall, its supports strong.

Its pillars lofty, its supports firm.

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكنا وَمِن دَمٍ

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكنا وَمِن دَمٍ

حَمَلنا إِذا ما ضاجَ بِالثِقلِ غارِمُه

حَمَلنا إِذا ما ضاجَ بِالثِقلِ غارِمُه

And how many a captive we have freed, how many a blood-debt

And how many prisoners have we ransomed and how much blood,

We have shouldered when its debtor groaned beneath the burden!

Have we taken on when the debtor was heavily burdened?

بَني نَهشَلٍ لَن تُدرِكوا بِسِبابِكُم

بَني نَهشَلٍ لَن تُدرِكوا بِسِبابِكُم

نَوافِذَ قَولي حَيثُ غَبَّت عَوارِمُه

نَوافِذَ قَولي حَيثُ غَبَّت عَوارِمُه

O sons of Nahshal, with your insults you will never match

O Bani Nahshal, your insults will not reach,

My piercing words, even where their fierce assaults have subsided.

The outlets of my words wherever its dams have vented.

مَتى تَكُ ضَيفَ النَهشَلِيَّ إِذا شَتا

مَتى تَكُ ضَيفَ النَهشَلِيَّ إِذا شَتا

تَجِد ناقِصَ المِقرى خَبيثاً مَطاعِمُه

تَجِد ناقِصَ المِقرى خَبيثاً مَطاعِمُه

Whenever you are the Nahshali's guest in winter,

When are you the guest of the Nahshali, you will find, if he so wishes,

You will find his guest-bowl scantily filled, his food foul.

Scant his generosity, paltry his foods.

أَلَم تَعلَما يا اِبنَي رِقاشٍ بِأَنَّني

أَلَم تَعلَما يا اِبنَي رِقاشٍ بِأَنَّني

إِذا اِختارَ حَربي مِثلُكُم لا أُسالِمُه

إِذا اِختارَ حَربي مِثلُكُم لا أُسالِمُه

Have you two not learned, sons of Riqash, that I,

Do you not know, O sons of Riqaash, that I,

When one like you chooses war with me, make no peace with him?

When my war chooses the likes of you, do not befriend him?