لَقَد عَلِمتُ وَعِلمُ المَرءُ أَصدَقُهُ

لَقَد عَلِمتُ وَعِلمُ المَرءُ أَصدَقُهُ

مَن عِندَهُ بِالَّذي قَد قالَهُ الخَبَرُ

مَن عِندَهُ بِالَّذي قَد قالَهُ الخَبَرُ

I have indeed learned—and a man's truest knowledge

I have known and a man knows his most truthful one

Comes from himself—what the report has declared:

Is he who has the news to verify what he said

أَن لَيسَ يُجزِئُ أَمرَ المَشرِقَينِ مَعاً

أَن لَيسَ يُجزِئُ أَمرَ المَشرِقَينِ مَعاً

بَعدَ اِبنِ يوسُفَ إِلّا حَيَّةٌ ذَكَرُ

بَعدَ اِبنِ يوسُفَ إِلّا حَيَّةٌ ذَكَرُ

That none can manage the two eastern lands together

That the matter of the two horizons cannot suffice

After Ibn Yusuf, save a male serpent.

After the son of Joseph except a male snake

بَل سَوفَ يَكفيكَها بازٍ تَغَلَّبَها

بَل سَوفَ يَكفيكَها بازٍ تَغَلَّبَها

لَهُ اِلتَقَت بِالسُعودِ الشَمسُ وَالقَمَرُ

لَهُ اِلتَقَت بِالسُعودِ الشَمسُ وَالقَمَرُ

Rather, a hawk that has overcome it will deal with it for you;

Rather, a falcon that overpowered it will suffice her

For him, the sun and moon met under auspicious stars.

When the sun and moon met with as-Saud

فَجاءَ بَينَهُما نَجمٌ إِذا اِجتَمَعا

فَجاءَ بَينَهُما نَجمٌ إِذا اِجتَمَعا

يُشفى بِهِ القَرحُ وَالأَحداثُ تُجتَبَرُ

يُشفى بِهِ القَرحُ وَالأَحداثُ تُجتَبَرُ

Then a star appeared between them when they joined,

So between them came a star, when they gathered

Through him the wound is healed and calamities are mended.

With it, wounds are healed and events are mended

أَغَرَّ يَستَمطِرُ الهُلّاكُ نائِلَهُ

أَغَرَّ يَستَمطِرُ الهُلّاكُ نائِلَهُ

في راحَتَيهِ الدَمُ المَعبوطُ وَالمَطَرُ

في راحَتَيهِ الدَمُ المَعبوطُ وَالمَطَرُ

A radiant one: the perishing beg his bounty as rain;

It made the annihilator hope for its attainment

In his two palms are freshly shed blood and rain.

In its palms, shed blood and rain

فَأَصبَحا قَد أَماتَ اللَهُ داءَهُما

فَأَصبَحا قَد أَماتَ اللَهُ داءَهُما

وَقَوَّمَ الدَرءَ مِن مَصرَيهِما عُمَرُ

وَقَوَّمَ الدَرءَ مِن مَصرَيهِما عُمَرُ

So the two awoke: God had slain their malady,

So Allah made their disease die

And Umar straightened the crookedness of their two cities,

And corrected the prevention of their death, the life

حَتّى اِستَقامَت رُؤوسٌ كانَ يَحمِلُها

حَتّى اِستَقامَت رُؤوسٌ كانَ يَحمِلُها

أَجسادُ قَومٍ وَفي أَعناقِهِم صَعَرُ

أَجسادُ قَومٍ وَفي أَعناقِهِم صَعَرُ

Until heads stood straight that had been borne

Until heads straightened that a people carried

By the bodies of men with haughty twists in their necks.

And in their necks ruggedness

إِنَّ لِآلِ عَدِيٍّ أُثلَةً فَلَقَت

إِنَّ لِآلِ عَدِيٍّ أُثلَةً فَلَقَت

صَفاةَ ذُبيانَ لا تَدنو لَها الشَجَرُ

صَفاةَ ذُبيانَ لا تَدنو لَها الشَجَرُ

Indeed, the house of Adi has a tamarisk that split

Indeed, Adey’s family has peers so it met

Dhubyan's smooth rock; no trees come near it.

The loftiness of lions, trees do not come near it

مِنها الثَرى وَحَصى قَيسٍ إِذا حُسِبَت

مِنها الثَرى وَحَصى قَيسٍ إِذا حُسِبَت

وَالضارِبونَ إِذا ما اِغرَورَقَ البَصَرُ

وَالضارِبونَ إِذا ما اِغرَورَقَ البَصَرُ

From it come the earth and the pebbles of Qays, when counted,

From it is the soil and pebbles of Qais, when reckoned

And those who strike when eyes fill with tears.

And the strikers when the eyes dazzle

فَلا يَكَذَّبُ مِن ذُبيانَ فاخِرُها

فَلا يَكَذَّبُ مِن ذُبيانَ فاخِرُها

إِذا القَبائِلُ عَدَّت مَجدَها الكُبَرُ

إِذا القَبائِلُ عَدَّت مَجدَها الكُبَرُ

Thus her boaster from Dhubyan is not called a liar

So it is not belied by its proud youth

When the great tribes recount their glory.

When the tribes enumerate its greatness

أَبى لَها أَن تُدانيها إِذا اِفتَخَرَت

أَبى لَها أَن تُدانيها إِذا اِفتَخَرَت

عِندَ المَكارِمِ وَالأَحسابُ تُبتَدَرُ

عِندَ المَكارِمِ وَالأَحسابُ تُبتَدَرُ

He refused, for her sake, to let them rival her when she boasted

It refused for them to come near it when it took pride

Amid noble deeds, while ancestral honors are eagerly claimed.

In virtues and pedigrees are investigated

إِنَّ لِآلِ عَدِيٍّ في أَرومَتِهِم

إِنَّ لِآلِ عَدِيٍّ في أَرومَتِهِم

بَيتَينِ قَد رَفَعَت مَجدَيهِما مُضَرُ

بَيتَينِ قَد رَفَعَت مَجدَيهِما مُضَرُ

Indeed, the house of Adi has within its ancestral stock

Indeed, Adey’s family has in its men

Two houses whose glories Mudar has exalted:

Two houses that raised their glories, Mudar

بَيتٌ لِآلِ سُكَينٍ طالَ في عِظَمٍ

بَيتٌ لِآلِ سُكَينٍ طالَ في عِظَمٍ

وَآلِ بَدرٍ هُما كانا إِذا اِفتَخَروا

وَآلِ بَدرٍ هُما كانا إِذا اِفتَخَروا

A house of Sukayn's family, towering in greatness,

A house of Sukain which lasted in greatness

And Badr's house; when they boasted, the two were

And a house of Badr they were when they took pride

بَيتَينِ تَقعُدُ قَيسٌ في ظِلالِهِما

بَيتَينِ تَقعُدُ قَيسٌ في ظِلالِهِما

حَيثُ اِلتَقى عِندَ رُكنِ القِبلَةِ البَشَرُ

حَيثُ اِلتَقى عِندَ رُكنِ القِبلَةِ البَشَرُ

Two houses in whose shade Qays sits,

Two houses Qais sits in their shades

Where people gathered at the corner of the qibla.

Where mankind met at the corner of the Qibla