رَأَيتُ جَريراً لَم يَضَع عَن حِمارِهِ

رَأَيتُ جَريراً لَم يَضَع عَن حِمارِهِ

عَلَيهِ مِنَ الثِقلِ الَّذي هُوَ حامِلُه

عَلَيهِ مِنَ الثِقلِ الَّذي هُوَ حامِلُه

I saw Jarir, who had not relieved his donkey

I saw Jarir, he did not unload from his donkey

Of the burden upon it that it was carrying.

The heavy load that it was carrying

أَتى الشَأمَ يَرجو أَن يَبيعَ حِمارَهُ

أَتى الشَأمَ يَرجو أَن يَبيعَ حِمارَهُ

وَفارِسَهُ إِذ لَم يَجِد مَن يُبادِلُه

وَفارِسَهُ إِذ لَم يَجِد مَن يُبادِلُه

He came to al-Sham, hoping to sell his donkey,

He came to Syria hoping to sell his donkey

And its rider, since he found no one to trade with him.

And his horse when he could not find anyone to exchange with him

وَجاءَ بِعِدلَيهِ اللَذَينِ هُما لَهُ

وَجاءَ بِعِدلَيهِ اللَذَينِ هُما لَهُ

مِنَ اللُؤمِ كانَت أَورَثَتهُ أَوائِلُه

مِنَ اللُؤمِ كانَت أَورَثَتهُ أَوائِلُه

And he came with his pair of pannier-loads,

And he came with his two burdens that were for him

Of baseness, which his forebears had bequeathed him.

From the baseness that was bequeathed to him by his ancestors

أَتَشتُمُ قَوماً أَنتَ تَزعُمُ مِنهُمُ

أَتَشتُمُ قَوماً أَنتَ تَزعُمُ مِنهُمُ

عَلى مَطعَمٍ مِن مَطعَمٍ أَنتَ آكِلُه

عَلى مَطعَمٍ مِن مَطعَمٍ أَنتَ آكِلُه

Do you revile a people you claim to belong to

Do you insult a people whom you claim

Over a meal of the kind you yourself eat?

To eat their food from their meals while you are its eater

يَظَلُّ بِأَسواقِ اليَمامَةِ عاجِزاً

يَظَلُّ بِأَسواقِ اليَمامَةِ عاجِزاً

إِذا قالَ بَيتاً بِالطَعامِ يُكايِلُه

إِذا قالَ بَيتاً بِالطَعامِ يُكايِلُه

He remains helpless in al-Yamamah's markets;

He remains destitute in the markets of al-Yamama

Whenever he recites a verse, he trades it for measured food.

When he says a verse about food to earn it

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللُؤمَ حَلَّت رِكابُهُ

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللُؤمَ حَلَّت رِكابُهُ

إِلى الخَطَفى جاءَت بِذاكَ حَوامِلُه

إِلى الخَطَفى جاءَت بِذاكَ حَوامِلُه

Have you not seen that baseness's riding camels halted

Did you not see that baseness landed on his mount

At al-Khatafa's? Its carriers came bearing it.

To al-Khatfa it came carrying that load

أَناخَ إِلى بَيتٍ عَطِيَّةَ تَحتَهُ

أَناخَ إِلى بَيتٍ عَطِيَّةَ تَحتَهُ

إِلَيهِ ذُرى اللُؤمِ اِستَقَرَّت مَسايِلُه

إِلَيهِ ذُرى اللُؤمِ اِستَقَرَّت مَسايِلُه

It encamped beside Atiyyah's house; beneath it

It settled at the house of ‘Atiya beneath which

Lay baseness's summits; its watercourses settled toward it.

The dregs of baseness flowed to it

أَظَنَّ بِنا زَوجُ المَراغَةِ أَنَّهُ

أَظَنَّ بِنا زَوجُ المَراغَةِ أَنَّهُ

مِنَ الفَقرِ لاقيهِ الهُزالُ فَقاتِلُه

مِنَ الفَقرِ لاقيهِ الهُزالُ فَقاتِلُه

Did al-Maraghah's husband imagine, concerning us, that

The husband of al-Maragha thinks of us

Wasting from poverty would overtake him and then kill him?

That he faces poverty that kills him

وَقَد كانَ في الدُنيا مَرادٌ لِقَعبِهِ

وَقَد كانَ في الدُنيا مَرادٌ لِقَعبِهِ

وَفي هَجَرٍ تَمرٌ ثِقالٌ جَلائِلُه

وَفي هَجَرٍ تَمرٌ ثِقالٌ جَلائِلُه

And there was in the world a foraging-ground for his wooden bowl,

While he once had in life what he desired for his paunch

And in Hajar, dates whose baskets were heavy.

And in Hajar dates heavy in quantity

وَكانَت تَميمٌ مُطعِميهِ وَنابِتاً

وَكانَت تَميمٌ مُطعِميهِ وَنابِتاً

بِهِم ريشُهُ حَتّى تَوازى نَواصِلُه

بِهِم ريشُهُ حَتّى تَوازى نَواصِلُه

And Tamim were his feeders, and growing

And Taym was feeding him, and he was growing

Through them was his plumage, until his quills stood even.

Feathers until his quills equalled each other

فَأَصبَحَ في العَجلانِ حَوَّلَ رَحلَهُ

فَأَصبَحَ في العَجلانِ حَوَّلَ رَحلَهُ

إِلى اللُؤمِ مِن قَيسِ اِبنِ عَيلانَ قابِلُه

إِلى اللُؤمِ مِن قَيسِ اِبنِ عَيلانَ قابِلُه

So he ended up among al-Ajlan, his saddle shifted

But he woke up in al-'Ajlan having shifted his belongings

Toward baseness by his host from Qays ibn Aylan.

To baseness, from Qais Ibn ‘Ailan his exchanger