وَجَدنا الأَبرَشَ الكَلبِيَّ تَنمي

وَجَدنا الأَبرَشَ الكَلبِيَّ تَنمي

بِهِ أَعراقُ ذي حَسَبٍ كَريمِ

بِهِ أَعراقُ ذي حَسَبٍ كَريمِ

We found al-Abrash al-Kalbi raised high

We found the Kalabi noble breed nurturing

by the ancestral roots of a man of noble lineage.

Lineages of honored, generous descent.

نَماهُ أَبوهُ في حَيثُ اِستَقَرَّت

نَماهُ أَبوهُ في حَيثُ اِستَقَرَّت

قُضاعَةُ فَوقَ عادِيٍّ جَسيمِ

قُضاعَةُ فَوقَ عادِيٍّ جَسيمِ

His father raised him where there had settled

His father raised him where Quda'a dwelled—

Quda‘a, atop a mighty, age-old foundation.

Lofty over a mighty, far-reaching ascent.

عَلى الأَحسابِ يَفضُلُ طولَ باعٍ

عَلى الأَحسابِ يَفضُلُ طولَ باعٍ

أَغَرَّ وَلَيسَ بِالحَسَبِ البَهيمِ

أَغَرَّ وَلَيسَ بِالحَسَبِ البَهيمِ

He surpasses other lineages by a full armspan,

In lineage he excels though lacking in length of line,

radiant, and not of a dark, obscure lineage.

Deceiving, for he's no fool in ancestry's reckoning.

إِلَيكَ يَصيرُ مِن كَلبٍ حَصاها

إِلَيكَ يَصيرُ مِن كَلبٍ حَصاها

وَحِلفُ الأَكثَرينَ بَني تَميمِ

وَحِلفُ الأَكثَرينَ بَني تَميمِ

To you comes Kalb's throng, as numerous as pebbles,

To you from a dog counted despicable

and the alliance of the most numerous—the sons of Tamim.

Come the oaths of Tamim's hordes, convening.

هُمُ حُلَفاأُكَ الأَدنَونَ غَمّوا

هُمُ حُلَفاأُكَ الأَدنَونَ غَمّوا

أُنوفَ عَدُوِّ قَومِكَ بِالرُغومِ

أُنوفَ عَدُوِّ قَومِكَ بِالرُغومِ

They are your closest allies; they smothered

They are your sworn allies though of base stock,

the noses of your people's foes in dust.

Who marred the noses of your people's foe with pummeling.

وَكائِن فيكَ مِن ساعاتِ يَومٍ

وَكائِن فيكَ مِن ساعاتِ يَومٍ

مِنَ الفَرّاءِ بادِيَةِ النُجومِ

مِنَ الفَرّاءِ بادِيَةِ النُجومِ

And how many hours of a day were yours,

In you are hours of a day with warriors

of dreadful battle, its stars laid bare,

Appearing, as the dawn's stars fade from view.

مَرَيتَ بِسَيفِكَ المَسلولِ فيهِم

مَرَيتَ بِسَيفِكَ المَسلولِ فيهِم

مَواطِنَ كُلِّ مُبدِيَةِ الغُمومِ

مَواطِنَ كُلِّ مُبدِيَةِ الغُمومِ

when, with your drawn sword among them, you milked

You smote them with your unleashed blade

the fields of every encounter that brings grief to light.

In places where each gloom-laden cloud blew,

وَكائِن مِن وَقائِعَ يَومَ بَأسٍ

وَكائِن مِن وَقائِعَ يَومَ بَأسٍ

لِكَلبٍ كُنَّ في عَرَبٍ وَرومِ

لِكَلبٍ كُنَّ في عَرَبٍ وَرومِ

And how many clashes on a day of fierce combat

And on a day of strife many a deed will come

Kalb had against Arabs and Romans!

From a dog—they were Arabs and non-Arabs too.

أَشَدُّ الناسِ يَومَ البَأسِ كَلبٌ

أَشَدُّ الناسِ يَومَ البَأسِ كَلبٌ

وَأَثقَلُهُ مَوازينُ الحُلومِ

وَأَثقَلُهُ مَوازينُ الحُلومِ

Kalb is the fiercest of people on the day of battle,

The fiercest on an evil day is the dog,

and the weightiest in the scales of wisdom.

And the heaviest in scales that weigh and determine.

فَإِنّي وَالَّذي حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ

فَإِنّي وَالَّذي حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ

بِحَلفَةِ لا أَلَدَّ وَلا أَثيمِ

بِحَلفَةِ لا أَلَدَّ وَلا أَثيمِ

For I—by what Quraysh sought in pilgrimage,

By the covenant which bound Mecca's Quraysh together,

with the oath of one neither contentious nor sinful,

I swear no wicked traitor am I nor bleak in fortune.

يَحِنُّ إِلَيهِ فيهِ مُخَدَّماتٌ

يَحِنُّ إِلَيهِ فيهِ مُخَدَّماتٌ

وَدامٍ مِن مَناكِبِها كَليمِ

وَدامٍ مِن مَناكِبِها كَليمِ

toward which ankleted she-camels yearn during it,

Yearning for you, his servers draw near

and wounded ones, bleeding from their shoulders—

With a bucket frothing over from the rope's fraying.

فَإِنّي وَالرِكابُ حَليفُ كَلبٍ

فَإِنّي وَالرِكابُ حَليفُ كَلبٍ

كَريمٌ ساقَهُنَّ إِلى كَريمِ

كَريمٌ ساقَهُنَّ إِلى كَريمِ

for I, by the riding camels, am an ally of Kalb:

I swear by the mounts—I am a noble dog's ally;

a noble man who drove them to a noble man.

I led them to one noble and obeying.

إِلَيكَ نُعَرِّقُ الأَشرافَ مِنها

إِلَيكَ نُعَرِّقُ الأَشرافَ مِنها

عَلى ظَهرِ المُطَبَّقِ وَالصَميمِ

عَلى ظَهرِ المُطَبَّقِ وَالصَميمِ

Toward you we make the finest of them sweat

To you we trace the noblest of stock

across the back of layered and solid rock.

On the gilded, bejeweled litter's back bearing.

إِذا بَلَّغتِني رَحلي وَنَفسي

إِذا بَلَّغتِني رَحلي وَنَفسي

إِلى الكَلبِيِّ ناقَ فَلا تَقومي

إِلى الكَلبِيِّ ناقَ فَلا تَقومي

When you have brought my saddle and myself

When my journey and soul have borne me

to al-Kalbi, O she-camel, then do not rise.

To the Kalbi, do not rise or stand waiting.