أَلَم تَذَرِ العَينُ تَسهادَها

أَلَم تَذَرِ العَينُ تَسهادَها

وَجَريَ الدُموعِ وَإِنفادَها

وَجَريَ الدُموعِ وَإِنفادَها

Has the eye not abandoned its sleeplessness,

Has not the eye let fall its tears

And the streaming of tears and their exhaustion?

As the tears gushed and drained away?

تَذَكَّرُ شَعثاءَ بَعدَ الكَرى

تَذَكَّرُ شَعثاءَ بَعدَ الكَرى

وَمُلقى عِراصٍ وَأَوتادَها

وَمُلقى عِراصٍ وَأَوتادَها

It remembers Shaʿthāʾ after sleep,

It recalls the abandoned encampment

And the campsite, its open grounds and tent-pegs.

And the abodes of tents and tent pegs.

إِذا لَجِبٌ مِن سَحابِ الرَبيعِ

إِذا لَجِبٌ مِن سَحابِ الرَبيعِ

مَرَّ بِساحَتِها جادَها

مَرَّ بِساحَتِها جادَها

When a thundering cloud of spring

When a raincloud from the spring clouds

Passed over her clearing, it drenched it.

Passes through its courtyard and rains on it,

وَقامَت تُراثيكَ مُغدَودِناً

وَقامَت تُراثيكَ مُغدَودِناً

إِذا ما تَنوءُ بِهِ آدَها

إِذا ما تَنوءُ بِهِ آدَها

And she rose, [apparently showing you] luxuriant hair,

Our dwellings stand, propped up,

Whenever she rose with it, it weighed her down.

Bending under the weight they bear,

وَوَجهاً كَوَجهِ الغَزالِ الرَبيبِ

وَوَجهاً كَوَجهِ الغَزالِ الرَبيبِ

يَقرو تِلاعاً وَأَسنادَها

يَقرو تِلاعاً وَأَسنادَها

And a face like that of a tenderly reared gazelle,

With the face of a delicate, startled gazelle

Ranging over ravines and their slopes.

That listens intently with pricked-up ears.

فَأَوَّبَهُ اللَيلُ شَطرَ العِضاهِ

فَأَوَّبَهُ اللَيلُ شَطرَ العِضاهِ

يَخافُ جَهاماً وَصُرّادَها

يَخافُ جَهاماً وَصُرّادَها

Then night drove it back toward the thorn-trees,

So night drove it toward the latter part of the night,

Fearing rainless clouds and their bitter chill.

Fearing a relentless, evil watcher.

فَإِمّا هَلَكتُ فَلا تَنكِحي

فَإِمّا هَلَكتُ فَلا تَنكِحي

خَذولَ العَشيرَةِ حَسّادَها

خَذولَ العَشيرَةِ حَسّادَها

So if I perish, do not marry

If I die, do not marry again,

A deserter of his tribe, ever envious of it,

One who fails his tribe, envious of its glory.

يَرى مِدحَةً شَتمَ أَعراضِها

يَرى مِدحَةً شَتمَ أَعراضِها

سَفاهاً وَيُبغِضُ مَن سادَها

سَفاهاً وَيُبغِضُ مَن سادَها

Who thinks insulting its honor praiseworthy,

He sees praise as blame, faulting their honor,

Foolishly, and hates whoever leads it.

Foolishly, hating those who lead them.

وَإِن عاتَبوهُ عَلى مِرَّةٍ

وَإِن عاتَبوهُ عَلى مِرَّةٍ

وَنابَت مُبَيِّتَةٌ زادَها

وَنابَت مُبَيِّتَةٌ زادَها

And if they rebuke him for his ill temper,

If they blame him once

And a night calamity strikes, he makes it worse.

And the camel bitch turns away, spending the night apart,

وَمِثلي أَطاقَ وَلَكِنَّني

وَمِثلي أَطاقَ وَلَكِنَّني

أُكَلِّفُ نَفسي الَّذي آدَها

أُكَلِّفُ نَفسي الَّذي آدَها

And one like me could bear it; yet I

One like me can bear it, but I task myself

Burden myself with what weighs me down.

With what has spoiled it.

سَأوتي العَشيرَةَ ما حاوَلَت

سَأوتي العَشيرَةَ ما حاوَلَت

إِلَيَّ وَأُكذِبُ إِبعادَها

إِلَيَّ وَأُكذِبُ إِبعادَها

I shall give my tribe whatever it seeks

I will give the tribe what it tried to get

From me, and belie its estrangement.

From me and belie its sending me away.

وَأَحمِلُ إِن مَغرَمٌ نابَها

وَأَحمِلُ إِن مَغرَمٌ نابَها

وَأَضرِبُ بِالسَيفِ مَن كادَها

وَأَضرِبُ بِالسَيفِ مَن كادَها

And shoulder any debt that falls upon it,

I will endure if my love turns from me

And strike with the sword whoever plots against it.

And strike with the sword whoever schemes against it.

وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنّا بِها

وَيَثرِبُ تَعلَمُ أَنّا بِها

أُسودٌ تُنَفِّضُ أَلبادَها

أُسودٌ تُنَفِّضُ أَلبادَها

And Yathrib knows that within her we are

Yathrib knows we are lions in it

Lions shaking their manes.

Who shake the dust off their manes.

نَهُزُّ القَنا في صُدورِ الكُما

نَهُزُّ القَنا في صُدورِ الكُما

ةِ حَتّى نُكَسِّرِ أَعوادَها

ةِ حَتّى نُكَسِّرِ أَعوادَها

We drive the spears into armored warriors' breasts,

We hurl the spears in the breasts of the valorous heroes

Until we splinter their shafts.

Until we shatter their tent posts.

إِذا ما اِنتَشَوا وَتَصابى الحُلو

إِذا ما اِنتَشَوا وَتَصابى الحُلو

مُ وَاِحتَلَبَ الناسُ أَحشادَها

مُ وَاِحتَلَبَ الناسُ أَحشادَها

When they grow drunk and minds turn childish,

When they flock together and rally their confederates

And people milk its plentiful stores,

And people mass in crowds,

وَقالَ الحَواضِنُ لِلصالِحي

وَقالَ الحَواضِنُ لِلصالِحي

نَ عادَ لَهُ الشَرُّ مَن عادَها

نَ عادَ لَهُ الشَرُّ مَن عادَها

And the nursemaids say to the good men,

The wrongdoers said to the righteous,

'May evil return to whoever returns to it!'

“Evil will recoil upon him who does evil.”

جَعَلنا النَعيمَ وِقاءَ البُؤو

جَعَلنا النَعيمَ وِقاءَ البُؤو

سِ وَكُنّا لَدى الجَهدِ أَعمادَها

سِ وَكُنّا لَدى الجَهدِ أَعمادَها

We made prosperity a shield against misery,

We made bliss a protection against misery

And in hardship we were its pillars.

And we were pillars against adversity.

نُقَتِّلُ يَومَ الوَغى بِالصَفي

نُقَتِّلُ يَومَ الوَغى بِالصَفي

حِ بَينَ الكَتيبَةِ قُوّادَها

حِ بَينَ الكَتيبَةِ قُوّادَها

On battle days we slay with the broad blade,

We kill on the day of battle with the sword

The battalion's commanders within its ranks.

Among the brigades, striking its leaders.

وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لَنا غارَةٌ

وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ لَنا غارَةٌ

عَلى الأَوسِ نَقتُلُ آسادَها

عَلى الأَوسِ نَقتُلُ آسادَها

And every day we have a raid

Every day we have a raid against the Aus

Against the Aws, killing their lions.

In which we kill their knights.

تَرانا مِنَ البيضِ سُفعَ الخُدودِ

تَرانا مِنَ البيضِ سُفعَ الخُدودِ

نَلبَسُ لِلحَربِ أَسبادَها

نَلبَسُ لِلحَربِ أَسبادَها

You see us, our cheeks darkened by the helmets,

You see us with cheeks marked white

We don for war its battle-garb.

By the dust as we don our armor for war.