لحاmay curse اللهُGod حياًa tribe لاnot تزالُceases حِرابُهُits lances
لحا اللهُ حياً لا تزالُ حِرابُهُ
هَواربَfleeing منfrom حزبٍa faction تَراهاyou see them الىto حِزْبِa faction
هَواربَ من حزبٍ تَراها الى حِزْبِ
May God curse a tribe whose lances are ever
May God keep alive those whose swords are unsheathed
fleeing—you see them pass from faction to faction.
Against the allies you see shift from one party to another
أَبِقْنَthey deserted فماso not يَرجِعْنَthey return الاَّexcept عواطِفاًturning back
أَبِقْنَ فما يَرجِعْنَ الاَّ عواطِفاً
علىagainst كلِّevery نَحْرٍthroat فيin السَّنوَّرarmor أوor قُلْبِa heart
على كلِّ نَحْرٍ في السَّنوَّر أو قُلْبِ
They have deserted, and return only to turn
They remain, never to return except with deep passions
against every throat in armor, or every heart.
In every throat or heart pierced by the bright sword
وماand what تصنعُcan do الزغبُthe tufted spears القِصَارُthe short ones اذاwhen نَزَتْthey leap
وما تصنعُ الزغبُ القِصَارُ اذا نَزَتْ
معwith الزابلِthe slender lance الخَطَّارِthe swaying one والصَّارمِand the cutting sword العَضْبِthe keen-edged one
مع الزابلِ الخَطَّارِ والصَّارمِ العَضْبِ
What can the short, tufted spears do when they leap
What can light spears in close combat achieve
alongside the swaying, slender lance and the keen-edged sword?
Against the heavily armed warrior with his sharp blade?
اذاwhen ماindeed (emphatic) سلاحُweapon المرءِthe man فارقَleft كفَّهُhis hand
اذا ما سلاحُ المرءِ فارقَ كفَّهُ
أَضاعَhe lost out ولاقىand encountered عَزْبَa weapon قومٍa people بلاwithout عَزْبِa weapon
أَضاعَ ولاقى عَزْبَ قومٍ بلا عَزْبِ
When a man's weapon leaves his hand,
When a man's weapon leaves his hand
he is lost, and meets a people's weapon with none of his own.
He loses honor among a people who have none
تحملentrust كردُthe Kurds الشَّاذِجانِal-Shadhijan أُمورَهاtheir affairs
تحمل كردُ الشَّاذِجانِ أُمورَها
غُلاماًa youth كغصنِlike a branch البانةِthe ben tree الناعمِsoft الرطْبِfresh
غُلاماً كغصنِ البانةِ الناعمِ الرطْبِ
The Kurds of al-Shadhijan entrust their affairs
The slave girls bear their lot
to a youth like the ben tree's soft, fresh branch.
Like the soft moist branch of a banana tree
ومشتقُّand derived عنَّازٍ'Annaz منfrom العنزthe goat فيin الوَغىbattle
ومشتقُّ عنَّازٍ من العنز في الوَغى
وجَدِّكَand by your grandsire ماnot اشتقَwas derived الحرابُthe lances منfrom الحَرْبِwar
وجَدِّكَ ما اشتقَ الحرابُ من الحَرْبِ
And in battle, 'Annaz' is derived from 'goat';
As the howler derives from the goat during battle
and, by your grandsire, lances were not derived from 'war'.
By God, how the sword derives from war!
ولكنَّbut أشباحاًshapes منof البيضِthe bright swords والقَناand the lances
ولكنَّ أشباحاً من البيضِ والقَنا
تُعادُare brought back وتُبديand reveal themselves فيamong المفارقِhair-partings والحُجْبِand brows
تُعادُ وتُبدي في المفارقِ والحُجْبِ
But shapes of bright swords and lances
But like phantoms of eggs and coffins
return and appear among hair-partings and brows.
They alternate, appearing through separation and veils
يقولُhe says تباشيرُfirst gleams الغزالةِthe sun-gazelle راجَعَتْhave returned
يقولُ تباشيرُ الغزالةِ راجَعَتْ
كِناسَcovert الدُّجىdarkness أَمor بُدّلَwas exchanged الشرقُthe east بالغرْبِfor the west
كِناسَ الدُّجى أَم بُدّلَ الشرقُ بالغرْبِ
He says, “Have the sun-gazelle's first rays returned
The gazelle says her omens have returned
to darkness's covert, or has east been exchanged for west?”
Like the darkness of night, or did east become west?
رأَىhe saw الليلَthe night تَزْهَاهُadorn it النُّجومُthe stars وانماand in fact only
رأَى الليلَ تَزْهَاهُ النُّجومُ وانما
رأَىhe saw قَارِيَاتspearheads فيon رِماحِlances بنيthe sons of كَعْبِKa'b
رأَى قَارِيَات في رِماحِ بني كَعْبِ
He saw night adorned by stars, yet in truth
The night saw its beauty in the stars, but truly
he saw spearheads on the lances of Banu Ka'b,
Saw riders with the spears of the Bani Ka'b
وَمَبثُوثَةًand scattered ones سومswarming الجَرادِlocusts كأَنَّهاas though they were
وَمَبثُوثَةً سوم الجَرادِ كأَنَّها
لَوَاحِسُlicking tongues ياYa- (first part of Ya'juj) جُوجٍ-juj (rest of Ya'juj, Gog) خَرَجْنَthey emerged منfrom النَّقْبِthe breach
لَوَاحِسُ يا جُوجٍ خَرَجْنَ من النَّقْبِ
and shafts scattered like a swarm of locusts, as though
And scattered like locust swarms as if they were
they were Gog's licking tongues, emerging from the breach,
Serpents slithering out from their holes
روادفُreinforcements بالخَطّيwith Khattian spears أَيمانَright hands فِتْيَةٍyouths
روادفُ بالخَطّي أَيمانَ فِتْيَةٍ
تُناجزُfight to the finish بَعْدَafter السَّمْهَريةِthe Samharian lances بالقُرْبِat close quarters
تُناجزُ بَعْدَ السَّمْهَريةِ بالقُرْبِ
reinforcing young men's right hands with Khattian lances,
Riders of excellent pedigree on thoroughbreds
as they fight at close quarters after the Samharian spears.
Vying in glory after the herd had settled
فَماso nothing راعَهُstartled him غلاَّexcept (apparent typo) وميضُlightning سَحَائِبٍclouds
فَما راعَهُ غلاَّ وميضُ سَحَائِبٍ
تَصُوْبُpour down بمنهلٍّwith a downpour منof الطَّعنِspear-thrusts والضَّرْبِand blows
تَصُوْبُ بمنهلٍّ من الطَّعنِ والضَّرْبِ
Nothing startled him but the lightning of clouds
Unheeding the threats and sparks from the clouds
pouring down a torrent of spear-thrusts and blows.
Aiming with death and blows from their drinking place
وقومand a people بهمthrough them يُستدركُis recovered الفَوتُwhat was lost عَنوَةًby force
وقوم بهم يُستدركُ الفَوتُ عَنوَةً
اذاwhen كانَit is سَهلاًeasy جاوزوهُthey pass beyond it الىto الصَّعْبِthe difficult
اذا كانَ سَهلاً جاوزوهُ الى الصَّعْبِ
And a people through whom what was lost is regained by force:
A people who forcibly make up for what was missed
when it is easy, they pass beyond it to the hard.
If the path was easy, they took the harder one
فهلاso why not شَدَدْتَyou held firm الطَّرفَthe steed يومَthe day تَعَرَّضَتْcame forth
فهلا شَدَدْتَ الطَّرفَ يومَ تَعَرَّضَتْ
فوارسُhorsemen منfrom أولادِthe offspring of حُرْقُفَةِa hipbone الكَلْبِthe dog
فوارسُ من أولادِ حُرْقُفَةِ الكَلْبِ
Why, then, did you not hold your steed firm on the day
Why did you not peer closely the day the horsemen
horsemen descended from 'the dog's hipbone' confronted you?
Of the despicable sons of Hurquf the dog approached?
كِرامٌnoble men رَحىmillstone قيسٍQays تدورُturns عليهمُupon them
كِرامٌ رَحى قيسٍ تدورُ عليهمُ
وكلand every رَحىmillstone دارتْhas turned تدورُturns علىupon قُطْبِan axle
وكل رَحى دارتْ تدورُ على قُطْبِ
Noble men, upon whom the millstone of Qays turns;
Nobles grinding the grain of Qais about them
and every turning millstone revolves upon an axle.
And every millstone that turns, turns upon its pivot
حَسِبتُI thought طِعَانَspear-thrusts الغُرِّthe illustrious آلِthe house of مُقَلَّدٍMuqallad
حَسِبتُ طِعَانَ الغُرِّ آلِ مُقَلَّدٍ
طِرادَmounted pursuit بنىthe sons of شَيْبَانَShayban فيin أثَرِthe wake of النَّهْبِplunder
طِرادَ بنى شَيْبَانَ في أثَرِ النَّهْبِ
I thought the lance-thrusts of the illustrious house of Muqallad
I thought the piercing insults from a slanderer
were Banu Shayban's charges in pursuit of plunder.
Were like the Bani Shayban pursuing loot
وأوطَأَكَand made you tread البَغيُaggression المُضَللُthe misleading جَمْرَةًa live coal
وأوطَأَكَ البَغيُ المُضَللُ جَمْرَةً
نكَصْتَyou recoiled لهاbecause of it يومthe day الهِياجbattle علىupon العَقْبِthe heel
نكَصْتَ لها يوم الهِياج على العَقْبِ
And deluding aggression made you tread upon a live coal,
And vile error made you stumble blindly
before which you recoiled on your heels on the day of battle.
Retreating from it in tumult and alarm
وجَوْثَةُand the assembled body حيٍّa tribe منwhoever يُردْهاseeks it بكَيْدِهِwith his schemes
وجَوْثَةُ حيٍّ من يُردْها بكَيْدِهِ
يكُنُwill be حَتْفُهُhis death أَدنىcloser اليهِto him منthan الرُّعْبِterror
يكُنُ حَتْفُهُ أَدنى اليهِ من الرُّعْبِ
And a tribe's assembled host—whoever targets it with his schemes
Only he who counters it with his schemes
will find his death nearer to him than terror.
Will meet his fate nearest to fear itself
فقولاso say, you two لهto him لاnot وَفَّقَgrant success اللهُGod رأْيَهُhis judgment
فقولا له لا وَفَّقَ اللهُ رأْيَهُ
متىwhen صَبَرَتْstood firm كردُthe Kurds الأَعاجمِthe non-Arabs للعُرْبِagainst the Arabs
متى صَبَرَتْ كردُ الأَعاجمِ للعُرْبِ
So tell him, you two—may God not grant his judgment success—
Say to him - may God not prosper his judgment! -
when have the non-Arab Kurds stood firm against the Arabs?
When did the Persian slaves withstand the Arabs?
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.