تُغَطّي نُمَيرٌ بِالعَمائِمِ لُؤمَها

تُغَطّي نُمَيرٌ بِالعَمائِمِ لُؤمَها

وَكَيفَ يُغَطّي اللُؤمَ طَيُّ العَمائِمِ

وَكَيفَ يُغَطّي اللُؤمَ طَيُّ العَمائِمِ

Numayr covers its baseness with turbans;

Numayr covers its defects with turbans,

but how can the winding of turbans cover baseness?

And how can the defects be covered by the turbans' folds?

فَإِن تَضرِبونا بِالسِياطِ فَإِنَّنا

فَإِن تَضرِبونا بِالسِياطِ فَإِنَّنا

ضَرَبناكُمُ بِالمُرهَفاتِ الصَوارِمِ

ضَرَبناكُمُ بِالمُرهَفاتِ الصَوارِمِ

So if you strike us with whips, then we

If you strike us with whips, we surely

have struck you with keen, cleaving swords.

Struck you with polished swords.

وَإِن تَحلِقوا مِنّا رُؤوساً فَإِنَّنا

وَإِن تَحلِقوا مِنّا رُؤوساً فَإِنَّنا

حَلَقنا رُؤوساً بِالقَنا وَالغَلاصِمِ

حَلَقنا رُؤوساً بِالقَنا وَالغَلاصِمِ

And if you shave heads among us, then we

If you shave some of our heads, we surely

have shorn off heads—and throats—with spears.

Shaved heads with spears and piercing blades.

وَإِن تَمنَعوا مِنّا السِلاحَ فَعِندَنا

وَإِن تَمنَعوا مِنّا السِلاحَ فَعِندَنا

سِلاحٌ لَنا لا يُشتَرى بِالدَراهِمِ

سِلاحٌ لَنا لا يُشتَرى بِالدَراهِمِ

And if you withhold weapons from us, we have

If you forbid us from weapons, we have

weapons of our own, not bought with dirhams:

Weapons that cannot be bought with money.

جَلاميدُ أَملاءُ الأَكُفِّ كَأَنَّها

جَلاميدُ أَملاءُ الأَكُفِّ كَأَنَّها

رُؤوسُ رِجالٍ خُلِّقَت بِالمَواسِمِ

رُؤوسُ رِجالٍ خُلِّقَت بِالمَواسِمِ

hard stones filling the palms, as though they were

Swords of Indian steel as if they are

men’s heads made smooth with branding irons.

Heads of men created for seasons.