طَرِبتَ وَهاجَ الشَوقَ مَنزِلَةٌ قَفرُ

طَرِبتَ وَهاجَ الشَوقَ مَنزِلَةٌ قَفرُ

تَراوَحَها عَصرٌ خَلا دونَهُ عَصرُ

تَراوَحَها عَصرٌ خَلا دونَهُ عَصرُ

You were stirred, and a deserted dwelling aroused longing;

Disturbed and longing stirred an abandoned abode,

age after bygone age has passed over it.

Through it passed an era, unlike any other era,

أَقولُ لِعَمروٍ يَومَ جُمدى نَعامَةٍ

أَقولُ لِعَمروٍ يَومَ جُمدى نَعامَةٍ

بِكَ اليَومَ بَأسٌ لا عَزاءٌ وَلا صَبرُ

بِكَ اليَومَ بَأسٌ لا عَزاءٌ وَلا صَبرُ

I say to ʿAmr on the day of Jumdā Naʿāmah:

I say to Amr on a cold day in Jumada,

“Distress is upon you today—no solace and no patience.”

Today you face distress without respite or patience,

أَلا تَسأَلانِ الجَوَّ جَوَّ مُتالِعٍ

أَلا تَسأَلانِ الجَوَّ جَوَّ مُتالِعٍ

أَما بَرِحَت بَعدي يَجودَةُ وَالقَصرُ

أَما بَرِحَت بَعدي يَجودَةُ وَالقَصرُ

Will you two not ask the valley, the valley of Mutāliʿ:

Do you not ask the weather, the weather of a mutual love,

“Have Yajūdah and al-Qaṣr not vanished since I left?”

Did it not remain after me, O Jewadah and palace?

أَقولُ وَذاكُم لِلعَجيبِ الَّذي أَرى

أَقولُ وَذاكُم لِلعَجيبِ الَّذي أَرى

أَمالَ اِبنَ مالٍ ما رَبيعَةُ وَالفَخرُ

أَمالَ اِبنَ مالٍ ما رَبيعَةُ وَالفَخرُ

I say—and that is because of the marvel I behold—

I say though you are strange with wonders I see,

“O Māl, son of Māl, what has Rabīʿah to do with boasting?”

The son of Maal turned away Rabee'ah and the pride,

أَساؤوا فَكانَت مِن رَبيعَةَ عادَةً

أَساؤوا فَكانَت مِن رَبيعَةَ عادَةً

بِأَن لا يَزالوا نازِلينَ وَلا يَقروا

بِأَن لا يَزالوا نازِلينَ وَلا يَقروا

They did wrong, and this became a habit of Rabīʿah:

They did evil so it was the way of Rabee'ah

to keep encamping, yet never offer hospitality.

To always be moving and never settle,

يُحالِفُهُم فَقرٌ قَديمٌ وَذِلَّةٌ

يُحالِفُهُم فَقرٌ قَديمٌ وَذِلَّةٌ

وَبِئسَ الحَليفانِ المَذَلَّةُ وَالفَقرُ

وَبِئسَ الحَليفانِ المَذَلَّةُ وَالفَقرُ

Long-standing poverty and abasement are their allies;

Ancient poverty and disgrace ally them

and wretched are the two allies: abasement and poverty.

And wretched allies are disgrace and poverty,

فَصَبراً عَلى ذُلٍّ رَبيعَ بنَ مالِكٍ

فَصَبراً عَلى ذُلٍّ رَبيعَ بنَ مالِكٍ

وَكُلُّ ذَليلٍ خَيرُ عادَتِهِ الصَبرُ

وَكُلُّ ذَليلٍ خَيرُ عادَتِهِ الصَبرُ

So bear humiliation patiently, Rabīʿ son of Mālik;

So patience, O Rabee' ibn Maalik, over degradation

and for every abased man, patience is his best habit.

And every disgraced soul's best trait is patience,

وَأَكثَرَ ما كانَت رَبيعَةُ أَنَّها

وَأَكثَرَ ما كانَت رَبيعَةُ أَنَّها

خِباءانِ شَتّى لا أَنيسٌ وَلا قَفرُ

خِباءانِ شَتّى لا أَنيسٌ وَلا قَفرُ

And the most Rabīʿah ever amounted to was

And mostly Rabee'ah were different groups

two scattered tents—neither inhabited nor deserted.

With no companion or uninhabited land,

بِأَيِّ قَديمٍ يا رَبيعَ بنَ مالِكٍ

بِأَيِّ قَديمٍ يا رَبيعَ بنَ مالِكٍ

وَأَنتُم ذُنابى لا يَدانِ وَلا صَدرُ

وَأَنتُم ذُنابى لا يَدانِ وَلا صَدرُ

What ancestral glory can you claim, O Rabīʿ son of Mālik,

With what ancient ways, O Rabee' ibn Maalik,

when you are the tail, neither hands nor breast?

While you are my tails with no hands or chests,

إِذا قيلَ يَوماً يالَ حَنظَلَةَ اِركَبوا

إِذا قيلَ يَوماً يالَ حَنظَلَةَ اِركَبوا

نَزَلتَ بِقِرواحٍ وَطَمَّ بِكَ البَحرُ

نَزَلتَ بِقِرواحٍ وَطَمَّ بِكَ البَحرُ

When one day the cry goes up, “Men of Ḥanẓalah, mount!”

If one day it was said, O Hanthalah ride!

you dismount on a bare plain, and the sea engulfs you.

You descended at Qurowah and the sea raged at you.