تَطاوَلَgrew prolonged هَمُّهُhis grief بِبُراقِat the stony tracts of سِعرِSi'r
تَطاوَلَ هَمُّهُ بِبُراقِ سِعرِ
لِذاكِرِهِمfor one remembering them وَأَيُّand what أَوانِtime of ذكرِremembrance
لِذاكِرِهِم وَأَيُّ أَوانِ ذكرِ
His grief lingered at the stony tracts of Si'r,
His anxiety grew with the shining of the morning star
for one remembering them—and what a time for remembrance!
For their sake, and what time is remembrance?
كَأَنَّas though النارَthe fire تُخرِجُهاbring it forth ثِيابيmy clothes
كَأَنَّ النارَ تُخرِجُها ثِيابي
وَتَدخُلُand it enters بِعدَafter نَومِthe sleep of الناسِpeople صَدريmy breast
وَتَدخُلُ بِعدَ نَومِ الناسِ صَدري
As though my clothes were giving forth fire,
As if fire brings out my clothes
and it enters my breast after people fall asleep.
And enters my heart after people's sleep
وَعَبّاسٌand Abbas يُدِبُّsets creeping لِيَtoward me المَناياdeaths
وَعَبّاسٌ يُدِبُّ لِيَ المَنايا
وَماand not أَذنَبتُI sinned إِلّاexcept ذَنبَthe fault of صُحرِSuhr
وَما أَذنَبتُ إِلّا ذَنبَ صُحرِ
And Abbas sends death creeping toward me,
And Abbas harms me
yet I have committed no fault but Suhr's.
Though I did no wrong but the sin of the desert
وَلَولاand were it not for اِبناthe two sons of تُماضِرَTumadir أَنthat يُساؤواthey be wronged
وَلَولا اِبنا تُماضِرَ أَن يُساؤوا
وَأَيand what مِنكfrom you غَيرُother than صَريمِa severing سَحرِpredawn
وَأَي مِنك غَيرُ صَريمِ سَحرِ
And were it not that Tumadir's two sons might be wronged,
Were it not for Ibn Tamadhir's sons being harmed
and what from you but a severing at dawn?
And which of you is other than a deceiving sorcerer?
لِباتَتthen she would spend the night تَضرِبُciting الأَمثالَproverbs عِنديin my presence
لِباتَت تَضرِبُ الأَمثالَ عِندي
عَلىover نابٍan aged she-camel شَرِبتُI drank بِهاwith its value وَبِكرِand a young male camel
عَلى نابٍ شَرِبتُ بِها وَبِكرِ
she would spend the night quoting proverbs at me,
The proverbs would spend the night with me
over an old she-camel and a young male camel whose value I drank away,
About a she-camel whose teats I milked when she was virgin
وَتَنسىand she forgets مَنthose whom أُفارِقُI part from غَيرَnot قالٍhating
وَتَنسى مَن أُفارِقُ غَيرَ قالٍ
وَأَصبِرُand I endure عَنهُمُapart from them مِنfrom آلِthe house of عَمرِوAmr
وَأَصبِرُ عَنهُمُ مِن آلِ عَمرِو
and forget those I leave without hatred,
And I forget those whom I separate from other than Qal
and whose absence I endure, from the house of Amr.
And I am more patient with them than the family of Amr
وَهَلand do تَدرينَyou know أَنthat مارُبَّmany a خِرقٍnoble, daring man
وَهَل تَدرينَ أَن مارُبَّ خِرقٍ
رُزِئتُI was bereaved of مُبَرَّأًunblemished بِقَصاصِthrough retaliation for وَترِa blood-debt
رُزِئتُ مُبَرَّأً بِقَصاصِ وَترِ
And do you know how many a noble man
Do you know that the patched garment of Marubb
I have lost, unblemished, to a blood-feud's vengeance—
I was cleared by retaliation and ransom
أَخيa man of ثِقَةٍtrustworthiness إِذاwhen الضَراءُadversity نابَتbefell
أَخي ثِقَةٍ إِذا الضَراءُ نابَت
وَأَهلَand a man of حَياءِshame before أَضيافguests وَنَحرِand camel-slaughter
وَأَهلَ حَياءِ أَضياف وَنَحرِ
a dependable man when adversity struck,
A brother of trust, when adversity turns away
one who felt shame before guests and slaughtered camels for them?
And a people of shyness, guests and slaughter
كَصَخرٍlike Sakhr لِلسَرِيَّةِfor the raiding troop غادَروهُthey left him
كَصَخرٍ لِلسَرِيَّةِ غادَروهُ
بِذَروةَat Dharwa أَوor مُعاوِيَةَMuawiya بنِson of عَمرِوAmr
بِذَروةَ أَو مُعاوِيَةَ بنِ عَمرِو
Like Sakhr, whom they left behind on the raid
Like a boulder left for the squadron
at Dharwa, or Muawiya son of Amr,
At the peak or Muawiyah ibn Amr
وَمَيتٍand a dead man بِالجَنابِat al-Janab أَثَلَّtoppled عَرشيmy throne
وَمَيتٍ بِالجَنابِ أَثَلَّ عَرشي
كَصَخرٍlike Sakhr أَوor كَعَمرٍوlike Amr أَوor كَبِشرِlike Bishr
كَصَخرٍ أَو كَعَمرٍو أَو كَبِشرِ
and a dead man at al-Janab who toppled my throne,
And a corpse in ritual impurity desecrated my throne
like Sakhr, or like Amr, or like Bishr,
Like a boulder or like Amr or like Bishr
وَآخَرَand another بِالنَواصِفِat al-Nawasif مِنfrom هِدامٍHidam
وَآخَرَ بِالنَواصِفِ مِن هِدامٍ
فَقَدso indeed أَودىhas perished وَرَبِّby the Lord of أَبيكِyour father صَبريmy patience
فَقَد أَودى وَرَبِّ أَبيكِ صَبري
and another at al-Nawasif, from Hidam—
And another with half poems from a destroyer
my patience has perished, by your father's Lord!
He has perished by the Lord of your father, my patience
فَلَمand I did not أَرَsee مِثلَهُمtheir like حَيّاًa tribe لِقاحاًindependent
فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَهُم حَيّاً لِقاحاً
أَقامواthey settled بَينَbetween قاضَيَةٍQadiya وَحِجرِand Hijr
أَقاموا بَينَ قاضَيَةٍ وَحِجرِ
I have never seen an independent tribe like them,
So I did not see the like of them alive for war
settled between Qadiya and Hijr,
They stood between Qadhiyah and Hijr
أَشُدُّstronger عَلىagainst صَروفِthe reversals of الدَهرِtime إِدّاًmight
أَشُدُّ عَلى صَروفِ الدَهرِ إِدّاً
وَآمَرَand more insistent مِنهُمthan them فيهاamid them بِصَبرِon patience
وَآمَرَ مِنهُم فيها بِصَبرِ
stronger in might against the reversals of time,
More steadfast against the turns of fate
or more insistent than they on patience amid them,
And he instructed them in it with patience
وَأُكرَمَand more generous حينَwhen ضَنَّbecame miserly الناسُpeople خيماًin nature
وَأُكرَمَ حينَ ضَنَّ الناسُ خيماً
وَأَحمَدَand more praiseworthy شيمَةًin character وَنَشيلَand meat drawn from قَدرِa cooking pot
وَأَحمَدَ شيمَةً وَنَشيلَ قَدرِ
or more generous in nature when people grew miserly,
And most generous when people were miserly of tents
or more praiseworthy in character and the meat drawn from their pots.
And most praising of noble traits and carrier of burdens
إِذاwhen الحَسناءُthe beautiful woman لَمdid not تَرحَضwash يَدَيهاher hands
إِذا الحَسناءُ لَم تَرحَض يَدَيها
وَلَمand not يُقصَرwas restrained لَهاfor her بَصَرٌa gaze بِسَترِby a screen
وَلَم يُقصَر لَها بَصَرٌ بِسَترِ
When the beautiful woman did not wash her hands,
When the beautiful woman does not beat her hands together
and no screen kept a gaze from her,
And her sight is not shortened through veiling
قَرواthey fed أَضيافَهُمtheir guests رَبَحاًyoung camels بِبُحٍّwith hoarse-voiced spears
قَروا أَضيافَهُم رَبَحاً بِبُحٍّ
تَجيءُthey bring بِعبقَرِيِّwith wondrous الوَدقِrain سُمرِbrown spears
تَجيءُ بِعبقَرِيِّ الوَدقِ سُمرِ
they fed their guests young camels taken with hoarse-voiced
They satisfied their guests with profit through sale
brown spears that bring a wondrous rain:
That comes with the perfume of the yellow wine skin
رِماحُspears of مُثَقِّفٍa shaft-straightener حَمَلَتthey bore نِصالاًspearheads
رِماحُ مُثَقِّفٍ حَمَلَت نِصالاً
يَلحنَthey gleam كَأَنَّهُنَّas though they were نُجومُstars of فَجرِdawn
يَلحنَ كَأَنَّهُنَّ نُجومُ فَجرِ
a shaft-straightener's spears, bearing points
Spears of a cultured man carried blades
that gleam as though they were stars at dawn.
That shine as if they are stars of dawn
جَلاهاpolished them الصَيقَلونَthe polishers فَأَخلَصوهاand so they refined them
جَلاها الصَيقَلونَ فَأَخلَصوها
مَواضِيَkeen-edged كُلُّهاall of them يَفريrends بِبَترِwith a severing cut
مَواضِيَ كُلُّها يَفري بِبَترِ
The polishers burnished them and refined them—
The polishers purified them
keen points, each rending with a severing cut.
Places all of which flee with castration
هُمthey الأَيسارُthe arrow-lot players إِنif قَحَطَتwithheld rain جُمادىJumada
هُم الأَيسارُ إِن قَحَطَت جُمادى
بِكُلِّof every صَبيرٍcloud-bank سارِيَةٍnight-rain cloud وَقَطرِand rainfall
بِكُلِّ صَبيرٍ سارِيَةٍ وَقَطرِ
They are the arrow-lot players if Jumada withholds
They are the left hands if Jumada is arid
every bank of night-cloud and every shower.
With every patient, lofty and generous one
يَصُدّونَthey turn back المُغيرَةَthe raiding band عَنfrom هَواهاits desire
يَصُدّونَ المُغيرَةَ عَن هَواها
بِطَعنٍwith thrusting يَفلُقُsplits الهاماتِskulls شَزرِfrom the side
بِطَعنٍ يَفلُقُ الهاماتِ شَزرِ
They turn the raiding band away from its desire
They repel the raider from his desire
with slanting thrusts that split skulls.
With a stab that splits the skull with bursting
تَعَلَّمَknow أَنَّthat خَيرَthe best of الناسِpeople طُرّاًall
تَعَلَّمَ أَنَّ خَيرَ الناسِ طُرّاً
لولَدانِfor children غَداةَon the morning of الريحِthe wind غُبرِdust-covered
لولَدانِ غَداةَ الريحِ غُبرِ
Know that the best of all people
He learned that the best people for orphans
for children, dust-covered on a windy morning,
On the morning of wind and dust
وَأَرمَلَةٍand a widow وَمُعَتَّرٍand a needy petitioner مُسَيفٍruined
وَأَرمَلَةٍ وَمُعَتَّرٍ مُسَيفٍ
عَديمbereft of المالwealth عَجزةِthe last-born child of أُمِّUmm; mother of صَخرِSakhr
عَديم المال عَجزةِ أُمِّ صَخرِ
and a widow and a needy, ruined petitioner,
And the widow, the needy, the sword-bearing
bereft of wealth—is Umm Sakhr's last-born.
The penniless, the incapable, mother of Sakhir
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.