أَنابغَ لَمْ تَنْبَغْ ولَمْ تَكُ أَوّلا

أَنابغَ لَمْ تَنْبَغْ ولَمْ تَكُ أَوّلا

وكُنْتَ صُنيّاً بَيْنَ صُدَّيْنِ مَجْهَلا

وكُنْتَ صُنيّاً بَيْنَ صُدَّيْنِ مَجْهَلا

O Nabigha, you never rose to distinction, nor were you first;

You never excelled, nor were you first,

You were an obscure little waterhole between two mountains.

And were shielded between two ignorant men.

أَنابغَ إنْ تَنْبَغْ بلُؤْمِكَ لا تَجِدْ

أَنابغَ إنْ تَنْبَغْ بلُؤْمِكَ لا تَجِدْ

لِلُؤْمِكَ إِلاّ وَسْطَ جَعْدَةَ مَجْعَلا

لِلُؤْمِكَ إِلاّ وَسْطَ جَعْدَةَ مَجْعَلا

O Nabigha, if you gain fame through your baseness, you will not find

An-Nabighah, if you excel in your vileness, you will not find

A place for your baseness except in the midst of Ja'da.

Except amid the locks of Ja'dah's disheveled hair.

أعَيَّرْتَني داءً بأمّك مِثْلُهُ

أعَيَّرْتَني داءً بأمّك مِثْلُهُ

وأيُّ جَوادٍ لا يُقالُ لَهُ هلا

وأيُّ جَوادٍ لا يُقالُ لَهُ هلا

Did you taunt me with an affliction whose like is in your mother?

You insulted me with an illness like your mother's,

And what noble steed is never called 'Hala!'?

And which steed isn't called spirited?

ومَا كُنتُ لو قاذفتُ جُلَّ عَشيرتي

ومَا كُنتُ لو قاذفتُ جُلَّ عَشيرتي

لأذْكُرَ قَعْبَي حازِرٍ قَدْ تَثَمَّلا

لأذْكُرَ قَعْبَي حازِرٍ قَدْ تَثَمَّلا

And I would not, even if I traded slanders with most of my clan,

I would not have mentioned the heel of Hazir

Mention two bowls of sour milk that had settled.

Had I cast aspersions on my whole tribe.

أَتانِي مِنَ الأنْباءِ أنّ عَشيرَةً

أَتانِي مِنَ الأنْباءِ أنّ عَشيرَةً

بشَورانَ يَزْجُونَ المطيَّ المُنَعَّلا

بشَورانَ يَزْجُونَ المطيَّ المُنَعَّلا

News reached me that a clan

News came to me that a tribe

At Shawran was driving its shod riding-camels.

In Shauran saddle well-bred horses,

يَرُوحُ ويَغْدُو وَفْدُهُمْ بصحِيفَةٍ

يَرُوحُ ويَغْدُو وَفْدُهُمْ بصحِيفَةٍ

لِيَسْتَجْلِدُوا لي ساءَ ذلك مَعْمَلا

لِيَسْتَجْلِدُوا لي ساءَ ذلك مَعْمَلا

Their delegation goes out evening and morning with a petition,

Their delegates come and go with a letter

To have me flogged—what an evil undertaking that was!

To take from me the evil price of protection.

على غَيْرِ جُرْمٍ غيرَ أنْ قُلْتُ عمّهم

على غَيْرِ جُرْمٍ غيرَ أنْ قُلْتُ عمّهم

يَعِيشُ أبوهم في ذُراهُ مغفَّلا

يَعِيشُ أبوهم في ذُراهُ مغفَّلا

For no crime, save that I said, 'Their uncle—

Without any crime except that I said about their uncle

Their father lives under his protection, unsuspecting.'

He lives while his people are plunged in misery,

وأعْمى أتاهُ بالحجازِ نَثاهُمُ

وأعْمى أتاهُ بالحجازِ نَثاهُمُ

وكانَ بأطرافِ الجِبالِ فأسْهَلا

وكانَ بأطرافِ الجِبالِ فأسْهَلا

And a blind man—news of them reached him in the Hijaz;

And a blind man brought him in the Hijaz and inspired them,

He had been on the mountains' outskirts, then entered the plain.

Though he was on the outskirts of mountains so he slipped down.

فَجاءَ به أَصْحابُهُ يحملُونَهُ

فَجاءَ به أَصْحابُهُ يحملُونَهُ

إلى خَيْرِ حيٍّ آخَرينَ وأَوَّلا

إلى خَيْرِ حيٍّ آخَرينَ وأَوَّلا

So his companions brought him, carrying him,

His companions carried him

To the finest tribe, in later times and earlier.

To the abode of another tribe which was more excellent and former.

إذا صَدَرَتْ وُرَّادُهم عَنْ حِياضِهِمْ

إذا صَدَرَتْ وُرَّادُهم عَنْ حِياضِهِمْ

تُغادِرُ نَهْباً للزكاةِ مُعقَّلا

تُغادِرُ نَهْباً للزكاةِ مُعقَّلا

When their water-seekers depart from their watering pools,

When their warriors turn away from their enclosures

They leave tethered booty for alms.

They leave exposed to raids a protected settlement,

تساوِرُ سَوَّاراً إلى المَجْدِ والعُلى

تساوِرُ سَوَّاراً إلى المَجْدِ والعُلى

وفي ذِمّتي لَئِنْ فَعَلْتَ لَيفْعَلا

وفي ذِمّتي لَئِنْ فَعَلْتَ لَيفْعَلا

You vie with Sawwar for glory and high rank;

Taking bracelets as spoils to glory and elevation.

And I pledge my word: if you do, he surely will,

And by my honor if you do the like I shall do it too

بمَجْدٍ إذا المرءُ اللّئيمُ أرادَهُ

بمَجْدٍ إذا المرءُ اللّئيمُ أرادَهُ

هَوى دُونَهُ في مَهْبَلٍ ثم عَضَّلا

هَوى دُونَهُ في مَهْبَلٍ ثم عَضَّلا

With a glory that, if a base man seeks it,

With a glory, which if the despicable man seeks,

He falls short of it into an abyss, then is trapped.

He will fall into an abyss and be twisted.

وَهَلْ أَنْتَ إنْ كان الهِجاءُ مُحَرَّماً

وَهَلْ أَنْتَ إنْ كان الهِجاءُ مُحَرَّماً

وفي غيرِهِ فَضْلٌ لمَنْ كان أَفْضَلا

وفي غيرِهِ فَضْلٌ لمَنْ كان أَفْضَلا

And what are you, if invective is forbidden,

Are you forbidden from satire

And in other pursuits the worthier man has the advantage?

While in other matters the nobler man is distinguished?

لَنا تامكٌ دون السَّماءِ وأَصْلُهُ

لَنا تامكٌ دون السَّماءِ وأَصْلُهُ

مُقِيمٌ طوالَ الدَّهْرِ لَنْ يتحَلْحَلا

مُقِيمٌ طوالَ الدَّهْرِ لَنْ يتحَلْحَلا

Ours is a towering glory beneath the sky, and its foundation

We have a bow below the sky and its origin

Stands firm throughout time; it will never budge.

Standing erect forever will not be shaken.

وما كانَ مَجْدٌ في أُناسٍ عَلِمْتُهُ

وما كانَ مَجْدٌ في أُناسٍ عَلِمْتُهُ

مِنَ النَّاسِ إلاّ مَجْدُنا كان أَوَّلا

مِنَ النَّاسِ إلاّ مَجْدُنا كان أَوَّلا

Never has glory existed among any people, to my knowledge,

And I knew no glory among people,

Among mankind, without our glory being first.

Except our glory which was first.

فَلَوْ كُنْتَ إذْ جارَيْتَ جارَيْتَ فانياً

فَلَوْ كُنْتَ إذْ جارَيْتَ جارَيْتَ فانياً

جَرى وَهْوَ قَحْمٌ أَو ثَنِيّاً مُعَيِّلا

جَرى وَهْوَ قَحْمٌ أَو ثَنِيّاً مُعَيِّلا

So, had you, when you raced, raced against a worn-out old man

So had you, when contending with me, contended with one doomed to die,

Who ran though decrepit, or a young, two-toothed one burdened with dependents.

He would have gone the way of a blotched nose or bent cripple.