إِن أَدع مسكيناً فما قصرت

إِن أَدع مسكيناً فما قصرت

قدري بيوت الحي والجدرُ

قدري بيوت الحي والجدرُ

If I am called Miskin, never have

If I call a poor man, I do not fall short

The clan's houses and walls confined my cooking pot.

My prosperity, the houses of life and walls

ما مَسَ رحلي العَنكَبوت ولا

ما مَسَ رحلي العَنكَبوت ولا

جدياته من وضعه غيرُ

جدياته من وضعه غيرُ

No spider has touched my saddle, nor

No spider has touched my belongings and no

Have its pads decayed from being laid aside.

Termites from where it was placed, another

لا آخذ الصبيان أَلثمهم

لا آخذ الصبيان أَلثمهم

وَالأَمر قد يغري به الأَمرُ

وَالأَمر قد يغري به الأَمرُ

I do not pick up children to kiss them,

I do not take the children to kiss them

For one deed may tempt one into another.

And the matter may tempt him matter

ولرب يوم قد تركت وما

ولرب يوم قد تركت وما

بيني وبين لقائه سترُ

بيني وبين لقائه سترُ

And many a day I have forsaken, though

And maybe one day I left and what

No screen stood between me and meeting it.

Between me and meeting him is a veil

وَمخاصم قاومت في كبدٍ

وَمخاصم قاومت في كبدٍ

مثل الدهان فكانَ لي العذرُ

مثل الدهان فكانَ لي العذرُ

And many an adversary I withstood in hardship,

And an adversary I resisted in the liver

Like oil; and I had just cause.

Like paint so I had the excuse

ما علتي قومي بنو عُدس

ما علتي قومي بنو عُدس

وَهم المُلوك وَخالي البشرُ

وَهم المُلوك وَخالي البشرُ

What shortcoming have I? My people are the sons of ʿUdas;

Not my people, the sons of Udays

They are kings, and my maternal uncle is al-Bishr.

And they are the kings and my folks are human

عمي زُرارة غير منتحل

عمي زُرارة غير منتحل

وأَبى الَّذي حُدثته عمرو

وأَبى الَّذي حُدثته عمرو

My paternal uncle is Zurārah—no false claim—

My uncle Zurarah is not pretentious

And my father, of whom you have been told, is ʿAmr.

And my father, whom I told, Amr

في المَجد غرتنا مبينة

في المَجد غرتنا مبينة

للناظرين كأَنَّها البَدرُ

للناظرين كأَنَّها البَدرُ

In glory, our forehead's white blaze is plain

In glory, we were tempted by a bright sight

To onlookers, as though it were the full moon.

To the beholders as if it were the full moon

لا يرهب الجيران غدرتنا

لا يرهب الجيران غدرتنا

حَتىّ يواري ذكرنا القَبرُ

حَتىّ يواري ذكرنا القَبرُ

The neighbors do not fear our treachery,

The neighbors do not fear our betrayal

Until the grave conceals our memory.

Until our mention buries the grave

لسنا كأَقوام إِذا كلحت

لسنا كأَقوام إِذا كلحت

إِحدى السنين فجارهم تمرُ

إِحدى السنين فجارهم تمرُ

We are not like folk who, when

We are not like people, if one of

A year scowls, treat their neighbor as dates.

The years tricked them, their dates are ripe

مَولاهم لحم على وضم

مَولاهم لحم على وضم

تَنتابه العقبان وَالنسرُ

تَنتابه العقبان وَالنسرُ

Their dependent is meat upon a board,

Their lord is meat on the preserve

Visited in turn by eagles and the vulture.

Which the eagles and vultures swoop down on

ناري ونار الجار واحدة

ناري ونار الجار واحدة

وَإِليهِ قبلي تُنزل القدرُ

وَإِليهِ قبلي تُنزل القدرُ

My fire and my neighbor's fire are one,

My fire and my neighbor’s fire is one

And to him, before me, the cooking pot is brought.

And to him before me the pot is brought down

ما ضَرَّ جاري إِذ أَجاوره

ما ضَرَّ جاري إِذ أَجاوره

أَن لا يَكون لبيته سترُ

أَن لا يَكون لبيته سترُ

It harms my neighbor not, while I live beside him,

My neighbor did not harm me when I settled next to him

That his house should have no screen.

That his house has no veil

أَعمى إِذا ما جارتي خرجت

أَعمى إِذا ما جارتي خرجت

حتىّ يواري جارتي الخدرُ

حتىّ يواري جارتي الخدرُ

I am blind whenever my female neighbor goes out,

I am blind when my neighbor goes out

Until the curtained chamber conceals my neighbor.

Until the wall hides my neighbor

وَيصم عما كان بينهما

وَيصم عما كان بينهما

سَمعي وَما بي غيره وقرُ

سَمعي وَما بي غيره وقرُ

And to what passes between them grows deaf

And deaf to what was between them

My hearing; otherwise no deafness afflicts me.

My hearing and none other but tranquility