بِئسَما ربّيته مِن ولدٍ

بِئسَما ربّيته مِن ولدٍ

قَد رجوتُ النصرَ فيه والظفر

قَد رجوتُ النصرَ فيه والظفر

What a wretched son I have raised!

How wretched the son I raised,

In him I had hoped for victory and triumph.

I had hoped for victory through him.

عاقَه مَقدور سوءٍ فَاِنثَنى

عاقَه مَقدور سوءٍ فَاِنثَنى

واِرتَوى بِالعارِ وَالرأيِ الأشر

واِرتَوى بِالعارِ وَالرأيِ الأشر

An evil fate hindered him, so he turned back.

But an evil fate made him weak,

And he drank his fill of shame and the vilest counsel.

And he was sated with dishonor and evil counsel.

قَبّح اللَّه لِباني إنّه

قَبّح اللَّه لِباني إنّه

كَلبانِ البكرِ مِن بغلٍ أَغرّ

كَلبانِ البكرِ مِن بغلٍ أَغرّ

May God curse my breast milk, for it is

May God make hideous the builder of his lineage,

Like a young camel's milk from a white-blazed mule.

He is like the mongrels of a bastard she-camel.

أيّها الناسُ أَفيقوا وَاِنظروا

أيّها الناسُ أَفيقوا وَاِنظروا

فَلَقد جاءَ بِأمرٍ مُشتهر

فَلَقد جاءَ بِأمرٍ مُشتهر

O people, come to your senses and look!

O people, wake up and look,

For indeed, he has done a notorious deed.

For he has come with a notorious affair.

قاتَل الأَعمام والخال لهُ

قاتَل الأَعمام والخال لهُ

جاهلٌ في الدهرِ في هتكِ النّفَر

جاهلٌ في الدهرِ في هتكِ النّفَر

He fought his paternal uncles and his maternal uncle—

Killing his uncles and uncle's son,

A fool, ever engaged in dishonoring that band of men.

Ignorant in life, violating sanctities.

مَعشرٌ مِنهم صرارٌ واِبنهُ

مَعشرٌ مِنهم صرارٌ واِبنهُ

وَيَزيدٌ ونفيعٌ وَعُمَر

وَيَزيدٌ ونفيعٌ وَعُمَر

A company including Sirar and his son,

A group of them - Sisara, his son,

And Yazid, Nufayʿ, and Umar.

Yazid, Nufay', and Umar.

لا سَقى اللَّه أَراضيهم حياً

لا سَقى اللَّه أَراضيهم حياً

وَوليدي غالهُ سوءُ القَدَر

وَوليدي غالهُ سوءُ القَدَر

May God never water their lands with rain!

May God not water their lands while alive,

And my little son was undone by evil fate.

And my son Walid - misfortune befell him.

وَتَقضّى أمَلي منهُ وَلا

وَتَقضّى أمَلي منهُ وَلا

عاشَ في خيرٍ ولا أَقضى وَطَر

عاشَ في خيرٍ ولا أَقضى وَطَر

And my hope in him is spent; may he not

And my hopes in him are cut off, without

Live in good fortune, nor fulfill a desire.

Him living in prosperity or fulfilling desire.

وَشِهابٌ قَد صَبا فيمَن صَبا

وَشِهابٌ قَد صَبا فيمَن صَبا

لَيسَ عُمري فيه سَمعٌ وَبَصر

لَيسَ عُمري فيه سَمعٌ وَبَصر

And Shihab has yielded to folly among those who yielded to it.

And Shihab who poured in those who poured,

By my life, he has neither hearing nor sight.

My life in him - neither hearing nor sight.

كان جسّاسٌ وَقد أهدى له

كان جسّاسٌ وَقد أهدى له

في كليبٍ عمّه ضوءَ القَمَر

في كليبٍ عمّه ضوءَ القَمَر

Jassas had already bestowed on him

He was a spy, and was guided to

The light of the moon concerning Kulayb, his paternal uncle.

Kulayb, his uncle, the moonlight.

فَبنو شَيبان خلصانٌ لهُ

فَبنو شَيبان خلصانٌ لهُ

أَهلُ نصحٍ وَصفاءٍ مُشتَهر

أَهلُ نصحٍ وَصفاءٍ مُشتَهر

So Banu Shayban are his devoted friends,

So Banu Shayban were loyal to him,

People of sincere counsel and well-known purity of heart.

People of sincerity and renowned purity.

فَلَحاه اللَّه عنّي رجلاً

فَلَحاه اللَّه عنّي رجلاً

وَرَمى إبني بسهمٍ مِن وَتر

وَرَمى إبني بسهمٍ مِن وَتر

So may God curse that man on my behalf,

May God curse him from me, a man

And may He shoot my son with an arrow from a bowstring.

Who cast my son with a bowstring's arrow.