أَلَسنا بِفُرعٍ قَد عَلِمتُم دِعامَةً

أَلَسنا بِفُرعٍ قَد عَلِمتُم دِعامَةً

وَرابِيَةً تَنشَقُّ عَنها سُيولُها

وَرابِيَةً تَنشَقُّ عَنها سُيولُها

Are we not at Furʿ, as you know, a pillar,

Are we not a branch that you knew to be supported

and a hill from which its torrents divide?

And a highland from which its floods split off

وَقَد عَلِمَت سَعدُ بنُ ذُبيانَ أَنَّنا

وَقَد عَلِمَت سَعدُ بنُ ذُبيانَ أَنَّنا

رَحاها الَّذي تَأوي إِلَيها وُجولُها

رَحاها الَّذي تَأوي إِلَيها وُجولُها

And Saʿd ibn Dhubyān knows well that we are

And Sa'd bin Dhubyan had known that we

their millstone, where their frightened ones take refuge.

Are the pasture to which its grazing livestock return

إِذا لَم تَسئَكُم في الأُمورِ وَلَم تَكُن

إِذا لَم تَسئَكُم في الأُمورِ وَلَم تَكُن

لِحَربٍ عَوانٍ لامِحٍ مَن يَثولُها

لِحَربٍ عَوانٍ لامِحٍ مَن يَثولُها

If it does not trouble you in affairs, and there is no

If you are not harmed in affairs and are not

watchful one to stir an oft-renewed war,

For a violent war, having one who makes it rage

فَلَستُم بِأَهدى في البِلادِ مِنَ الَّتي

فَلَستُم بِأَهدى في البِلادِ مِنَ الَّتي

تَرَدَّدُ حَيرى حينَ غابَ دَليلُها

تَرَدَّدُ حَيرى حينَ غابَ دَليلُها

then you are no better guided through the land than one who

Then you are not more guided in the lands than she who

wanders bewildered when her guide is gone.

Wanders confused when her guide was lost

دَعَت جُلُّ يَربوعٍ عَقيلاً لِحادِثٍ

دَعَت جُلُّ يَربوعٍ عَقيلاً لِحادِثٍ

مِنَ الأَمرِ فَاِستَخفى وَأَعيا عَقيلُها

مِنَ الأَمرِ فَاِستَخفى وَأَعيا عَقيلُها

Most of Yarbūʿ called upon ʿAqīl over a crisis

The best part of Jarbu' called ‘Aqil for an incident

in their affairs, but their ʿAqīl hid himself and proved helpless.

Of the matter, so he was indifferent and his intellect failed him

فَقُلتُ لَهُ هَلّا أَجَبتَ عَشيرَةً

فَقُلتُ لَهُ هَلّا أَجَبتَ عَشيرَةً

لِطارِقِ لَيلٍ حينَ جاءَ رَسولُها

لِطارِقِ لَيلٍ حينَ جاءَ رَسولُها

So I said to him: Why did you not answer a clan's call

So I said to him, why didn't you respond to a tribe

in a calamity by night, when its messenger came?

Whose night visitor came when its messenger came

وَكائِنٌ لَنا مِن رَبوَةٍ لا تَنالُها

وَكائِنٌ لَنا مِن رَبوَةٍ لا تَنالُها

مَراقيكَ أَو جُرثومَةٌ لا تَطولُها

مَراقيكَ أَو جُرثومَةٌ لا تَطولُها

And how many a height is ours that cannot be reached

And we will have from Rabwah which your

by your ladders, or a rootstock you cannot attain!

Horses cannot reach or Jurthumah which your raiding parties cannot raid

فَخَرَّتَ بِأَيّامٍ لِغَيرِكَ فَخرُها

فَخَرَّتَ بِأَيّامٍ لِغَيرِكَ فَخرُها

وَغُرَّتُها مَعروفَةٌ وَحُجولُها

وَغُرَّتُها مَعروفَةٌ وَحُجولُها

You boasted of battle-days whose glory belongs to others;

So you fell for days not yours, and their glory

and their forehead blaze is known, as are their white fetlock marks.

Is well-known, and their mature she-camels

إِذا الناسُ هابوا سوءَةً عِمَدَت لَها

إِذا الناسُ هابوا سوءَةً عِمَدَت لَها

بَنو جابِرٍ شُبّانُها وَكُهولُها

بَنو جابِرٍ شُبّانُها وَكُهولُها

When people shrink from a shameful deed, they make straight for it—

When people recoil from evil, the clan of Jabir

the sons of Jābir, their young men and their mature men.

Set out for it, their youth and their elders

فَهَلّا بَني سَعدٍ صَبَحتَ بِغارَةٍ

فَهَلّا بَني سَعدٍ صَبَحتَ بِغارَةٍ

مُسَوَّمَةٍ قَد طارَ عَنها نَسيلُها

مُسَوَّمَةٍ قَد طارَ عَنها نَسيلُها

Why, then, did you not strike Banū Saʿd at dawn with a raiding force,

Why don't the clan of Sa‘d attack with a raid

on marked steeds, their loose hair already flown from them,

In numbers, after its runoff has flowed

فَتُدرِكَ وِتراً عِندَ أَلأُمِ واتِرٍ

فَتُدرِكَ وِتراً عِندَ أَلأُمِ واتِرٍ

وَتُدرِكَ قَتلى لَم تُتَمَّ عُقولُها

وَتُدرِكَ قَتلى لَم تُتَمَّ عُقولُها

and so avenge a blood-debt upon the vilest killer,

So you can catch up to a heavily laden camel when the unweaner calls

and avenge the slain whose blood-money was not paid in full?

And catch up to dead people whose minds were not complete