أَبا مُنذِرٍ كانَت غَروراً صَحيفَتي

أَبا مُنذِرٍ كانَت غَروراً صَحيفَتي

وَلَم أُعطِكُم بِالطَوعِ مالي وَلا عِرضي

وَلَم أُعطِكُم بِالطَوعِ مالي وَلا عِرضي

O Abu Mundhir, my letter was a deception.

Abu Munthir, my pages were a delusion,

And I did not willingly give you my wealth or my honor.

And I did not give you my money or honor willingly.

أَبا مُنذِرٍ أَفنَيتَ فَاِستَبقِ بَعضَنا

أَبا مُنذِرٍ أَفنَيتَ فَاِستَبقِ بَعضَنا

حَنانَيكَ بَعضُ الشَرِّ أَهوَنَ مِن بَعضِ

حَنانَيكَ بَعضُ الشَرِّ أَهوَنَ مِن بَعضِ

O Abu Mundhir, you have laid us waste; so spare some of us.

Abu Munthir, you have wasted away, so let us move on,

Your mercy, I beg! Some evils are lighter than others.

For your affection is but varying degrees of evil.

فَأَقسَمتُ عِندَ النُصبِ إِنّي لَهالِكٌ

فَأَقسَمتُ عِندَ النُصبِ إِنّي لَهالِكٌ

بِمُلتَفَّةٍ لَيسَت بِغَبطٍ وَلا خَفضِ

بِمُلتَفَّةٍ لَيسَت بِغَبطٍ وَلا خَفضِ

So I swore beside the altar-stone: I am surely doomed

I swore in adversity that I was doomed

In a tangled calamity, with neither bliss nor ease.

To a shroud that brought no solace or dignity.

خُذوا حِذرَكُم أَهلَ المُشَقَّرِ وَالصَفا

خُذوا حِذرَكُم أَهلَ المُشَقَّرِ وَالصَفا

عَبيدَ اِسبُذٍ وَالقَرضُ يُجزى مِنَ القَرضِ

عَبيدَ اِسبُذٍ وَالقَرضُ يُجزى مِنَ القَرضِ

Be on your guard, people of al-Mushaqqar and al-Safa,

Take heed, people of Mishqar and Sifa,

Slaves of Isbudh—and a loan is repaid with a loan.

Slaves of Ibsudh, for a loan is repaid in kind.

سَتَصبَحُكَ الغَلباءُ تَغلِبُ غارَةً

سَتَصبَحُكَ الغَلباءُ تَغلِبُ غارَةً

هُنالِكَ لا يُنجيكَ عَرضٌ مِنَ العَرضِ

هُنالِكَ لا يُنجيكَ عَرضٌ مِنَ العَرضِ

Mighty Taghlib will come upon you in a dawn raid;

The victors will overcome you at dawn,

There, no amount of worldly wealth will save you.

And no honor will save you then.

وَتُلبِسُ قَوماً بِالمُشَقَّرِ وَالصَفا

وَتُلبِسُ قَوماً بِالمُشَقَّرِ وَالصَفا

شَآبيبَ مَوتٍ تَستَهِلُّ وَلا تُغضي

شَآبيبَ مَوتٍ تَستَهِلُّ وَلا تُغضي

And it will clothe a people at al-Mushaqqar and al-Safa

You will clothe people in Mishqar and Sifa

In showers of death that pour down and never relent.

In the winding sheets of a death that comes unimpeded.

تَميلُ عَلى العَبديِّ في جَوِّ دارِهِ

تَميلُ عَلى العَبديِّ في جَوِّ دارِهِ

وَعَوفَ بنَ سَعدٍ تَختَرِمهُ عَنِ المَحضِ

وَعَوفَ بنَ سَعدٍ تَختَرِمهُ عَنِ المَحضِ

It will bear down upon al-Abdi in the midst of his home,

They sway against the servant in the air of his house

And snatch Awf son of Sa'd away from his pure milk.

And Awf ibn Saad who undoes him of resolve.

هُما أَورَداني المَوتَ عَمداً وَجَرَّدا

هُما أَورَداني المَوتَ عَمداً وَجَرَّدا

عَلى الغَدرِ خَيلاً ما تَمَلُّ مِنَ الرَكضِ

عَلى الغَدرِ خَيلاً ما تَمَلُّ مِنَ الرَكضِ

Those two deliberately brought me to death and mustered

They brought me deliberate death and stripped me

For treachery, horses that never tire of galloping.

Of horses that gallop relentlessly.