أَأهجوا تَميماً إن تَعرَّضَ مُلصَقٌ

أَأهجوا تَميماً إن تَعرَّضَ مُلصَقٌ

إليها دَعي قد نفتهُ قرونُها

إليها دَعي قد نفتهُ قرونُها

Shall I lampoon Tamim if a hanger-on challenges me—

Shall I abuse Tameem if an insolent one

a false claimant to their kinship, whom their generations have cast out?

Attaches himself to her, though her eras have rejected him?

فآخذُها طراً بذنبِ دَعيها

فآخذُها طراً بذنبِ دَعيها

فأينَ نُهى قومي وأَينَ حُلومُها

فأينَ نُهى قومي وأَينَ حُلومُها

And hold them all accountable for their false claimant's sin?

So I seize her strongly by the tail of her insolent one,

Then where is my people's reason, and where their forbearance?

Where is the prohibition of my people and where is their patience?

وما في دَعِيِّ القومِ ثأرٌ لثائرٍ

وما في دَعِيِّ القومِ ثأرٌ لثائرٍ

ولم تَقترف ذَنباً فيهدى صميمها

ولم تَقترف ذَنباً فيهدى صميمها

There is no vengeance for an avenger in the people's false claimant;

There is no vengeance in the insolence of the people for an avenger,

nor have they committed a sin for their true stock to be offered up.

And she did not commit a sin wherein its entirety is condemned.

أعافيَ إنَّ اللومَ منك سجيّةٌ

أعافيَ إنَّ اللومَ منك سجيّةٌ

وشرُّ حِلال الأدعياءِ قَديمُها

وشرُّ حِلال الأدعياءِ قَديمُها

O ʿĀfī, reproach is an innate disposition of yours,

Do you think blame from you is a habit?

and the worst of false claimants' traits are their longstanding ones.

And the worst of the habits of insolent ones is its old age.