إِذَا الْمـرْء لَم يُدْنَس مِن الْلُؤْم عِرْضُهُ
فَكـلُّ رِدَاءٍ يَـرتـدَيـهُ جـميلُ
If one’s honor is not by meanness smeared
Every apparel he dons is beautiful indeed
وَإِن هُو لَم يَحْمِل عَلَى الْنَّفْس ضَيْمَهَا
فليـسَ إِلَى حُسْن الْثِّنـاءِ سَبيـلُ
And if he trains not himself to suffer and endure
Sweet praise is an impossibility for sure
تُعيّـرُنـا أَنـا قليـلٌ عَـديدُنـا
فَقُلـتُ لـهَا إِن الْكِـرامَ قليـلُ
She taunts us that we are few in number
I said to her: few are those noble in character
وَمَا قَلَّ مَن كَانـت بَقَايـاهُ مِثْلَنـا
شَبَابٌ تَسامـى لِلْعُلـى وكُهـولُ
No few people whose surviving traces resemble us
Both young men and old aspired for eminence
وَمَا ضَرَّنـا أَنـا قَليـلٌ وجارُنـا
عزيـزٌ وَجـارُ الْأَكْثَريـنَ ذُليـلُ
No harm in being few when our neighbor with might endued
While the neighbor of the numerous is defeated and subdued
لَنـا جَبـلٌ يـَحتلّـهُ مَن نُجِيـرُهُ
مَنِّيـعٌ يَرُدُّ الَطـرْفَ وَهْوَ كَليـلُ
Those we protect occupy our mountain, ever unassailable stays
Even the eye tires looking at it and reverts its gaze
رَسَا أَصلُهُ تَحْتَ الثـرَى وَسـمَا بِهِ
إِلَى الْنَّجـمِ فَرْعٌ لَا يُنالُ طُويـلُ
Its base, under the soil, securely fixed in place
Its tall, unscalable stature seeks the stars in the vast space
هُو الْأَبْلَقُ الْفَرْدُ الَّذِي شَاعَ ذِكـرُهُ
يَعزُّ عَلـى مَن رَامَـهُ وَيَطـولُ
It is the unique, stark white, famed mountain
That no one has yet been able to attain
وَإِنـا لَقـومٌ لَا نَرَى الْقَتـلَ سُبَـةً
إِذَا مـا رَأَتـهُ عَامِـرٌ وَسَلُــولُ
Being killed brings no shame to our soul
Even if it does to Amer and Saloul
يُقَرِّبُ حُبُ الـمَوْتِ آجَالَنـا لَنـا
وَتَكرَههُ آَجـالُهـم فَتَطــوَلُ
Our love for death brings it closer to us
While they hate it, living longer thus
وَمَا مَاتَ مِنَّا سَيـدٌ حَتـفَ أَنْفـهِ
وَلَا طُلَّ مِنَّا حَيـثُ كـانَ قَتيـلُ
A natural death is alien to our noblemen
Nor do we fail to avenge those of us who are slain
تسيـلُ عَلَى حَدّ الْظباتِ نُفوسُنـا
وَلَيْسَتْ عَلَى غَيـر الظباتِ تسيـلُ
Our souls on sword blades stream forth thither
And never by any other means flow, ever
صَفْوَنَا فَلَم نَكـدُر وَأَخلَصَ سرّنـا
إِنـاثٌ أَطَابـت حِـملْنَا وُفُحـولُ
We have maintained our origin undefiled, pure
Thanks to our chaste women and noble men, for sure
عَلَوْنَا إِلَى خَيـر الْظهـوَرِ وَحَطّنـا
لُوِّقـتٍ إِلَى خَيـر الْبطونِ نـُزولُ
To the best and greatest backs upward we ascended
Then to the greatest and best wombs downward we descended
فَنُحـن كَمَاء الْمُـزِن مَا فِي نِصابْنـا
كـهامٌ وَلَا فيْنـا يُعـَدُّ بـَخيـلُ
We are like pure rain, our substance of blemishes exempt
And no stingy niggard is ever found in our midst
ونُنكِـرُ إِن شِئْنَا عَلَى الْنَّاس قَوْلـَهم
وَلَا ينكـروْنَ الْقَوْلَ حَيـنَ نَقـولُ
We deny what others say, if we so choose
But they reject not our words, nor ever refuse
إِذَا سَيـدٌ مِنـّا خـلَا قـامَ سَيـدٌ
قـؤُولٌ لمـا قـالَ الْكِـرَامُ فَعـولُ
When one of our lords departs, another one takes his place
Articulate in word and action, like the nobility of the race
وَمَا أُخـمِدَتْ نَارٌ لَنَا دوْنَ طـارقٍ
وَلَا ذْمّنـا فـي الَنـازلِيـنَ نَزيـلُ
Our fire was never put out in face of a visitor at night
Nor a guest of ours ever deemed us lacking in esteem and might
وأَيـامُنـا مَشَهورَةٌ فـي عَدوّنا
لـهَا غُـرَرٌ مَعلـومَـةٌ وحُجـولُ
Our heroic days are well known to our foes
They bear distinguishing marks on heads and toes
وَأَسْيافُنـا في كُلّ شـرقٍ ومَغـربٍ
بِـها مِن قـراع الدّارْعيـنَ فلولُ
And our swords, whether in west or in east
Are blunted, striking enemies’ protective coat
مُـعوَّدَة أَلَا تسَـلّ نِصـالُـهـا
فتُغمـَد حَتـى يُسْتَبـاحُ قَبيــلُ
Their blades are trained, that once drawn
Not to be sheathed again before letting the blood run
سَلِي إِن جَهِلـتِ الْنَاسَ عَنَّا وَعَنْهـمُ
فلَيـسَ سـوَاءً عـالـِمٌ وَجَهـوَلُ
Ask others, if you don’t know, about us and them
A man of knowledge and the ignorant are not the same
فَإِنَّ بنـي الرَّيـان قطـبٌ لِقَومِهـم
تـدَوْرُ رَحَاهـم حَوْلَـهم وَتـجولُ
The Banu Arrayyan are the Polaris of their own
And their grinding mill ever revolves round their stone