The poem is traditionally attributed to the putatively sixth-century CE outlaw (ṣu‘lūk) Al-Shanfarā, but it has been suspected since medieval times that it was actually composed during the Islamic period.
[2] The debate has not been resolved; if the poem is a later composition, it figures al-Shanfarā as an archetypal heroic outlaw, an anti-hero nostalgically imagined to expose the corruption of the society that produced him.
[1] Notwithstanding its fame, the poem contains a large number of linguistic obscurities, making it hard to understand in Arabic today, let alone to translate reliably.
The original text:[5] Redhouse (1881):[6] Treadgold (1975):[3] Stetkevych (1986):[1] The following is a poetic translation for the first verses of Lamiyyat al-'Arab[7] فَإِنّي إِلى قَومٍ سِواكُم لَأَمَيلُ O sons of my clan, fix your affairs As my soul, to other folks, adheres فَقَد حُمَّت الحاجاتُ واللَيلُ مُقمِرٌ وَشُدَّت لِطِيّاتٍ مَطايا وَأَرُحلُ Things are fated, and the moon is full To those aims, horses and camps, I'll pull وَفي الأَرضِ مَنأى لِلكَريمِ عَنِ الأَذى وَفيها لِمَن خافَ القِلى مُتَعَزَّل On earth, for the decent, there must be a haven To whom fears injustice, a land of isolation لَعَمرُكَ ما في الأَرضِ ضيقٌ عَلى اِمرئٍ سَرى راغِباً أَو راهِباً وَهوَ يَعقِلُ By you I swear, a man won't face pain If he left, for hope or fear, and he's sane وَلي دونَكُم أَهلَونَ سيدٌ عَمَلَّسٌ وَأَرقَطُ زُهلولٌ وَعَرفاءُ جَيأَلُ I’ve got a family; a wolf of stamina A skinny leopard and a hairy hyena هُـمُ الأَهْلُ لا مُسْتَودَعُ السِّـرِّ ذَائِـعٌ لَدَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الجَانِي بِمَا جَرَّ يُخْـذَلُ A true family!
They never spread your secret Nor let you down in a trouble, to bear it وَكُـلٌّ أَبِـيٌّ بَاسِـلٌ غَيْـرَ أنَّنِـي إذا عَرَضَتْ أُولَى الطَرَائِـدِ أبْسَـلُ Brave they are but I'm the bravest When we spot a prey and chase it وإن مدتْ الأيدي إلى الزاد لم أكن بأعجلهم ، إذ أجْشَعُ القومِ أعجل And when hands reach to the aliment I wait as only the greedy is impatient وماذاك إلا بَسْطَةٌ عن تفضلٍ عَلَيهِم وكان الأفضلَ المتفضِّلُ It's nothing but a kindness out of honour The best in the folk is the man of honour وَإنّـي كَفَانِـي فَقْدَ مَنْ لَيْسَ جَازِيَاً بِحُسْنَـى ولا في قُرْبِـهِ مُتَعَلَّـلُ I'm no longer in need for the ungrateful And whose presence is never delightful ثَـلاَثَـةُ أصْحَـابٍ : فُـؤَادٌ مُشَيَّـعٌ وأبْيَضُ إصْلِيتٌ وَصَفْـرَاءُ عَيْطَـلُ I'm sufficed by three pals; a brave heart An unsheathed sword and a ruthless dart هَتُـوفٌ مِنَ المُلْـس المُتُـونِ تَزِينُـه رَصَائِعُ قد نِيطَـتْ إليها وَمِحْمَـلُ My bow is strong, smooth and has tones It's got a handle and was inlaid by stones إذا زَلَ عنها السَّهْـمُ حَنَّـتْ كأنَّـها مُـرَزَّأةٌ عَجْلَـى تُـرنُّ وَتُعْـوِلُ When the arrow takes off, it seems Like a bereaved woman who screams وَأغْدو خَمِيـصَ البَطْن لا يَسْتَفِـزُّني إلى الزَادِ حِـرْصٌ أو فُـؤادٌ مُوَكَّـلُ And I return with a scrawny stomach But never hurry to food like a maniac وَلَسْـتُ بِمِهْيَـافٍ يُعَشِّـي سَوَامَـه مُجَدَّعَـةً سُقْبَانُهـا وَهْيَ بُهَّـلُ I'm not a naive who returns from grazing