1. He watered the abode of Layla every evening and morning
With buckets full of desire and intense yearning

2. And the light of chandeliers did not cease to shine
Illuminated by the light of torches and lanterns embellished

3. Nothing brought sorrow except for a dove
Cooing sadly on the branches of a wild plum tree

4. A ring dove cried mournfully and its call
Was answered by doves on the branches lamenting

5. No sigh of sorrow could relieve distress
Nor tears flowing to wet the eyelids provide comfort

6. I swore in my youth gripped by passion
That her hands could smooth the harshest crags

7. A slender and soft-armed gazelle whose traces
Of plumpness do not diminish with caress

8. She donned a dress of thin silk and her dutiful companions
Floated around her in a mirage swimming playfully

9. Passion led her to the plain covered in fine sand
Where the alarmed herd bolts and the winds blow freely

10. I was amazed by the pride of an arrogant man
Whose murmurs betray the arrogance of his ancestors when he jokes

11. When I said knowledge prevents me from him
He leans away as a bleeding wound leans away uncomforted

12. His words do not appeal to the honorable soul
And he is quick to slander the virtuous and wound

13. When the payment of tithes does not please him
A trifling matter irritates him that he exaggerates and inflates

14. O my two sons I wish you the joy of high status
And sincerity is the most honest in matters and the soundest

15. Who is more generous with their wealth
And who strives hardest for rights and toils?

16. If you compete in generosity, who is the nobler
And who profits most from the trade of praise?

17. Ask little, for what is beyond reach is not sought
And no shame in falling short of perfect power

18. Among the people one whose character does not change
Simple, straightforward, bare of guile or deception

19. A star of unblemished beauty in appearance
Whose strings of pearls shine as she smiles

20. When he marched his enemies with enmity and injustice
The notables of his tribe surrounded him as comrades

21. Their hooves hard as rock trample the silent boulders
Until their shoes slipped and their faces were marked with scratches

22. They sported and frolicked on the mountainsides and cliffs
Roving around as the decorated horseman roams

23. Indeed, they have left but old age remains
A trace that does not disappear from their dwelling

24. The heroes gained nothing from their assembly
Except striking with swords and earnest conversation

25. A guardian of the glorious days of knights
As he chronicles their footsteps and examines

26. A man of strong resolve when the army returns
With whom the ranks are reformed and problems solved

27. As though a swooping eagle viewing prey
Glancing sharply over the heads it will strike

28. Sustenance passes him by unnoticed
As he overlooks its faults and pardons

29. He rests from the toil of leadership
When the crowd from the council disperses

30. It would be better if the rain withheld its drops
And better if the winds calmed and ceased

31. He saw a hedgehog curling as the iron armor
And clashing heads he fiercely clubbed

32. So he plunged until he reached the depth of its chest
A young man between the sword blade and spear point slaughtered

33. A noble spirited horse its flanks a fountain
Its belly curved, its veins extended, long-necked

34. It welcomes the roses of death on its deathbed
And refuses to drink bitter medicine in disgust

35. If in illness and pain the warrior loses hope
Death by the sword is more soothing than life

36. A bay mare whose stallions destruction unleashed
Kicking up earth with their hooves in rage

37. The fire of their massacre sparked fiercely
And the fire of battle at al-Musharrafah ignited

38. A young man whose paleness did not diminish his valor
And abusive threats do not make the honorable flinch

39. A sworn ally biting the handle of his axe fiercely
Could not save him from his fate and rescue

40. Nor could a shower of spears ward off his demise
Overflowing over fingers in multitude

41. Whoever does not risk himself in battle
Will have no escape on the day of judgement

42. The young men had no peer like Muthaqqaf
Who softened hearts and was generous and kind

43. No one like Murta'a the wavering as if he were
A flashing meteor vanishing in an instant

44. The night was erased by a smiling face
Whose radiance outshone the light of dawn

45. He scorns gifts and honors his dignity
And profits from earning the highest virtues

46. A leader who on the day of reckoning
Will be excused for his generous pardons

47. He fears not the destined misery
Nor rejoices at the granted blessings

48. If you go beyond the bounds of deeds and honesty
A naked liar is more vile and repulsive

49. So who can mend the distant rift
And who can close the gaping holes that open

50. Who can replace the star on a black night when it is absent
And replace the dawn when the awakening winds blow

51. After your generosity what stallion could be chosen
To whom poems are gifted and praises composed

52. Missing you one is anxious with wishes
A longing remains in his heart that does not leave

53. He blends sincere reproach into his criticism
While the early morning draft is the sweetest and purest drink