1. In my darkness, two serpents coil around me,
Leave me be, I want naught of you, leave me be,

2. You’ve had your fill, my ears hear no whisper,
Nor are they aware of your endless chatter.

3. When passion surges in me, it shows me
A glimpse of Oman from the land of Oman.

4. When you two are reconciled, you forget me,
When you clash, you suddenly remember me.

5. I'm like one who bears the insults of enemies,
And is blamed for the evils of time.

6. To speak of death when immersed in a task,
I grip the reins tighter, no matter what comes to pass.

7. When my day darkens, what care I,
Whether the sword or the spear claims my life.

8. He whose allotted span is but nine years,
Has no cause for fear in his eighth year.

9. Being away from dear father and mother,
Is better than staying close in disgrace.

10. Let not fools think I yearn,
For singing girls or wine containers.

11. Nor that I see death as certain,
With awe, as one who cannot see me.

12. The greatest of men are petty in my eyes,
When viewed through the slit of my helmet.

13. It’s absurd to reconcile with those who spurned me,
Or show affection to those who resented me.

14. A shadow roared and rumbled,
Flashing lightning and thunder at me.

15. I said to it as it growled and snarled,
"Be silent, O thing that clanks with bells!"

16. Leave your arrogance, do not wager,
Against a tribe, all broad-chested warriors.

17. Do not take chances like cattle led
To the slaughter, driven in from the pens.

18. Custom prevents the rooster from being alarmed,
By the hawk gliding above, feathers spread.

19. The vile wretches, wherever they are,
Have my forbearance, though they vex me.

20. My noble soul disdains insulting them,
My tongue refuses to malign them.

21. A woman wept copious tears,
That poured like the sagging branches of a Jummana tree.

22. She looked upon my saddle, provisions and gear,
My whip, satchel, and swords in their sheaths.

23. Estrangement and separation is the fate of all,
Is there no way to draw nearer your abode?

24. You suffer for wealth, glory, or knowledge,
While others enjoy what you suffer for.

25. Be content with what you are given, everything,
Except the One who ordained all things, will perish.

26. Seek the refuge of stillness, for these are times,
That permit the vulture to feast on dove meat.

27. Do not take on tribulations, lest it be said,
"He was bested, though all lent him support!"

28. I said to her, soon I will make plain,
To those feigning ignorance, who I am.

29. O tender one, I have often deliberated,
On remaining still, though it is forbidden me.

30. How can one whose father was my father,
Whose bygone Paradise was also mine, abide stillness?

31. I will journey a journey that leaves disgrace
As close as a stain on my cheek.

32. Either I will live with glory and pride,
Vanquishing a challenger or assisting an ally.

33. Or I will die with no burden upon her,
Except those who feared or hoped in me.

34. For death with honor is better than a life,
Where one suffers utter humiliation.

35. Shall I languish between ungrateful proteges,
Who betray me, and unrefined upstarts?

36. Shall I let the wolves of Bani Baih,
Defy me out of spite and devour what I defend?

37. Do you think I would accept this, when my spirit,
Chafes under the constraints it imposes?

38. While my home is beneath the Thurayya constellation,
With the neighborhoods of Suhay and Shi'ran closeby.

39. My eloquence is unmatched by all tribes,
Daghfal, Dou Jannan or Al-A'shai can attest.

40. When the nobles quarrel, I plunge into the fray,
Neither passive, nor fleeing in cowardice.

41. Rather each day I am the impetuous hero,
Where the elite and nobility gather.

42. Brother of the generous, and wise in speech,
My lances pierce, my blade cuts sure.

43. Had it not been for the sword, Quraish would not bow,
Or stand to make the call to prayer.

44. I have seen life fade hour by hour,
As days and moments slip away.

45. Between "perhaps" and "if only" old age will come,
Bringing weakness, the cause of all sorrow.

46. Alas the partings and separations!
Alas the unions and intimacies!

47. But I saw that distance is best,
For reports can never match eyewitness.

48. If I do not rouse the foe at dawn,
They will awaken me with a painful dawn.

49. And if I do not confront adversity,
I will be a guest of a snarling cur.

50. I am the son of those who camped in every land,
Skilled with spears and skilled with swords.

51. The clans of Rabi'ah wherever they are,
Fear me, for I came from fearsome clans.

52. You know who my father is, and his light shone
Clear like the sun on a feast day.

53. O ignorant one, ask the scholars about him,
For in war his fire raged bright.

54. One morning his determination sufficed,
To defend the tribe with his potent support.

55. Did not Fate find in him a heart,
More steadfast than mountains against afflictions?

56. On the eve of Aamir and the clan of Ali,
He stood like a dam holding back floods.

57. And my uncle who was selfless in battle,
Like one wrapped in a scarlet robe.

58. My grandfather who safeguarded and protected,
Giving freely and withholding nothing.

59. When he walked beneath the banners, he eclipsed
The majesty of Caesar and the Khusrau kings.

60. In his hands the bracelets of kingship shine,
Adorning the wrists of the lion of oaks.

61. I had a father no servant of idols could match,
Nor any slave of offerings.

62. We hold the knot of leadership over Ma'add,
By it, both nomad and settler defer to us.

63. We compel people by reason or by force,
With a judgment given without delay.

64. From their pale skins we drew red blood,
With deep red from the veins of warriors.

65. From their heads we took heads,
White as pearls from Hinduan.

66. We laid open the courtyard of a tyrant's glory,
Not with twigs, but with sturdy spears.

67. People live well when we live well,
And survive when we provide safety.

68. If we perish, there is no hope for one hoping,
No aid for one requesting aid.

69. Can the warbling of a barren creek,
Comfort one whose livelihood is cut off?

70. There is nothing like the sword, even if its blades
Rust and warp into staffs of rotten wood.