1. Alas, the good days have gone and Ne'man's days are barren,
So weep for their memory if patience and solace are difficult,

2. An abominable and perverse community whose people
Have come together at the meeting point of bitterness and ranchor,

3. And I remember it when we were all together
And the sweetness of such intimacy was not marred by estrangement,

4. And we were all upright yet inclined to wrongdoing, absorbed in frivolity,
Many a day of frivolity I witnessed and many a night,

5. With no power given to evildoers over us,
We would go and return seeing no treachery as a trait

6. And no hesitation or wavering in our intimacy,
And a maiden losing her way came upon me and saw

7. Whiteness in my hair which had begun to show,
So I said to her, "No, daughter of the tribe, I

8. Am honored when elders and youths are humiliated."
"And I am of a proud, honored people.

9. My traits have always been steadfast and they never betrayed.
My lineage is clear, as Ma'add and then Adnan know,

10. When Quda'a boasts of Dhu Jadmah and the honor ropes of Qahtan sway
And the donkey clan comes with the sons of ewes,

11. And Kahlan stretches out her forelegs in vainglory,
The Helpers of Aus and Khazraj said to us, 'It is enough pride

12. For you to have mention and glory.'
And the clan of Ka'b came with the slave from Ma'dan,

13. And Tay and Nabhan swayed with the abundance of cavalry.
And they recounted Aus and Hatim over meat dishes,

14. Trusting that no human could equal them,
And the clan of Lakhm proclaimed glory for Munthir,

15. 'Amr and Nu'man - and Nu'man is enough for you!
And the Sassanids enumerated Kisra, Hurmuz and Sabur,

16. With the succeeding kings and Sassan was their ancestor.
So my elite people energetically dispelled Quda'a,

17. And Caleb and Nahd and Khaulan submitted to them,
And they split the skull of the donkey clan when she was swollen,

18. Quthazah would acknowledge it, as would the wadi of Sulan,
On a morning when the donkeys retreated in their hordes

19. And the steeds tasted havoc at the meeting point of the horses and warriors,
And they struck down Ma'dan's slave with shields

20. As swords and bows were drawn against them,
And after the Prophet they supported his successor,

21. And support for him is not equal to abandoning him.
And the horses of the abundant cavalry came to them in defeat,

22. Captives, while the atmosphere was filled with buzzing arrows,
And were it not for the protection of Yazid ibn Mus'hir,

23. His guests would have been seized by the vultures and sirahán,
And they cast aside the generosity of Aus and Hatim in Ma'in

24. And the vast sea is not equal to the shallow inlet,
And the family of Munthir sought protection with them

25. From their time, so the protector of truth protected them,
And not even Kisra's realm was immune from their swords,

26. For them, lions in the air, snarling and howling,
And they ruled the regions of Najd, and 'Amr and Ghassan

27. Bowed their heads to their glory in the Levant,
And a group of them went out to raid Bahrain

28. Seeking booty, plundering pirates, warring young men.
They held back the Qarmatians from Hajar by force

29. With 'Atik and Hudan joining them.
And they marched to the land of Qatif, and its fortresses

30. And walls could not stop them,
Nor did the first houses of the coast at Muzbad

31. Withstand them, though the north wind and Marrkhan batter it,
Nights defending Jabrin from them

32. With their evening provisions being only crumbs,
And if the life of Amir Muhammad was spared

33. 'Uman and 'Ammán complained of their raids,
And their armies marched to the Levant, with no resistance

34. From Dhiba and Najran,
A noble youth who always aspired to every goal

35. When the luck of the people went bad and declined.
Surely a group of 'Uqayl has strayed and not been guided -

36. Indeed they are blind to what they desired.
If the people of the kingdoms seek their due rights

37. And their hearts are stirred to glory,
It is no surprise that the people should demand their rights -

38. For the sand-dune has branches that grow and limbs.
It is not for other people to expose themselves

39. To the fury of a raging lion.
It will not be long before the billows of his sea swell,

40. To drown them in waves and floods.
O House of Ka'b, do not betray your covenants

41. For the summit of glory is no place for traitors.
Good favor upon good favor will come to you from Him,

42. Act of kindness following act of kindness,
Acquitting the living lineages of Qays and Khundif,

43. And evil is the recompense of a people for ingratitude and unbelief.
It is enough that you have endured enemies, and now

44. War chariots are paraded for you in the arena of honor.
He has led spirited steeds, grim-faced,

45. On which ride intrepid young heroes.
He returned happily from his desire, led

46. By horses around him, a mounted troop.
He swore there must be an inhabited land

47. Even if Thubayr and Thahlán stood in the way.
And he enriched the needy among you with his wealth,

48. So gifts from his hands have become common to all,
And many a footman has become, thanks to his gifts, a horseman,

49. And the sheep and goats were the elite of his wealth,
And many whose business was failing, his mount seized as plunder,

50. So the brand of sorrow was placed on him,
And whoever came to him complaining of his time

51. Became, from the gifts of his palm, though in humiliation,
And many a sinner, fearing punishment from him,

52. Met, instead of severity, kind forgiveness from him,
And many a tribe, some of whose branches attacked the others,

53. Their feuds dampened by his wisdom and power,
So hatreds died and resentments passed away.

54. And I swear that if he had been in Wā'il's time,
'Amr ibn Ghanam and Shaybān would not have fought each other.

55. Live long and prosper, O Crown of Kings, supported!
Victory is your army and destiny your aides.

56. Your enemies are the despoiled and your loyalists victorious
Your glory is protected and your encampment auspicious.