1. O son of brave Sa'eed, my flesh is gone
And your neglect has slain my heart

2. I am skin and bones and dying of hunger
My guts are seared by prickly pears

3. Berries of colocynth, bitter as gall
While my belly rumbles loud as a valley

4. My bones jut out like the humps of camels
And I'm as thin as sticks in the dark

5. So the wolf waits to take me, frail and slow
My steps grown weak, my voice faint and low

6. And two ghouls, male and female sit watching
Like buyers eyeing goods in the market

7. A mother hyena leading her young
A long-clawed leopard swift on the run

8. Will you leave me to them, O noble lion?
My flesh can hardly serve to sate one

9. I've robbed no man nor blocked any road
Yet enemies' tales you have heard and bowed

10. If I were prince and you were the pauper
I'd not have hounded you out of my land

11. Save me, and your fame will never fade
Rising high as the stars man has made

12. No lion or raider can match your glory
No kings can eclipse your storied saga