1. My she-camels refused and the night and the dark clouds,
Pouring copious rain on the bending meadows of roses sinking down.

2. And they called out to their neighbor while he was sleeping,
Alas, no rest for one kept awake by a wakeful companion!

3. And the sons of the chief and his pursuer
Almost caught up with the sons of the plain and the rocky ground.

4. Leave my she-camels to yearn again for the blessed
Return, though the space is narrow for the mixed herds around.

5. And from a hill they complain of your markings,
Folding up the meadows with their hooves.

6. And at Qais you water them in an enclosure shaded
By jujubes in the hands of brave lion cubs.

7. Where the lowing of the weak camels behind
Is the neighing of steeds, noble racers.

8. Sons of she-camels they protect their young
Like the gleam of swords, Indian blades.

9. For them in Nizar is an honored one, the best of its branches,
Competing for the glances of the shining stars.

10. And when Khuzayma folded away her stinginess from me
And did not quench my thirst among my Quraysh comrades,

11. I turned my reins and the nights intoxicated me
To more comfortable Arha of lucky ‘Amir.

12. So my terror burst forth when I confronted the foe,
And my awe subsided when my gaze was raised.

13. The young man of the tribe refuses the company of armor in battle,
And spears are not formed except for one who breaks them.

14. And on a day when its sun shone from its clouds,
The secrets of love peered out from consciences.

15. And the banners stirred in it as if
Their edges were set in motion by the flight of a bird.

16. He smiled until his robe revealed
A glimpse that folded the gown of the thick clouds.

17. Shining behind the veil like the sun when it rose
Behind a cloud, veiling the beautiful gazelle.

18. So he restrained his war passions while they refused
To accept any noble elements among its ingredients.

19. And a group of slave girls circled around him
With gifts for the Master, the soft and delicate virgins.

20. When the heroes embrace their waists, you see their eyes
Scatter the sparks of fire beneath the eye lashes.

21. They advance while madness casts its columns
With acts of valor and hands that hold the reins.

22. And they aspire to hear from the family of Muhyya
Songs of praise, flags, encampments, glories and narrations.

23. And the light of religion grows from their great ones
To the best people of the past and present.

24. A descendant of kings carefully chosen from Nizar
Who adorn you with glorious nights thick with heavy rain.

25. And you were brought to his court from among your best
Families that you do not trade for cheap prices.

26. So you settled them where piety casts its moorings,
With power, glory, and plaited tresses.

27. And you were distinguished, O Ka’b, among all tribes with glories
That surpass the heights of towering spears.

28. Had the full moon offered its stars to a suitor
It would reach Thurayya with the lengths of relations.

29. O Abu Shaddad! Behind us are tales
That will be told about us in social circles.

30. Is there anyone who will donate me a saddle cloth thrown on a smooth-running steed
That roams freely in the waving meadow?

31. If the tremor of fear excites him
He climbs above the horizon like a falcon above high ground.

32. Are you pleased when the Bedouins have none but you as refuge,
Sheltering them with the sands of Zarud and Hajiz?

33. A thirst has parched their souls,
And they were forced by hunger to the Sirius star.

34. You brought them blessings and they thank it,
For blessings are not befriended except by one who thanks.

35. So where are the courageous steeds that step toward the foe
On elegant legs that make the land flow with water?

36. And the boys of truth who plunge into the struggle
With death’s hands bloodying its fingers?

37. On she-camels recognizing the stab of the spears, frowning,
With long necks and braided forelocks.

38. They were heated by lengthy separation and mixed
Blood with tears in the eyes of the one who parts.

39. And their only goal is one of two exalted ends:
The breasts of the heights or the branches of the pulpits.