1. وَيحَ أمِّ دارٍ حَلَلنا بِها

    بَينَ الثَّوِيَّةِ والمَردَمَه

    What a dwelling we lodged in—

    between al-Thawiyya and al-Mardamah!

  2. بَرِّيَّةٌ غُرِسَت في السَّوادِ

    غَرسَ الَمضِيغَةٍ في اللَّهزَمَه

    A desert tract planted in the Sawād,

    like a morsel lodged within the jaw;

  3. لِسَانٌ لِعُربَةَ ذُو وَلغَةٍ

    تَوَلَّعَ في الرِّيفِ بِالهَندَمَه

    an Arabian tongue that acquired a taste,

    and, amid the fertile countryside, grew enamored of elegance.