إذا كنت ضيف العكبريين لم تذق

إذا كنت ضيف العكبريين لم تذق

طعاما ولم تشرب من الماء باردا

طعاما ولم تشرب من الماء باردا

If you are a guest of the people of Ukbara, you will not taste

If you were a guest of the Ukbarites, you would not taste

food, nor will you drink cold water.

Food, nor drink cool water

وبتّ مبيت الذئب في أرض قفرة

وبتّ مبيت الذئب في أرض قفرة

طوى أربعا يعوي ويصبح شاردا

طوى أربعا يعوي ويصبح شاردا

And you will spend the night like a wolf in a barren land,

And you would spend the night like a wolf in barren land

having gone hungry for four nights, howling and roaming come morning.

Twisting and turning, wailing and wandering alone

وإن كنت جارا فيهم بتّ جائعا

وإن كنت جارا فيهم بتّ جائعا

وإن بتّ محسودا بهم بتّ واحدا

وإن بتّ محسودا بهم بتّ واحدا

And if you are a neighbor among them, you will spend the night hungry.

And if you were their neighbor, you would spend the night hungry

And if you spend the night envied on their account, you will spend it alone.

And if you spent the night envied among them, you would spend it alone

عبيد العصا لم يظفروا بفضيلة

عبيد العصا لم يظفروا بفضيلة

ولم أر فيهم بالحقيقة ماجدا

ولم أر فيهم بالحقيقة ماجدا

Slaves to the rod, they have attained no virtue;

The slaves of the staff never attained virtue

and in truth, I have seen no noble man among them.

And in truth I did not see among them one glorious