1. أَقامُوا بِها حَتّى أَبَنَّت دِيارُهُم

    عَلى غَيرِ دَينٍ ضارِبٍ بِجِرانِ

    They stayed there until their dwellings reeked,

    With no debt settled there, its neck laid upon the ground.

  2. تَواهَسَ أَصحابِي حَدِيثاً سَمِعتُهُ

    خَفِيّاً وأَعضادُ المَطيِّ عَوانِي

    My companions whispered a tale I heard

    Faintly, while the mounts’ upper forelegs drooped, subdued.

  3. كَأَنَّ قَذىً بالعَينِ قَد مَرِحَت بِهِ

    وَما حاجَةُ الأُخرى إِلى المَرَحانِ

    As though grit in the eye had set it streaming—

    Yet what need had the other to stream?

  4. طَلِيعَةُ قَومٍ أَو خميسٌ عَرَمرَمٌ

    كَسَيلِ الأتيِّ ضَمَّهُ القَذَفانِ

    A people’s vanguard, or a vast, mighty army,

    Like a torrent from afar, hemmed in by its two banks.