1. لِيَشغَلكَ ما أَصبَحتَ مُرتَقِباً لَهُ

    عَنِ العَيبِ يُبدي وَالخَليلِ يُؤَنَّبُ

    Let what you now await distract you

    from exposing faults and reproaching a friend.

  2. فَما أَذنَبَ الدَهرُ الَّذي أَنتَ لائِمٌ

    وَلَكِن بَنو حَوّاءَ جاروا وَأَذنَبوا

    For Time, which you blame, has committed no sin;

    but Eve's sons have acted unjustly and sinned.

  3. سَيَدخُلُ بَيتَ الظالِمِ الحَتفُ هاجِماً

    وَلَو أَنَّهُ عِندَ السِماكِ مُطَنَّبُ

    Death will storm into the wrongdoer's home,

    even if it were pitched beside the star al-Simāk.

  4. وَقَد كانَ يَهوى الطَعنَ أَمّا قَناتُهُ

    فَذاتُ لَمىً وَالخِرصُ كَالنابِ أَشنَبُ

    And he had indeed loved spear-thrusts; as for his lance,

    it is dark-lipped, and its spearhead gleams white like a fang.

  5. وَدِرعُ حَديدٍ عِندَهُ دِرعُ كاعِبٍ

    مِنَ الوُدِّ وَاِسمُ الحَربِ هِندٌ وَزَينَبُ

    And to him, iron mail is a budding-breasted maiden's gown,

    out of love; and war is called Hind and Zaynab.

  6. وَيَطوي المَلا بَعدَ المَلا فَوقَ كَورِهِ

    إِذا العيسُ تُزجى وَالسَوابِقُ تُجنَبُ

    And he traverses plain after plain upon his camel-saddle,

    when the pale camels are driven onward and the swift steeds led alongside.

  7. لَهُ مِن فِرِندٍ جَدوَلٌ إِن أَسالَهُ

    عَلى رَأسِ قِرنٍ جاشَ بِالدَمِ مِذنَبُ

    He has a stream of watered steel; if he lets it flow

    over an adversary's head, a channel surges with blood.

  8. وَلَيسَ يُقيمُ الظَهرَ حَنَّبَهُ الرَدى

    قَوامُ رُدَينِيٍّ وَطِرفٌ مُحَنَّبُ

    Nor can a back that death has bowed be straightened

    by a Rudaynian spear's straight shaft or a noble, curved-legged steed.