1. For whom are all lands crossed by horses,
Their companions in every valley throngs.

2. And the slave girls whose tents
The sea deems vast though spacious and wide.

3. None better than the sword of Islam,
Our faith prevailed and the cross declined.

4. A king whose speech, when he desires,
An eloquent speaker, and in battle, renowned.

5. As if I were Abu Nuwas when I come
To Egypt and you in it al-Khadib.

6. If I’m mistaken in my rhyme,
My excuse is what the beloved of old said.

7. If the watcher wished to see my body,
He wouldn’t see it emaciated, a watcher.

8. Like the house of al-Zaki, my purse and my cup,
It’s a wasteland as if swept away.