1. I swear by a wrestling champion, a son to him
Isaac, above whose smooth forehead

2. And I swear by pilgrims coming to Minā
They came in droves over every route

3. Disheveled heads, covered in worn-out clothes
The best of every tribe and clan

4. That you have done good by me
And by dancing girls in fine dresses and anklets

5. O chief, do you have an imprisoned captive
On whom ninety lashes were inflicted

6. So you may loosen my fetters and relieve my worries
Free me from you and release my shackled hands

7. O chief, will I be destroyed if I do not say
So my poems may be distinguished when recited

8. Indeed the son of the tyrants of Rabīʿah, Mālik
To Allah belongs a sword of fine making when drawn

9. It did not cease to be among the dynasty of Al Muʿallā
A sword for every successor and messenger

10. And you inherited through Munḍir and through Mālik
The kingdom of Rabīʿah, the best of every friend

11. Do not believe the words of a slandering tale-carrier
Plucking on a string with fingers unclean

12. And horses know that Jadīmah
Gallop with every elegant and beautiful mare

13. Their neighbors know truly that they
Are the young men of an awful war day when called

14. Those who feed others when winter grows cold for them
And who pierce the chests of every tribe

15. And it is as if a neighbor of the Banū Al Muʿallā is overlooking
From the top of the hill above Umm Wuʿūl

16. Quench your thirst, for Al Muʿallā has filled your basin
With the sins of their debauched wine-drinker Sajīl

17. And you were ordered, whenever a tale-carrier came to you
With some nonsense in unclear words