1. يا راكِباً إِمّا عَرَضتَ فَبَلِّغَن

    أَبا غالِبٍ أَن قَد ثَأَرنا بِغالِبِ

    O rider, if you pass that way, be sure to tell

    Abu Ghalib that we have indeed avenged Ghalib.

  2. قَتَلنا بِعَبدِ اللَهِ خَيرَ لِداتِهِ

    ذُؤابَ بنَ أَسماءَ بنِ زَيدِ بنِ قارِبِ

    For 'Abd Allah we killed the finest of his age-mates:

    Dhu'ab ibn Asma' ibn Zayd ibn Qarib.

  3. وَأَبلِغ نُمَيراً إِن مَرَرتَ بِدارِها

    عَلى نَأيِها فَأَيُّ مَولىً وَطالِبِ

    And tell Numayr, if you pass its dwelling,

    despite its remoteness—what an ally and avenger!

  4. وَعَبساً قَتَلناهُم بِحُرِّ بِلادِهِم

    بِمَقتَلِ عَبدِ اللَهِ يَومَ الذَنائِبِ

    And 'Abs—we killed them in the heart of their land,

    for the killing of 'Abd Allah on the day of al-Dhana'ib.

  5. جَعَلنا بَني بَدرِ وَشَمخاً وَمازِناً

    لَنا غَرَضاً يَزحَمنَهُم بِالمَناكِبِ

    We made Banu Badr, Shamkh, and Mazin

    targets for us, our horses jostling them with their shoulders.

  6. فَلِليَومِ سُمّيتُم فَزارَةَ فَاِصبِروا

    لِوَقعِ القَنا تَنزونَ نَزوَ الجَنادِبِ

    For this very day you were named Fazarah—so endure

    the spears' blows, as you leap like grasshoppers.

  7. فَإِن تُدبِروا يَأخُذنَكُم في ظُهورِكُم

    وَإِن تُقبِلوا يَأخُذنَكُم بِالتَرائِبِ

    For if you turn away, they strike you in your backs;

    and if you come forward, they strike you in your upper chests.

  8. وَإِن تُسهِلوا لِلخَيلِ تُسهِل عَلَيكُمُ

    بِطَعنٍ كَإيزاعِ المَخاضِ الضَوارِبِ

    And if you take to the plain before the cavalry, it comes against you

    with thrusts like the urine-spurts of pregnant, newly covered she-camels.

  9. إِذا أَحزَنوا تَغشَ الجِبالَ رِجالُنا

    كَما اِستَوفَزَت فُدرُ الوُعولِ القَراهِبِ

    When they enter rugged ground, our men sweep over the mountains,

    as huge, aged ibex spring up.

  10. تَكُرُّ عَلَيهُم رَجلَتي وَفَوارِسي

    وَأُكرِهَ فيهُم صَعدَتي غَيرَ ناكِبِ

    My footmen and my horsemen charge against them,

    and I drive my straight spear into them, never swerving.

  11. وَمُرَّةَ قَد أَخرَجنَهُم فَتَرَكنَهُم

    يَروغونَ بِالصَلعاءِ رَوغَ الثَعالِبِ

    And Murrah—our horses drove them out and left them

    dodging about at al-Sal'a' like foxes.

  12. وَأَشجَعَ قَد أَدرَكنَهُم فَتَرَكنَهُم

    يَخافونَ خَطفَ الطَيرِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبِ

    And Ashja'—our horses overtook them and left them

    fearing birds would snatch them away from every side.

  13. وَثَعلَبَةَ الخُنثى تَرَكنا شَريدَهُم

    تَعِلَّةَ لاهٍ في البِلادِ وَلاعِبِ

    And Tha'labah al-Khuntha—we left their fugitive

    a diversion for idlers and players throughout the land.

  14. وَلَولا جَنانُ اللَيلِ أَدرَكَ رَكضُنا

    بِذي الرِمثِ وَالأَرطى عِياضَ بنَ ناشِبِ

    But for the night's concealment, our gallop would have overtaken

    Iyad ibn Nashib among the rimth and arta shrubs.

  15. فَلَيتَ قُبوراً بِالمَخاضَةِ أَخبَرَت

    فَتُخبِرُ عَنّا الخُضرَ خُضرَ المُحارِبِ

    Would that the graves at al-Makhadah could give news,

    so they might tell al-Khudr—the Khudr of Muharib—about us:

  16. رَدَ سناهُمُ بِالخَيلِ حَتّى تَمَلَّأَت

    عَوافي الضِباعِ وَالذِئابِ السَواغِبِ

    we battered them with cavalry until they were gorged—

    the scavenging hyenas and the ravenous wolves.

  17. ذَريني أُطَوِّف في البِلادِ لَعَلَّني

    أُلاقي بِإِثرٍ ثُلَّةً مِن مُحارِبِ

    Let me roam through the lands; perhaps I

    may meet at Ithr a band of Muharib.