1. يا راكِباً إِمّا عَرَضتَ فَبَلِّغَن

    أَبا غالِبٍ أَن قَد ثَأَرنا بِغالِبِ

    O rider, if you happen to pass, be sure to tell

    Abu Ghalib that we have indeed taken vengeance for Ghalib.

  2. قَتَلنا بِعَبدِ اللَهِ خَيرَ لِداتِهِ

    ذُؤابَ بنَ أَسماءَ بنِ زَيدِ بنِ قارِبِ

    For Abdullah, we slew the finest of his peers:

    Dhu'ab son of Asma' son of Zayd son of Qarib.

  3. وَأَبلِغ نُمَيراً إِن مَرَرتَ بِدارِها

    عَلى نَأيِها فَأَيُّ مَولىً وَطالِبِ

    And tell Numayr, if you pass through its home,

    despite its remoteness—what an ally and avenger!

  4. وَعَبساً قَتَلناهُم بِحُرِّ بِلادِهِم

    بِمَقتَلِ عَبدِ اللَهِ يَومَ الذَنائِبِ

    And 'Abs—we slew them in the heart of their lands,

    for Abdullah's slaying on the day of al-Dhana'ib.

  5. جَعَلنا بَني بَدرِ وَشَمخاً وَمازِناً

    لَنا غَرَضاً يَزحَمنَهُم بِالمَناكِبِ

    We made the sons of Badr, Shamkh, and Mazin

    targets for us, the horses pressing them with their shoulders.

  6. فَلِليَومِ سُمّيتُم فَزارَةَ فَاِصبِروا

    لِوَقعِ القَنا تَنزونَ نَزوَ الجَنادِبِ

    For this day you were named Fazara; so endure

    the blows of the lances, leaping like grasshoppers.

  7. فَإِن تُدبِروا يَأخُذنَكُم في ظُهورِكُم

    وَإِن تُقبِلوا يَأخُذنَكُم بِالتَرائِبِ

    For if you retreat, they strike you in your backs,

    and if you advance, they strike you in your chest bones.

  8. وَإِن تُسهِلوا لِلخَيلِ تُسهِل عَلَيكُمُ

    بِطَعنٍ كَإيزاعِ المَخاضِ الضَوارِبِ

    And if you take to the plains, the cavalry comes upon you there,

    with thrusts like the goading of pregnant, mated she-camels.

  9. إِذا أَحزَنوا تَغشَ الجِبالَ رِجالُنا

    كَما اِستَوفَزَت فُدرُ الوُعولِ القَراهِبِ

    When they take to rugged ground, our men sweep over the mountains,

    as massive old ibex bucks spring up.

  10. تَكُرُّ عَلَيهُم رَجلَتي وَفَوارِسي

    وَأُكرِهَ فيهُم صَعدَتي غَيرَ ناكِبِ

    My foot soldiers and horsemen charge at them,

    and I force my straight spear into them, without swerving.

  11. وَمُرَّةَ قَد أَخرَجنَهُم فَتَرَكنَهُم

    يَروغونَ بِالصَلعاءِ رَوغَ الثَعالِبِ

    And Murra—the horses drove them out and left them

    dodging at al-Sal'a' as foxes dodge.

  12. وَأَشجَعَ قَد أَدرَكنَهُم فَتَرَكنَهُم

    يَخافونَ خَطفَ الطَيرِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبِ

    And Ashja'—the horses overtook them and left them

    fearing that birds would snatch them from every side.

  13. وَثَعلَبَةَ الخُنثى تَرَكنا شَريدَهُم

    تَعِلَّةَ لاهٍ في البِلادِ وَلاعِبِ

    And Tha'laba al-Khuntha—we left their fugitives

    a pastime for idlers and players in the land.

  14. وَلَولا جَنانُ اللَيلِ أَدرَكَ رَكضُنا

    بِذي الرِمثِ وَالأَرطى عِياضَ بنَ ناشِبِ

    But for night's concealment, our galloping would have caught

    'Iyad son of Nashib among the ramth and arta shrubs.

  15. فَلَيتَ قُبوراً بِالمَخاضَةِ أَخبَرَت

    فَتُخبِرُ عَنّا الخُضرَ خُضرَ المُحارِبِ

    If only the graves at al-Makhada could give news,

    and tell the Khudr—the Khudr of Muharib—about us:

  16. رَدَ سناهُمُ بِالخَيلِ حَتّى تَمَلَّأَت

    عَوافي الضِباعِ وَالذِئابِ السَواغِبِ

    We battered them with the horses until they were sated—

    the scavenging hyenas and hungry wolves.

  17. ذَريني أُطَوِّف في البِلادِ لَعَلَّني

    أُلاقي بِإِثرٍ ثُلَّةً مِن مُحارِبِ

    Let me roam through the lands; perhaps I shall

    meet at Ithr a band of Muharib.