وَلي صاحِبٌ يَغشى الوَغى وَهوَ فارِسٌ

وَلي صاحِبٌ يَغشى الوَغى وَهوَ فارِسٌ

وَيَعجَزُ أَن يَغشى الوَغى وَهوَ راجِلُ

وَيَعجَزُ أَن يَغشى الوَغى وَهوَ راجِلُ

And I have a companion who enters the fray on horseback,

I have a friend who braves the battlefield as a horseman,

Yet is unable to enter the fray on foot.

Yet on foot, he's too weak to face the fray.

تَفَخَّذَ ظهرَ الأَعوَجِيّ مُحَزَّماً

تَفَخَّذَ ظهرَ الأَعوَجِيّ مُحَزَّماً

فَقُلتَ هِلالٌ أَطلَعَتهُ المَنازِلُ

فَقُلتَ هِلالٌ أَطلَعَتهُ المَنازِلُ

He straddled the A‘wajī steed’s back, tightly girded,

He chose to ride a crooked-backed mule into battle,

So you said: “A crescent raised by the lunar mansions!”

So I said, "He looks like a crescent moon rising over the dunes."

وَلا غُنيَةٌ فيهِ بِغَيرِ أَخٍ لَهُ

وَلا غُنيَةٌ فيهِ بِغَيرِ أَخٍ لَهُ

شَديدِ القُوى صعبٍ عَلى الخَيلِ باسِلُ

شَديدِ القُوى صعبٍ عَلى الخَيلِ باسِلُ

And he is of no use without a brother of his,

But that mule is useless without a rider

Of great strength, hard on horses, valiant;

Who's strong and firm in the saddle.

أُسَيمِرُ موشِيُّ العِذارِ كَأَنَّما

أُسَيمِرُ موشِيُّ العِذارِ كَأَنَّما

يُناطُ بِهِ مِن ساعِديهِ جَداوِلُ

يُناطُ بِهِ مِن ساعِديهِ جَداوِلُ

A dusky little fellow, his cheek-strap ornamented, as though

My friend sways atop his bumpy mount

Rivulets hung from his two forearms.

As if its forelegs were unstable columns.