1. تَلِجُ السنونَ بيوتَهم وَتَرى لهُم

    عَن جارِ بَيتهم ازوِرارَ الناكِبِ

    Years of famine enter their homes, yet for their sake you see

    those years turn aside from their household's neighbor, like one who shuns.

  2. وَتَراهُم بِسيوفِهِم وَشِفارهم

    مُستَشرِفين لِراغِب أَو راهِبِ

    And you see them, with their swords and knives,

    looking out for one seeking bounty or one in fear;

  3. حامِين أَو قارين حيث لَقِيتَهُم

    نَهبَ العُفاةِ وَنُهزَةً لِلرّاغِبِ

    protectors or hosts, wherever you meet them,

    prey to supplicants and a ready prize for the seeker.