1. أَلَمَّ خَيالٌ هاجَ مِن حاجَةٍ وَقرا

    عَلَيكَ السَلامُ ما زِيارَتُكَ السَفرا

    A phantom visited, stirred by longing, and lingered.

    Peace be upon you—why this visit to the travelers?

  2. بِيَهماءَ غَورِ الماءِ يُمسي دَليلُها

    مِنَ الهَولِ يَشكو في مَسامِعِهِ وَقرا

    In a trackless waste whose water lies deep, its guide at dusk

    complains, from terror, of deafness in his ears.

  3. تَرى الخِمسَ فيها مُسلَحِبّاً قِطارَهُ

    إِذا القَومُ جاروا مِثلَ أَن يُقتَلوا صَبرا

    There you see the five-day watering trek, its camel train stretched long,

    when the men stray, as though being killed in captivity.

  4. تَشُجُّ بِها أَجوازَ كُلِّ تَنوفَةٍ

    كَأَنَّ المَطايا يَتَّقينَ بِنا جَمرا

    On them you cleave the heart of every empty waste,

    as though the mounts, bearing us, were shunning embers.

  5. طَواها السُرى طَيَّ الجُفونِ وَأُدرِجَت

    مِنَ الضُمرِ حَتّى ما تُقِرَّ لَها ضَفرا

    Night travel folded them like eyelids, and they were drawn in

    by leanness, until you could not secure a braided girth on them.

  6. إِذا فَوَّزَت عَن ذي جَراوِلَ أَنجَدَت

    مِنَ الغَورِ وَاِعرَورَت حَزابِيَها الغُبرا

    When they crossed the desert beyond Dhu Jarawil, they rose to the uplands

    from the lowlands and clambered over its dust-gray, rugged hills.

  7. وَما سَيرُ شَهرٍ كُلِّفَتهُ رِكابُنا

    وَلَكِنَّهُ شَهرٌ وَصَلنَ بِهِ شَهرا

    It was not just a month's journey that our riding camels were charged with,

    but a month they joined to another month.

  8. نَواحِلُ يَخبِطنَ السَريحَ إِلَيكُمُ

    مِنَ الرَملِ حَتّى خاضَ رُكبانُها البَحرا

    Lean mounts tread the open stretches toward you

    of sand, until their riders waded through the sea.

  9. إِذا نَحنُ هِجنا بِالفَلاةِ كَأَنَّما

    نَهيجُ غَداةَ الخِمسِ خاضِبَةً زُعرا

    When we rouse them in the desert, it is as though

    we rouse red-shanked, scant-feathered ostriches on the fifth-day watering morning.

  10. طَلَبنَ اِبنَ لَيلى مِن رَجاءِ فُضولِهِ

    وَلَولا اِبنُ لَيلى ما وَرَدنَ بِنا مِصرا

    They sought Ibn Layla in hope of his bounty;

    and were it not for Ibn Layla, they would not have brought us to Egypt.

  11. حُمِدتُم وَبُشِّرنا بِفَضلِ نَداكُمُ

    وَكانَ كَشَيءٍ قَد أَحَطنا بِهِ خُبرا

    You were praised, and we received glad news of your abundant generosity,

    and it was like something of which we already had full knowledge.

  12. إِذا ما أَناخَ الراغِبونَ بِبابِكُم

    مَعَ الوَفدِ لَم تَرجَع عِيابُهُمُ صِفرا

    Whenever those seeking bounty make their camels kneel at your door,

    with the delegation, their bags never return empty.

  13. وَقالوا لَنا عَبدُ العَزيزِ عَلَيكُمُ

    هُنالِكَ تَلقى الحَزمَ وَالنائِلَ الغَمرا

    And they told us, 'Make for Abd al-Aziz!

    There you find sound judgment and overflowing bounty.'

  14. سَمَت بِكَ خَيرُ الوَلِداتِ فَقابَلَت

    لِلَيلَةِ بَدرٍ كانَ ميقاتُها قَدرا

    The finest of mothers raised you high, and met

    a full-moon night whose appointed time was decreed.

  15. فَجاءَت بِنورٍ يُستَضاءُ بِوَجهِهِ

    لَهُ حَسَبٌ عالٍ وَمَن يُنكِرُ الفَجرا

    So she brought forth a light whose face gives radiance;

    his lineage is lofty—and who can deny the dawn?

  16. وَمَنسوبَةٍ بَيضاءَ مِن صُلبِ قَومِها

    جَعَلتَ الرِماحَ الخاطِراتِ لَها مَهرا

    And a well-born, fair woman from her people's own stock—

    you made the swaying spears her bridal gift,

  17. إِذا الدُهمُ مِن وَقعِ الأَسِنَّةِ عِندَها

    حُسِبنَ وِراداً أَو حُمَيلِيَّةً شُقرا

    when the black horses, from spearhead blows before her,

    were taken for bays or chestnut Humayli horses.

  18. وَساقَت إِلَيكُم حاجَةٌ لَم نَجِد لَها

    وَراءَكُمُ مَعدىً وَلا عَنكُمُ قَصرا

    A need drove us to you; we found for it

    no recourse beyond you, nor any stopping short of you.

  19. أَغِثني وَأَصحابي بِضامِنَةِ القِرى

    كَأَنَّ بِأَحقيها مُقَيَّرَةً وَفرا

    Relieve me and my companions with a she-camel that guarantees hospitality,

    as though a great pitch-coated vessel hung at her flanks.

  20. إِذا هِيَ سافَت نَورَ كُلِّ حَديقَةٍ

    لَها أَرَجٌ أَضحَت مَشافِرُها صُفرا

    Whenever she sniffs the blossoms of every garden

    with a sweet fragrance, her lips turn yellow.

  21. لَكَ الفَرعُ مِن حَيِّي قُرَيشٍ فَلَم تُضِع

    إِذا عُدَّتِ المَسعاةُ نَجماً وَلا بَدرا

    Yours is the highest branch of Quraysh's two clans; you have lost

    neither star nor full moon when noble deeds are counted.

  22. تَفَرَّعتَ بَيتَ الأَصبَغَينِ فَلَم تَجِد

    بِناءً يَفوقُ الأَصبَغَينِ وَلا عَمرا

    You reached the summit of the two Asbaghs' house, and found no

    edifice surpassing the two Asbaghs or Amr.

  23. تَخَيَّرَهُم مَروانُ مِن بَيتِ رِفعَةٍ

    وَكانَ لَهُم كُفءً وَكانَ لَهُم صِهرا

    Marwan chose them from a house of high standing,

    and was their peer, and their kinsman by marriage.

  24. فَإِنَّ تَميماً فَاِعلَمَنَّ أَخوكُمُ

    وَمِن خَيرِ مَن أَبلَيتَ عافِيَةً شُكرا

    For indeed Tamim—know this well—is your brother,

    and among the most grateful of those you have granted well-being.

  25. إِذا شِئتُمُ هِجتُم تَميماً فَهِجتُمُ

    لُيوثَ الوَغى يَهصِرنَ أَعداءَكُم هَصرا

    Whenever you wish, you rouse Tamim, and so rouse

    lions of battle that crush your enemies utterly.

  26. نَقودُ الجِيادَ المُقرَباتِ عَلى الوَجى

    لِأَعدائِكُم حَتّى أَبَرناهُمُ قَسرا

    We lead the fine, carefully tended steeds despite sore hooves

    against your enemies, until we have annihilated them by force.