1. أَتَعرِفُ أَم أَنكَرتَ أَطلالَ دِمنَةٍ

    بِأَثبيتَ فَالجَونَينِ بالٍ جَديدُها

    Do you recognize, or fail to recognize, the ruins of a campsite

    at Athbit, then al-Jawnayn, its freshness worn away?

  2. لَيالِيَ هِندٌ حاجَةٌ لاتُريحُنا

    بِبُخلٍ وَلا جودٍ فَيَنفَعَ جودُها

    In nights when Hind was our longing, she gave us no relief,

    by withholding, nor by giving so that her bounty might benefit us.

  3. لَعَمري لَقَد أَشفَقتُ مِن شَرِّ نَظرَةٍ

    تَقودُ الهَوى مِن رامَةٍ وَيَقودُها

    By my life, I feared the harm of a glance

    that leads passion from Ramah, and is led by passion in turn.

  4. وَلَو صَرَمَت حَبلي أُمامَةُ تَبتَغي

    زِيادَةَ حُبٍّ لَم أَجِد ماأُزيدُها

    And even if Umamah severed my cord, seeking

    more love, I would find nothing more to give her.

  5. إِذا مُتُّ فَاِنعَيني لِأَضيافِ لَيلَةٍ

    تَنَزَّلَ مِن صُلبِ السَماءِ جَليدُها

    When I die, announce my death to the guests of a night

    whose frost descended from the very heart of the sky.

  6. مَتى تَرَ وَجهَ التَغلِبِيِّ تَقُل لَهُ

    أَتى وَجهُ هَذا سَوأَةً أَو يُريدُها

    Whenever you see the Taghlibi's face, you will say to him:

    "This man's face has done a shameful deed, or intends one."

  7. وَتَغلِبُ لا مِن ذاتِ فَرعٍ بِنَجوَةٍ

    وَلا ذاتِ أَصلٍ يَشرَبُ الماءَ عودُها

    And Taghlib springs from no tree with a branch on high ground,

    nor from a rooted tree whose trunk drinks water.

  8. أَبا مالِكٍ ذا الفَلسِ إِنَّ عَداوَتي

    تُقَطِّعُ أَنفاسَ الرِجالِ صَعودُها

    O Abu Malik, you of the coin, indeed my enmity

    has a steep ascent that cuts men's breath short.

  9. جَبَيتَ جَبا عَبدٍ فَأَصبَحتَ مورِداً

    غَرائِبَ يَلقى ضَيعَةً مَن يَذودُها

    You gathered as a slave gathers, and now bring to water

    camels from other herds; whoever drives them meets with loss.

  10. لَقَد صَبَّحَتكُم خَيلُ قَيسٍ كَأَنَّها

    سَراحينُ دَجنٍ يَنفُضُ الطَلَّ سيدُها

    Indeed, Qays's cavalry raided you at dawn, as though they were

    wolves in the gloom, their wolf shaking off the dew.

  11. هُمُ الحامِلونَ الخَيلَ حَتّى تَقَحَّمَت

    قَرابيسُها وَاِزدادَ مَوجاً لُبودُها

    They are the ones who drove the horses on until

    their saddle-bows plunged and their felt pads billowed ever more.

  12. لَقَد شَدَّ بِالخَيلِ الهُذَيلُ عَلَيكُمُ

    عِنانَينِ يُمضي الخَيلَ ثُمَّ يُعيدُها

    Al-Hudhayl indeed charged against you with the horses,

    in two charges, sending the horses forward, then bringing them back.