يا كَعبُ إِنَّكَ لَو قَصَّرتَ عَلى

حُسنِ النِدامِ وَقِلَّةِ الجُرمِ

O Ka'b, if only you had been content with

The beauty of regret and paucity of crime,

وَسَماعِ مُدجِنَةٍ تُعَلِّلُنا

حَتّى تَؤوبَ تَناوُمَ العُجمِ

And hearing the cooing of a dove that makes excuses for us

Until it returns from the non-Arabs’ lands,

لَصَحَوتُ وَالنَمرِيُّ يَحسِبُها

عَمَّ السِماكِ وَخالَةَ النَجمِ

I would have awakened while Numayri thought it

Was the entire cosmos and aunt of the stars.

هَلهِل لِكَعبٍ بِعدَما وَقَعَت

فَوقَ الشُؤونِ بِمِعصَمٍ فَعمِ

Cry out to Ka'b after what befell him

When tasks fell upon a stalwart wrist,

جَسَداً بِهِ نَضحُ الدِماءِ كَما

قَنَأَت أَنامِلُ قاطِفِ الكَرمِ

A body through which blood flows copiously

As fingers of grape-pickers drip.

وَالخَمرُ لَيسَت مِن أَخي

كَ وَلَكِن قَد تَخونُ بِآمِنِ الحِلمِ

Wine is not like my brother

But can betray one confident of forbearance.

وَتُزَيِّنُ الرَأيَ السَفيهَ إِذا جَعَلَت

شَمولُ رِياحِها تَنمي

It adorns foolish opinion when its breezes’

Prevalence grows.

وَأَنا اِمرُؤٌ مِن آلِ مُرَّةَ إِن

أَكلِمكُم لا تَرفَأوا كَلمي

I am a man of the family of Murra. If

I speak to you, do not recoil from my words,

مِن أُسرَةٍ لي إِن لَقيتُهُم

حامي الحَقيقَةِ دافِقي الظُلمِ

From a family to which, if I meet them,

I am a protector of the truth, assailer of injustice.