أَبى اللَيلُ بالمَرّانِ أَن يَتَصَرَّما

كَأَنّي أَسومُ العَينَ نَوما مُحَرَّما

The night refused to part with its darkness

As if I was putting kohl on sleepy eyes forbidden

وَرُدَّ بثَنيَيهِ كَأَنَّ نُجومَهُ

صُوارٌ تَناهى مِن ارانٍ فَقَوَّما

Its folds returned as if its stars

Were necklaces taken off from smooth skin

إِلى اللَهِ أَشكو لا إِلى الناسِ أَنَّني

أَمُصُّ بَناتِ الدرِّ ثَدياً مُصَرَّما

I complain to Allah, not people, that I

Suck the daughters of pearls, an addicted sucker

وَسوقَ نِساءٍ يَسلِبونَ ثِيابَها

يُهادونَها هَمدانَ رِقّاً وَخَثعَما

And a market where women's clothes are robbed

Given to the penniless as gifts and rags

عَلى أَيِّ شيءٍ يا لُؤَيَّ بنَ غالِبٍ

تُجيبونَ من أَجرى عَليَّ وَأَلجَما

To what end, O Lu'ay, son of Ghalib

Do you respond to what has befallen me and silenced me

وَهاتوا فَقُصُّوا آيَةً تَقرؤونَها

أَحلَّت بِلادي أَن تُباحَ وَتُظلَما

Recite a verse you read

That made my country halal to conquer and oppress

والّا فأقصى اللَهُ بَيني وَبينَكُم

وَوَلّى كَثيرَ اللؤمِ مَن كانَ ألأما

Else may Allah increase the distance between me and you

And make succeed the many cowards who were vile

وَقَد شَهِدتَنا مِن ثَقيفٍ رِضاعَةٌ

وَغيَّبَ عَنها الحومَ قُوّامُ زَمزَما

You witnessed the suckling between us and Thaqif

While the caretaker of Zamzam was absent

بَنو هاشِمٍ لَو صادَفوكَ تُجِدُّها

مججتَ وَلضم تملك حيازيمكَ الدَما

O Banu Hashim, if you meet them

You grieve and cannot restrain your tears

سَتَعلَمُ ان زَلَّت بِكَ النَعلُ زَلَّةً

وَكُلُّ امرىءٍ لاقي الَّذي كانَ قَدَّما

You will know if a slipper slips

And every man meets what he has forwarded

بِأَنَّكَ قَد ماطَلتَ أَنيابَ حَيَّةٍ

تَزجّي بِعَينيها شُجاعاً وَأَرقَما

That you have confronted the fangs of a serpent

Who stares with her eyes at the brave and deluded

وَكَم مِن عَدوٍّ قَد أَرادَ مَساءَتي

بِغَيبٍ وَلَو لاقيتُه لتندَّما

And how many enemies who wished me harm

Behind my back, and had I met him, he would have regretted

كَثيرُ أُلىّ حَتّى إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ

أَصَرَّ عَلى اثمٍ وان كانَ أَقسَما

Many threatened, until when I met him

He persisted in sin, even if he had sworn

وَأَنتُم بَني حامٍ بنِ نوحٍ أَرى لَكُم

شِفاهاً كأَذنابِ المَشاجرِ ورَّما

And you, O Banu Ham son of Noah

I see you have lips like buttocks of she-camels

فان قُلتَ خالي مِن قُرَيشٍ فَلَم أَجِد

مِنَ الناسِ شَرّاً مِن أَبيكَ وألأما

If you say you are free of Quraysh, I have not found

Worse people than your father and mother

صَغيراً ضَغا في خِرقةٍ فأمضَّهُ

مربّيهِ حَتّى إِذ أهمَّ وأَفطَما

As a child he sucked in a rag until

His nanny let him suck till he grew up and was weaned

رأى جلدَةً مِن آلِ حامٍ مَتينَة

وَرأساً كأَمثالِ الجَريبِ مُؤَوَّما

He saw a tough skin of the people of Ham

And a head like sheep skulls with peeling scabs

وَكُنتُم سَقيطا في ثَقيفٍ مَكانَكُم

بَني العَبد لا توفي دِماؤُكمُ دَما

You were outcasts among Thaqif, your status

O children of the slave, your blood never avenges blood