وَفَتْ لِعَلِيّ مِنْ رَبِيعَةَ عُصْبَةٌ

بِصُمّ العَوَالِي والصَّفِيحِ الْمُذَكَّرِ

A band of Rabee’ah came to Ali

With swords polished white and scabbards clashing loud,

شَقِيقٌ وَكُرْدُوسُ ابْنُ سَيِّد تَغْلَب

وَقَدْ قَامَ فِيهَا خَالِدُ بنُ المُعَمَّرِ

Shaqeeq and Kurdus the son of Sayyid Taghleb

And Khalid son of al-Mu’ammar took his stand among them,

وَقَارَع بالشُّورى حُرَيثُ بنُ جَابرٍ

وَفَازَ بِهَا لَوْلاَ الحُضَيْنُ بْنُ مُنْذِرِ

Hurayth son of Jabir came to the Shura

And would have won it but for Husayn son of Mundhir,

لانَّ حُضَيْناً قَامَ فِينَا بِخطْبَةٍ

مِنَ الحَقّ فِيهَا مِيتَةٌ لِلتَّجبَّرِ

For Husayn made us a speech therein

Was death to arrogance and love of right,

أُمِرْنَا بِمُرّ الحَقّ حَتَّى كَأنَّنَا

خَشَاشٌ تَفَادَى مِنْ قُطَامٍ بِقَرْقَرِ

Bidding us cleave to right though we be

As grazing beasts that flee a roaring lion,

وَكَانَ أبُوهُ خَيْرَ بَكْرِ بْنِ وائِلٍ

إذا خِيفَ مِنْ يَوْمٍ أغَرَّ مُشَهَّرِ

And his father was the best of Bakr son of Waeel

Whenever a day of battle was dreaded by one who spread alarm,

نَهَاهُ إلى عُلْيَا عُكَابَةَ عُصْبَةٌ

وَآبٍ أبِيٌّ لِلدَّنِيَّةِ أزْهرِ

The band of ‘Ukkabah kept him from Ali,

An old man given over to this vile world.