قَعَدتُ عَلى السِعلاةِ تَنفُضُ مِسحَها

وَتُجذَبُ مِثلَ الأَيمِ في بُرَةِ الصُفرِ

I sat upon the horse blanket shaking out its dust

Swaying like a hopeful woman in a barren plain

تُيَمِّمُ خَيرَ الناسِ ماءً وَحاضِراً

وَتَحمِلُ حاجاتٍ تَضَمَّنَها صَدري

Seeking good people though lacking water present

Bearing needs my chest has kept inside

فَإِنّي عَلى رَغمِ الأَعادي لَقائِلٌ

وَجَدتُ خِيارَ الناسِ حَيَّ بَني بَدرِ

Yet despite the enemies, I will say

I found the best of people alive, sons of Badr

لَهُم حاضِرٌ بِالهَجمِ لَم أَرَ مِثلَهُم

مِنَ الناسِ حَيّاً أَهلَ بَدوٍ وَلا حَضرِ

For them is a present with onslaught, none have I seen

Among people, alive, nomad or settled, like them

وَخَيرُ مَعَدٍّ مَجلِساً مَجلِسٌ لَهُم

يَفيءُ عَلَيهِ الظِلُّ مِن جانِبِ القَصرِ

And the best tribe, sitting together, is theirs

Shade falls upon them from the palace side

أَخُصُّ بِها رَوقَي عُيَينَةَ إِنَّهُ

كَذاكَ ضَحاحُ الماءِ يَأوي إِلى الغَمرِ

I care for it, I choose Uyaynah

Just as the sweetest water flows to the estuary

فَأَنتُم أَحَقُّ الناسِ أَن تَتَخَيَّروا ال

مِياهَ وَأَن تَرعَوا ذُرى البَلَدِ القَفرِ

So you are most deserving people to pick

Waters and pasture the land’s barren expanse

لَقَد سَبَقَت بِالمُخزِياتِ مُحارِبٌ

وَفازَت بِخَلّاتٍ عَلى قَومِها عَشرِ

An enemy has surpassed in disgraces

And won wicked traits against her people, ten:

فَمِنهُنَّ أَن لَم تَعقِروا ذاتَ ذِروَةٍ

لِحَقٍّ إِذا ما إِحتيجَ يَوماً إِلى العَقرِ

Of them, that you never hamstrung a peaked

Right, if one day hamstringing be needed

وَمِنهُنَّ أَن لَم تَمسَحوا عَرَبِيَّةً

مِنَ الخَيلِ يَوماً تَحتَ جُلٍّ عَلى مُهرِ

And of them, that you never marked an Arabian

Horse one day, under a wound’s scab

وَمِنهُنَّ أَن لَم تَضرِبوا بِسُيوفِكُم

جَماجِمَ إِلّا فَيشَلَ القُرَّحِ الحُمرِ

And of them, that you never struck with your swords

Skulls unless the red wounds poured forth

وَمِنهُنَّ أَن كانَت شُيوخُ مُحارِبٍ

كَما قَد عَلِمتُم لا تَريشُ وَلا تَبري

And of them, that the elders of an enemy

Were, as you knew, neither feathered nor fleeced

وَمِنهُنَّ أُخزى سَوءَةٍ لَو ذَكَرتُها

لَكُنتُم عَبيداً تَخدُمونَ بَني وَبرِ

And of them, an appalling evil, if I mentioned it

You would be slaves, serving the sons of rats

وَمِنهُنَّ أَنَّ الضَأنَ كانَت نِساءَكُم

إِذا إِخضَرَّ أَطرافُ الثُمامِ مِنَ القَطرِ

And of them, that your women were the sheep

When the thumam's edges greened from the rain

وَمِنهُنَّ أَن كانَت عَجوزُ مُحارِبٍ

تُريغُ الصِبا تَحتَ الصَفيحِ مِنَ القَبرِ

And of them, that an old crone of the enemy

Would spill semen under the burial mound

وَمِنهُنَّ أَن لَو كانَ في البَحرِ بَعضُكُم

لَخَبَّثَ ضاحي جِلدِهِ حَومَةَ البَحرِ

And of them, that if one of you were in the sea

His groin would dirty the ocean's foam

إِذا حَلَّ جارٌ جانِباً في مُحارِبٍ

وَجَسرٍ فَلا يُبشِر بِعِزٍّ وَلا نَصرِ

When a neighbor settled alongside an enemy

And bridge, he brings no honor or victory

فَدَفعُهُما عَنهُ إِذا ما تَحَدَّبا

وَجَدّا كَدَفعِ الأَسكَتَينِ عَنِ البَظرِ

Pushing them away, when they leered

Finding it like pushing aside two swollen vulvae

تَمَنّى اليَماني أَن يُفارِقَ رَأسَهُ

فَفارَقَهُ في غَيرِ حَمدٍ وَلا شُكرِ

The Yemeni wished to part from his head

So he parted it, without thanks or praise

وَعِندَ الفَزارِيِّ العِراقِيِّ عارِضٌ

كَأَنَّ عُيونَ القَومِ في نَبضَةِ الجَمرِ

And the Iraqi has a contender

As if the people's eyes were in burning embers