أبلغ ابا قيسٍ اذا ما لقيتَهُ

نَعامَةُ أدنى دارِهِ فَظَليم

Tell Abu Qays, if you meet him,

The ostrich of the outskirts of his abode is gloomy,

بأنّا ذوو حَدٍّ وانّ قبيلكم

بني خالدٍ لو تعلمون كريم

That we are people of resolve and that your tribe,

O Bani Khalid, would be generous if you knew,

وانّ الذي الى لكم في بيوتكم

بِمقسمِهِ لو تعلمون أثيمُ

And that the one who swears falsely in your homes

Would be sinful if you knew.

هو الفاجعُ المنكي سراة صديقهِ

وذو طلبٍ يومَ اللّقاءِ غَشومُ

He is the one who devastates the friends of his friend

And is aggressive the day they meet.

فنهجمُ ابياتا ونُبكي نُسّيَةٌ

بنسوتنا يوماً لهنَّ نحيمُ

So we attack some verses and cry over a forgotten love

That we once passionately adored.

كأنَّ بُحَيراً لم يقل لي ما ترى

من الأمر أو ينظر بوجه قسيم

As if Buḥayrah had not said to me, “What do you see

Of the matter?” or looked with a frown.

ولو شئت نجّاكَ الكميتُ ولم يكن

كأنّكَ نَصبٌ للرجالِ رَجيمُ

And if I wanted, al-Kumayt would have saved you, and you would not have been

Like a target for the arrows of men.

ولكن رأيت الموتَ ادركَ تُبَّعا

ومن بعده من حادثٍ وقديمِ

But I saw death overtake Tubba‘

And, after him, accident and fate.

فيا لعبيدٍ خلقة إنَّ خيرَكم

بجُزرَةَ بين الاعشين مُقيمُ

So oh slaves, the best of you

Stays on Jurash between two millstones.

غَدَرتُم ولم تُربع عليه ركابُكم

كأنكُم لم تُفجعوا بعظيمِ

You betrayed him and did not set your riding camels over him

As if you had not lost a dear one.

وكنتُ كذاتِ البوّ ريعت فَرَجّعت

وهل ينفَعَنها نظرةٌ وشميمُ

And I was like the bawer whose milk was stopped, but she returned

Does a bleat or moan benefit her?

أطافت فسافت ثم عادت فرجعت

الا ليس عنها سَجُرها بصريمِ

She circled, then she paced, then she returned,

Alas! Her young is not still alive for her.