أيا ابنَ سَعيد زبرٍ بادَ لَحمي

وَقَد أَودَى حِذارُكَ بالفُؤادِ

O son of brave Sa'eed, my flesh is gone

And your neglect has slain my heart

وَمتُّ هَرِيئَةً وهَلَكتُ جُوعاً

وحرَّقَ مَعدَتي شَوكُ القَتَادِ

I am skin and bones and dying of hunger

My guts are seared by prickly pears

وحَبَّةِ حَنظلٍ ولُبَاب قُطبٍ

وتَنوم تَنطَّقُ بَطنَ وادي

Berries of colocynth, bitter as gall

While my belly rumbles loud as a valley

كأنَّ حَراقِفي جُلَبٌ تَدَامى

وَصِرتُ كآلِ نُوبَةَ في السَّوادِ

My bones jut out like the humps of camels

And I'm as thin as sticks in the dark

فأَمسى الذِّيبُ يرقُبُني مِخَشّاً

لخِفَّةِ ضَربَتي وضَعيفِ آدِي

So the wolf waits to take me, frail and slow

My steps grown weak, my voice faint and low

وغُولا قَفرَةٍ ذَكَرٌ وأُنثى

كأنَّ عَلَيهما قِطَعَ البِجَادِ

And two ghouls, male and female sit watching

Like buyers eyeing goods in the market

وضَبعٌ أُمُّ أَربَعَة ونمرٌ

طَويلُ الباعِ ذُو نَاب حدادِ

A mother hyena leading her young

A long-clawed leopard swift on the run

أَتَترُكُهُنَّ يا ابنَ سعيدِ زَبرٍ

ولحمي ليسَ ذاكَ من السَّدادِ

Will you leave me to them, O noble lion?

My flesh can hardly serve to sate one

ولَم أَظلِم ولَم أَقطَع طَريقاً

وتسمعُ بي أَقاوِيلَ الأعادِي

I've robbed no man nor blocked any road

Yet enemies' tales you have heard and bowed

فَلَو كُنتُ الأَمير وكُنتَ مِثلي

طَريداً ما طَرَدتُكَ في البلادِ

If I were prince and you were the pauper

I'd not have hounded you out of my land

أَجِرني لا يَزَل لك مِن ثَنَاءٍ

ثَنَاءٌ مِثلُ سابِقةِ العِهادِ

Save me, and your fame will never fade

Rising high as the stars man has made

فَما لَيثٌ بأَجرى منكَ عادٍ

ولا أَسَدٌ مِنَ الأَجَمَاتِ غادِي

No lion or raider can match your glory

No kings can eclipse your storied saga