يَقولُ وَقَد أَلمَمتُ بِالإِنسِ لَمَّةً

مُخَضَّبَةُ الأَطرافِ خُرسُ الخَلاخِلِ

He says, as I gathered resolve among the people,

My limbs dyed, mute of anklets,

أَهَذا خَليلُ الغولِ وَالذِّئبِ وَالَّذي

يَهيمُ بِرَبّاتِ الحِجالِ الهَراكِلِ

Is this the friend of ghouls, wolves and she

Who wanders with the dames of wraps, the spinsters?

رَأَت خَلقَ الأَدراسِ أَشعَثَ شاحِباً

عَلى الجَدبِ بَسّاماً كَريمَ الشَّمائِلِ

The virgins saw the form of the scruffy, pale,

On the barren land, smiling, handsome of traits,

تَعَوَّدَ مِن آبائِهِ فَتَكاتِهِم

وَإِطعامَهُم في كُلِّ غَبراءَ شامِلِ

He inherited from his fathers their killings,

And feeding them in every dusty, comprehensive.

إِذا صادَ صَيداً لَفَّهُ بَضِرامِهِ

وَشيكاً وَلَم يُنظِر لِنَصبِ المَراجِلِ

If he hunted game, he wrapped it in his garment,

Quickly, and did not wait to set up the cooking-pots,

وَنَهساً كَنَهسِ الصَّقرِ ثُمَّ مِراسَهُ

بِكَفَّيهِ رَأسَ الشيحَةِ المُتَمايِلِ

And a roar like the roar of a falcon, then he split

Its head with his two hands, the wavering old man.

فَلَم يَسحَبِ المنديلَ بَينَ جَماعَةٍ

وَلا فارداً مُذ صاحَ بَينَ القَوابِلِ

So he did not draw out a handkerchief amongst a group,

Or alone, since he shouted amongst the midwives.

إِذا ما أَرادَ اللَّهُ ذُلَّ قَبيلَةٍ

رَماها بِتَشتيتِ الهَوى وَالتَّخاذُلِ

If God wanted to humiliate a tribe,

He bombarded it with scattering of passions and cowardice.

وَأَوَّلُ عَجزِ القَومِ عَمّا يَنوبُهُم

تَدافُعُهُم عَنهُ طولُ التَّواكُلِ

And the first incapacity of the people from what befalls them,

Is their prolonged defending of it.

وَأَوَّلُ خبثِ الماءِ خَبثُ تُرابِهِ

وَأَوَّلُ لُؤمِ القَومِ لُؤمُ الحَلائِلِ

And the first evil of water is the evil of its soil,

And the first villainy of the people is the villainy of relatives.