وَبَلْدَةٍ يَدْعُو صَدَاها هِنْدَا

يُهَيِّجُ اللَيْلُ عَلَيْها وَجْدا

A village whose echo he calls India

The night excites longing in it

كَذات أَحْزان أَرَاحَتْ فَقدا

يُحْمِي بِهَا الحَرُّ المَهارَى وِرْدا

Like one with sorrows who finds solace in loss

Wherein the hot sands harbor roses

مِمّا تَصَلَّيْنَ الهَجِير الصَخْدا

تَفْصِد أَوْشال الذَفارَى فَصْدا

Of what the twittering grouse bowed to

Nibbling the Euphorbia stalks

ما زالَ إِسْآدُ المَطايَا سَمْدا

يَنْسَلِبُ اللَيْلُ انْسِلاباً مَسْدا

The kneading of the dough was still damp

The night slips smoothly down

بِحَيْثُ سَمَّى أَهْلُ نَجْدٍ نَجْدا

حَتَّى بَرَى الجَلْسَ وَأنْضَى الأُجْدا

Where the people of Najd called it Najd

Until the sitting was blessed and the love fulfilled

تَقْلِيب أَخْفافٍ تُدَنِّي البُعْدَا

بِأَرْجُلٍ ساقَتْ نَعاماً زُبْدا

The pattering of hooves that shorten the distance

With legs that raced an ostrich to water

كَأَنَّ رَفْضَ الشَركِ المُرْقَدّا

إِذا الطَرِيقُ بِالفَلاةِ ارْمَدّا

As if refusing the partnership that slumbers

When the path in the wilderness crooked

أَنْساعُ مَكِّيٍّ أَجاد القَدَّا

وَإِنْ خَصاصُ لَيْلِهِنَّ اسْتَدّا

The strides of a Meccan excelling at racing

Though the specialty of their nights straightened

صَدَدْنَ عَنْ عِرْنِينِه أَوْ صَدّا

عَنْها وَتَعْرَوْرَى سِهاباً جُرْدا

They blocked it from its burrows or blocked

It from them as it limped, injured, away

إِذا تَهَاوى القَرَبِ اجْرَهَدَّا

كَأَنَّ تَحْتِي ذا شِيّاتٍ فَرْدا

When the war drums beat exhausted

You'd think there were some hyenas underneath me

بادَرَ لَيْلاً وَشَمالاً صَرْدا

أَرْطَى وَأَحْقافاً يَذُدْنَ البَرْدا

He ventured out in the night and cold violently

Arching and bleating, warding off the cold

يَنْضُو المَطايَا عَنَقاً وَوَخْدا

نَضْوَكَ عَن صَدْرِ اليَمانِي الغِمْدا

The camels straighten their necks, awakened

Your awakening from the Yemeni's sheath

تَطْرُدُ ذَمّاً وَتُدَنِّي حَمْدا

تَعْمِي مَعَانِيها اللُغامَ الجَعْدا

Repelling blame and shortening praise

Their dark manes obscuring meanings

لا تَعْد أَقْوام إِلَيَّ القَصْدا

أَبْدَوْا مِنَ الغَيْظِ وُجُوهاً رُبْدا

They no longer reckon people will visit me

Showing, from anger, faces like pus

مَرْضَى وَإِنْ كانُوا بِطاناً كُبْدا

لا بَرِئَتْ غُدَّةُ مَن أَغَدّا

Sick, though they were healthy inside

No tumor of one who swelled healed

إِذا اعْتِراضُ الرَجَزٍ اصْمَعَدّا

عَرَفْت أَنَّ العَدَد الأَعَدّا

When the satire's opposition hardened

I knew the greater number prepared

وَالرُكْنَ إِنْ زاحَمْتَه الأَشَدّا

لَنا إِذا يَوْمُ الحِفَاظِ امْتَدَّا

And the pillar, if you compete with the firmest

For us, when the day of horrors stretched out

وَعَمَّ أَيّام الضِناك الحَشْدا

وَإِن أَمَرَّ المُحْصِدُون الحَصْدا

And the days of misery spread wide

And though they commanded harvesting the harvest

فِي يَوْمِ هَيْجَا أَوْ غَشِين الجِدّا

وَلَمْ نَجِدْ مِنْ عُظْم أَمْرٍ بُدَّا

On a day of stirring or covering intensity

And we did not find any matter of import

وَنَحْنُ ما لَمْ نَر أَمْراً رُشْدَا

نُدْنِي لِنُكْدِ الناسِ مِنّا نُكْدا

While we have not seen any proper matter

We bring down upon the people because of us misery

وَمَن أَرَدْنَا جُرْأَةً وَمَكْدا

بِقَسْرِنَا التَعْبِيدَ كانَ عَبْدا

And whoever we wanted boldness and schemes from

By our forcing servitude, became a slave

تَرَى إِذا ذُو الحَسَبِ اسْتَعَدّا

مِنّا رَسُولاً هادِياً وَحَمْدَا

You see, when the respectable prepared

A messenger from us, guiding and praiseworthy

بِهِ تَفَنَّخْنَا الذُرَى وَالمَجْدا

وَعَمُّنَا أَفْضَلُ عَمٍّ زَبْدا

Through him we scattered the parasites and glory

And our uncle is the best of uncles, mottled

قَيْسٌ إِذا ما المَحْلِبُ اسْتَمَدّا

الأَعَظَمُونَ فِي الجِهادِ جُنْدا

Qais, when the milkbag was extracted

The greatest in battle, an army

وَالأَمْنَعُونَ ذِمَماً وَعَهْدا

ذَاكَ وَسَعْدِي الأَفْضَلُونَ سَعْدا

The safest with covenants and pacts

That, and my grandfather the most fortunate, Sa'd

إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَعْدِلْ بِنَا مَعَدّا

نَعْدِلُ مَعَدّاً عَدَداً وَجَدَّا

If you judge us fairly, judging

We judge fairly, a number judged

وَحَسَباً يَوْمَ الفِضالِ عِدّا

وَإِن ظَلَمنا الناسَ قُلنا عَمدا

And enough the day of superiority, reckoned

And if we wronged people, we said, deliberately

فَأَيُّها الرائِمُ أَمراً إِدَّا

إِنْ كُنْتَ تَرْجُونَا فَنَاطِح أُحْدا

So you, blaming a matter done

If you expect us, then strike Uhod

إِنَّ لَنَا مِنْ كُلِّ نِهدٍ نِهْدا

مِنَ الرِبابِ حَلَباً وَرِفْدا

We have from each spearpoint a spearpoint

From cows, milk and provision

وَعَمْرُنَا رِفْداً لَنا وَرِدَّا

وَآلُ زَيْدٍ سَلَفاً وَوَفْدا

And our life provision for us and repayment

And the family of Zayd, an advance and delegation

مُسْتَأْسِداً مِنْ كُلِّ قَوْمٍ أُسْدَا

تَرَى لَهُم إِنْ رام أَمْراً ضَهْدا

As lions from each people, lions

You'd see them, if an affair became serious

مِنْ قَسْوَةِ العِزِّ رِقاباً لُدّا

وَجِلَّةً لا يَشْتَكٍينَ اللَهْدا

Necks hardened from the harshness of glory

And a group who don't complain of twisting

يَخْضِدْن أَعْناق القُرُومِ خَضْدا

إِذا إحْتَضَرْنَ يَوْمَ زَأدٍ زَأْدا

Slavering the necks of phalanxes with biting

When they charge on a day of arming, charging

لَمْ تَرَ إِلّا مُقْرَماً عِلَّكْدا

فُرَانِساً أُرِبَّ جِسْماً مَغْدا

You see only one grimacing, chewing

A Franciscan made fat in body

يَزِيدُهُ نَهْمُ الوَعِيدِ حَرْدا

إِذا أَعاد الزَأْرَ وَاسْمَعَدّا

Whose appetite for threats grows

When he repeats the roar and readies

وَقَدْ غَضِبْنَ غَضَباً عِرْبَدّا

حَسِبْتُهُ غَشَّاهُ لَوْناً وَرْدا

And they became angry with great anger

I thought it covered him in the color pink

طالِيه إِلّا بِتَكاً أَوْ لِبْدا

كَأَنَّ نَابَيْهِ إِذَا اسْتَحَدّا

Wearing only a loincloth or tattered garment

It's as if when his fangs sharpen

بِالآخَرَيْنِ مِغْوَلاَنِ ارْتَدّا

فِي وُرَّمٍ أَرْآدُه أَلَدّا

They rebound off the other two, blunted

In a cleft I see him most severe

وَهامَةٍ كَالصَمْدِ لاَقَتْ صَمْدا

إِذا اضْمَأَكَّ أَخْدَعَاه ابْتَدّا

With resolve like an anvil that met an anvil

When he frowned his scowl intensified

صَلِيفَ مُرْدِيٍّ وَمُصْلَخِدّا

أَعانَ حَيْداهُ جَبِيناً صَلْدا

Arrogant, defiant, sneering

His rage helped his wrathful brow

يَزْغَدْنَ بَخْباخَ الهَدِيرِ زَغْدا

بَوَاذِخاً راجِسَةً وَرَدّا

They race with the gargle of the stream racing

High-stepping and purplish red

تَسْمَعُ لِلأَرْضِ بِهِنَّ وَأْدا

وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ مَنْكِباً وَعَضْدا

You hear for them the earth groan

And if you saw a shoulder and arm

مِنْهُنَّ تُرْمَى بِاللَكِيكِ لَثْدا

حَسِبْتَ فِي أَجْلادِهِنَّ سُخْدا

Of them pelted with firm throws

You'd think their skins full of vesicles

مِنْ نَضْو أَوْرامٍ تَمَشَّتْ سَأْدَا

From the swelling of tumors that crept out