أعُريانُ مايدري امرؤٌ سِيلَ عَنكُمُ

أَمِن مذحِجٍ تُدعَونَ أَم مِن إيادِ

I know not, O men, why you are called

Mudar or Iyad;

فَإِن قُلتُم مِن مَذحِجٍ إِنَّ مَذحِجاً

لَبِيضُ الوُجُوهِ غَيرُ جِدِّ جِعَادِ

If you say you are Mudar, for Mudar

Are fair of face, not like strong Jidad;

وأَنتُم صِغَارُ الهَامِ جُدلٌ كأَنَّمَا

وُجُوهُكُمُ مَطلِيَّةٌ بِمدَادِ

And you are small, with locks like ropes,

And faces smeared as with ink overlaid.

فإن قُلتُم الحيُّ اليمانُونَ أصلُنا

ونَاصِرُنَا فِي كُلِّ يَومِ جِلاَدِ

If you say that you are Yemenites pure,

Allies of ours when swords flash and blade,

فَأَطوِل بِأمرٍ مِن مَعَدٍّ وَنَزوَةٍ

نَزَت بإِيَادٍ خَلفَ دَارِ مُرَادِ

I say that Ma'add's and Kahlan's descent

Came to Iyad, Kahlan's place and stead.

لَعَمرُ بني شيبانَ إن يُنكِحُونَهُ

زبَادِ لَقِدماً قَصَّرُوا بِزَبَادِ

By God, Banu Shayban, your matchmaker

For shabby gifts diminished your grade;

أبَعدَ الوَلِيدِ أنكحُوا عَبدَ مَذحِجٍ

كَمُنزِيَةً عَيراً خِلاَفَ جَوَادِ

Beyond al-Walid you wed a Mudarite -

Like scoring a goal behind at football played;

وأنكَحَهَا لاَ فِي كَفَاءٍ وَلاَ غِنًى

زيادٌ أَضَلَّ اللهُ سَعيَ زِيَادِ

Wed her without worth or means, did Ziyad

Whom God confused and from right pathway swayed!