أَبَني مَثولَةَ قَد أَطَعتُ سَراتَكُم

لَو كانَ عَن حَربِ الصَديقِ سَبيلُ

My sons of Mathwala, I have obeyed your counsel

Even if it kept me from warring a friend

وَبَنو أُمَيَّةَ كُلُّهُم أُمَراؤُها

وَبَنو رِياحٍ إِن تُدُبِّرَ قيلُ

And the clan of Umayya, all their chiefs

And the clan of Riadh, if you consider them

سيري إِلَيكِ فَسَوفَ يَمنَعُ سَربَها

مِن آلِ مُرَّةَ بِالحِجازِ حُلولُ

My steed shall carry me to you, though their host

Of the clan of Murra in Hejaz may seek to bar me

حَلَقٌ أَحَلّوها الفَضاءَ كَأَنَّهُم

مِن بَينِ مَنبِجَ وَالكَثيبِ قُيولُ

A ring of men who made the desert void

As if they were the tribes of Manbij and Kathib

فَإِذا فَزِعتُ غَدَت بِبِزّي نَهدَةٌ

جَرداءَ مُشرِفَةُ القَذالِ دَؤولُ

And when alarmed my tunic hangs loose

Bare, with slit skirt gaping wide

شَوهاءُ مُركَضَةٌ إِذا طَأطَأتُها

مَرَطى إِذا اِبتَلَّ الحِزامُ نَسولُ

An ugly roan whom, when I check, I find

Slack-girthed, the belt being worn through and sliding

أَعدَدتُها لِبَني اللَقيطَةِ فَوقَها

رُمحي وَسَيفٌ صارِمٌ وَشَليلُ

I have made ready for the sons of Luqayt

My spear, my Indian blade, my iron coat of mail

وَمُجَرَّبُ النَجَداتِ لَيسَ بِناكِلٍ

عَنهُ إِذا لاقى القَبيلَ قَبيلُ

And my tried charger, no shirker from the fray

When tribe meets tribe in the valley to prevail