لِأَسماءَ رَسمٌ أَصبَحَ اليَومَ دارِساً

وَأَقفَرَ مِنها رَحرَحانَ فَراكِسا

For Asma a drawing has become erased today,

And the meadows are emptied of flowers and herbs.

فَجَنبَي عَسيبٍ لا أَرى غَيرَ ماثِلٍ

خَلاءً مِنَ الآثارِ إِلاّ الرَوامِسا

On the slopes of 'Asayb, I see nothing but desolation,

Empty of traces except some ruins.

لَيالِيَ سَلمى لا أَرى مِثلَ دَلِّها

دَلالاً وَأُنساً يُهبِطُ العُصمَ آنِسا

The nights of Salma, I see nothing like their allure,

Alluring and intimate, bringing down modesty like a companion.

وَأَحسَنَ عَهداً لِلمُلِمِّ بِبَيتِها

وَلا مَجلِساً فيهِ لِمَن كانَ جالِسا

And the best lodging for the shelter seeker in her abode,

And no sitting place in it for whoever was sitting.

تَضَوَّعَ مِنها المِسكُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

تَرَجَّلُ بِالرَيحانِ رَطباً وَيابِسا

Musk was diffused from it until it was as if

Walking around with fresh and dry spices.

فَدَعها وَلَكِن قَد أَتاها مَقادُنا

لِأَعدائِنا نُزجي الثِقالَ الكَوادِسا

So leave it, but our meeting places have come to it

To bring down on our enemies the heavily loaded camels.

نَشُدُّ بِتِعطافِ المُلاءِ رُؤوسَنا

عَلى قُلُصٍ نَعلو بِهِنَّ الأَمالِسا

We risk our heads with the twisting of turbans

On skulls that we make rise above the summits.

بِجَمعٍ يُريدُ اِبنَي صُحارٍ كِلَيهِما

وَآلَ رُبَيدٍ مُخطِئاً وَمُلامِسا

With a group that wants to miss the two sons of Suhar, both of them

And the family of Rubayd, missing and touching.

عَلى قُلُصٍ نَعلو بِها كُلَّ سَبسَبٍ

تَخالُ بِهِ الحِرباءَ أَشمَطَ جالِسا

On skulls that we make rise above every arrogance

That battles with it the potent warriors sitting.

سَمَونا لَهُم سَبعاً وَعِشرينَ لَيلَةً

نَجوبُ مِنَ الأَعراضِ قَفراً بَسابِسا

We gave them twenty seven nights

In which we roam the arid deserts leaving no tracks.

فَبِتنا قُعوداً في الحَديدِ وَأَصبَحوا

عَلى الرُكُباتِ يَجرُدونَ الأَيابِسا

So we spent the night clad in armor while they

Woke up on their knees, having lost everything.

فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ الحَيِّ حَيّاً مُصَبَّحاً

وَلا مِثلَنا لَمّا اِلتَقَينا فوارِسا

And I have never seen live men more brave

Than us, when we met as horsemen.

أَكَرَّ وَأَحمى لِلحَقيقَةِ مِنهُمُ

وَأَضرَبَ مِنّا بِالسُيوفِ القَوانِسا

More careful and protective of the truth than them,

And who surpassed us in striking with sharp swords.

وَأَحصَنَنا مِنهُم فَما يَبلُغونَنا

فَوارِسُ مِنّا يَحبِسونَ المَحابِسا

And we are more fortified against them, they cannot reach us,

Our horsemen who imprison the imprisoned.

إِذا ما شَدَدنا شَدّةً نَصَبوا لَها

صُدورَ المَذاكي وَالرِماحَ المَداعِسا

Whenever we show strength, they erect to face it

The chests of the glorious and the piercing lances.

إِذا الخَيلُ جالَت عَن صَريعٍ نُكِرُّها

عَلَيهِم فَما يَرجِعنَ إِلّا عَوابِسا

When the horses recoil from a slain man we dislike,

We drive them back toward the slain, returning only reluctantly.

نُطاعِنُ عَن أَحسابِنا بِرِماحِنا

وَنَضرِبُهُم ضَربَ المُذيدِ الخَوامِسا

We stab around us with our lances

And strike them with the strikes of pressing assaults.

وَكُنتُ أَمامَ القَومِ أَوَّلَ ضارِبٍ

وَطاعَنتُ إِذ كانَ الطِعانُ تَخالُسا

And I was at the front of the people, the first striker,

And I stabbed when stabbing was furtive.

فَكانَ شُهودي مَعبَدٌ وَمُخارِقٌ

وَبِشرٌ وَما اِستَشهَدتُ إِلّا الأَكايِسا

My witnesses were Mu'abad, Mukhariq

And Bishr - and I was martyred only after the weak ones.

مَعي اِبنا صُرَيمٍ دارِعانِ كِلاهُما

وَعُروَةُ لَولاهُم لَقيتُ الدَهارِسا

With me were the two sons of Suraym, both shield bearers,

And 'Urwa - had it not been for them, I would have met those who harvest lives.

وَمارَسَ زَيدٌ ثُمَّ أَقصَرَ مُهرُهُ

وَحُقَّ لَهُ في مِثلِها أَن يُمارِسا

And Zayd practiced then shortened his stay

He had the right with the likes of her to practice.

وَقُرَّةُ يَحَميهِم إِذا ما تَبَدَّدوا

وَيَطعَنُهُم شَزراً فَأَبرَحتَ فارِسا

And Qurra protects them when they are scattered

And stabs them miserably - so you remained, O horseman.

وَلَو ماتَ مِنهُم مَن جَرَحنا لَأَصبَحَت

ضِباعٌ بِأَكنافِ الأَراكِ عَرائِسا

Had those we wounded died, by morning

There would have been gazelles at the sides of the meadows as brides.

وَلَكِنَّهُم في الفارِسِيِّ فَلا يُرى

مِنَ القَومِ إِلّا في المُضاعَفِ لابِسا

But being horsemen, they are only seen

Of the people in the double scale armor dressed.

فَإِن يَقتُلوا مِنّا كَريماً فَإِنَّنا

أَبَأنا بِهِ قَتلاً يُذِلُّ المَعاطِسا

If they kill one of us, a generous man, we

Take revenge on him with a killing that humiliates the proud.

قَتَلنا بِهِ في مُلتَقى الخَيلِ خَمسَةً

وَقاتِلَهُ زِدنا مَعَ اللَيلِ سادِسا

With it, we killed five of them in the meeting place of horses

And his killer, we added a sixth to the night.

وَكُنّا إِذا ما الحَربُ شَبَّت نَشُبُّها

وَنَضرِبُ فيها الأَبلَخَ المُتَقاعِسا

And we, when war flared up, we flare it up

And in it we strike the cowering and hesitating.

فَأُبنا وَأَبقى في رِماحِنا

مَطارِدَ خَطِّىٍّ وَحُمراً مَداعِسا

I gave life and made live through our lances

A relentless fate and red camels pressing.

وَجُرداً كَأَنَّ الأُسدَ فَوقَ مُتونِها

مِنَ القَومِ مَرؤوساً وَآخَرَ رائِسا

And a coat of mail as if there were a lion above their backs

Of the people, with some obeying and others leading.