نَطَقَت بَنو أَسَدٍ وَلَم تَجهَر

وَتَكَلَّمَت خَفياً وَلَم تَظهَر

Banu Asad spoke, but did not speak aloud;

They spoke in secret and did not come forth.

وَأَما وَرَبَّ البَيتِ لَو نَطَقَت

لَتَرَكتُها وَصَباحُها أَغبَر

Yet, by the Lord of the House, had they spoken out,

I would have left them to a dust-dark dawn.

أَيَرومُ شَتمي مِنهُمُ رَجُلٌ

في وَجهِهِ عِبَرٌ لِمَن فَكَّر

Does a man among them seek to insult me,

when his face holds lessons for whoever reflects?

وَاِبنُ الحُبابِ صَليبَةً زَعَموا

وَمِنَ المُحالِ صَليبَةٌ أَشقَر

And Ibn al-Hubab is of pure lineage, they claim—

yet pure lineage in a fair-complexioned man is impossible.

ما بالُ مَن آباؤُهُ عَرَبُ ال

أَلوانِ يُحسَبُ مِن بَني قَيصَر

What of a man whose forefathers bear Arab

complexions, yet he is counted among Caesar’s sons?

أَتَرونَ أَهلَ البَدوِ قَد مُسِخوا

شُقراً أَما هَذا مِنَ المُنكَر

Do you think the desert people have been transformed

into fair-complexioned men? Is this not an outrage?