أَيوعِدُني بَكرٌ وَيَنفُضُ عُرفَهُ

فَقُلتُ لِبَكرٍ إِنَّما أَنتَ حالِمُ

Does a youth promise me, shaking off his camel hair cloak,

So I said to the youth, “You are but a dreamer.”

سَتَمنَعُني مِنكُم رِماحٌ ثَرِيَّةٌ

وَغَلصَمَةٌ تَزوَرُّ عَنها الغَلاصِمُ

Spears like tent poles and a rugged band

That makes even the rugged bands waver, will bar you from me.

فَما لِبَني شَيبانَ عِندي ظُلامَةٌ

وَلا بِدَمٍ تَسعى عَلَيَّ الحَناتِمُ

The Bani Shayban have for me no darkness

Nor does Damm's blood pursue me with reprimands.

غِضابٌ كَأَنّي في بَياضٍ أَكُفِّهِم

أَلا رُبَّما لَم تَستَطِعني اللَهازِمُ

My anger is as though I am in dazzling white fending them off

Yet perhaps the confederations will not be able to withstand me.

وَنُبِّئتُ تَيمَ اللاتِ تَنذُرُ مُهجَتي

وَفيها هِلالٌ طالِعٌ وَمُزاحِمُ

And I warned Taym al-Lat, threatening my people,

In it a crescent rises along with barging in.

لَنا حُمَةٌ مَن يَختَلِس بَعضَ سَمِّها

مِنَ الناسِ يَعفِر كَفَّهُ وَهوَ نادِمُ

We have a zeal—if someone steals some of its poison

From the people, he wipes his palm while regretting.

وَيَعتَرِفُ البَكرِيُّ ما دامَتِ العَصا

لِذي العِزِّ وَالبَكرِيُّ ما اِسطاعَ ظالِمُ

And the Bakrite confesses as long as the rod remains

To the one of high rank, while the Bakrite prevails however long the oppressor persists.

تَدارَكَ مَفروقاً بَنو عَمِّ أُمِّهِ

وَقَد حَجَنَتهُ وَالهِجانَ الأَراقِمُ

The sons of the uncle of his mother embraced

When she weaned him, and the torn garments.