أَلا حَيِّيا داراً لِأُمِّ هِشامِ

وَكَيفَ تُنادى دِمنَةٌ بِسَلامِ

Oh, hail to a house for the mother of Hisham,

How can a land be called safe with peace?

أَجازِيَةٌ بِالوَصلِ إِذ حيلَ دونَهُ

وَما الذِكرُ بَعدَ اليَأسِ غَيرُ سَقامِ

Rewarding with union when it was prevented,

What is mention after despair but sickness?

مَحا عَرَصاتِ الدارِ بَعدَكَ مُلبِسٌ

أَهاضيبَ رَجّافِ العَشِيِّ رُكامِ

It erased the courtyards of the house after you,

Torrents of evening rain accumulating.

وَكُلُّ سِماكِيٍّ كَأَنَّ نَشاصَهُ

إِذا راحَ أُصلاً جافِلاتُ نَعامِ

And every bird of prey as if its hunting

When the ostriches departed were hooves of ostriches.

تَعَرَّضُ بِالمِصرِ العِراقِيِّ بَعدَما

تَقَطَّعَتِ الأَهواءُ دونَ عِصامِ

It faces Iraq after desires were cut off,

The aspirations below determination severed.

إِذا ضَحِكَت لَم تَنتَهِت وَتَبَسَّمَت

بِأَبيَضَ لَم تَكدِم مُتونَ عِظامِ

When she laughs she does not stop, and when she smiles

With bright teeth, not blunting the essence of bones.

عَشِيَّةَ رُحنا وَالعُيونُ كَأَنَّها

جَداوِلُ سَيلٍ بِتنَ غَيرَ نِيامِ

One evening we left while the eyes were as if

Streams of torrential rain not sleeping.

إِلى المَلِكِ النَفّاحِ أَهلي فِداؤُهُ

وَكوري وَأَعلاقي العُلى وَسَوامي

To the loud-voiced king, my family his ransom,

And my hip bones and high collar bones.

فَلا تُخلِفَنَّ الظَنَّ إِنَّكَ وَالنَدى

حَليفا صَفاءٍ في مَحَلِّ مُقامِ

So do not fail to meet expectation, you and dew

Are allies of serenity in the place of abode.

نَماكَ هِشامٌ لِلفِعالِ وَنَوفَلٌ

وَآلُ أَبي العاصي لِخَيرِ أَنامِ

Hisham slept for the doer, and Nawfal

And the family of Abul 'As for the best of people.

فَأَنتَ المُرَجّى مِن أُمَيَّةَ كُلِّها

وَتُرفَدُ حَمداً مِن نَدىً وَتَمامِ

So you are hoped for from all of Umayyah,

And praised from dew and perfection.

وَإِنّي وَإِن فَضَّلتُ تَغلِبَ بِالقِرى

إِذا أَصبَحَت غَبراءَ ذاتَ قَتامِ

And though I preferred Taghlib among towns

When it was dusty, of deep darkness.

وَراعَ إِلى النيرانِ كُلُّ مُعَصَّبٍ

لَمُثنٍ عَلى بَكرٍ بِشَرِّ أَثامِ

And every headstrong man inclined to the fires

Insulting a Bakr for the worst of sins.

إِذا عَلِمَ البَكرِيُّ أَنَّكَ نازِلٌ

قَراكَ سِباباً دونَ كُلِّ طَعامِ

When the Bakrite knew you had descended,

He faced you with insults instead of any food.

لَعَمرُكَ ما قُفّالُ بَكرِ بنِ وائِلٍ

بِراجِعَةٍ أَعراضُهُم بِسَلامِ

By your life, the locks of Bakr ibn Wa'il

Are not with a returning people, their honor safe.