إذا كنت ضيف العكبريين لم تذق

طعاما ولم تشرب من الماء باردا

If you were a guest of the Ukbarites, you would not taste

Food, nor drink cool water

وبتّ مبيت الذئب في أرض قفرة

طوى أربعا يعوي ويصبح شاردا

And you would spend the night like a wolf in barren land

Twisting and turning, wailing and wandering alone

وإن كنت جارا فيهم بتّ جائعا

وإن بتّ محسودا بهم بتّ واحدا

And if you were their neighbor, you would spend the night hungry

And if you spent the night envied among them, you would spend it alone

عبيد العصا لم يظفروا بفضيلة

ولم أر فيهم بالحقيقة ماجدا

The slaves of the staff never attained virtue

And in truth I did not see among them one glorious