لَعَمري وَما عَمري عَلَيَّ بِهَيِّنٍ

لَنِعمَ الفَتى أَردَيتُمُ آلِ خَشعَما

By my life, though my life is not easy upon me,

What a fine young man you took, O clan of Khasham!

أُصيبَ بِهِ فَرعا سُلَيمٍ كِلاهُما

فَعَزَّ عَلَينا أَن يُصابَ وَنُرغَما

He was struck down in his prime, they both were,

And it pained us that he was struck down and we were forced to comply.

وَكانَ إِذا ما أَقدَمَ الخَيلَ بيشَةً

إِلى هَضبِ أَشراكٍ أَناخَ فَأَلجَما

Whenever he rode forth with the horses in the morning

To the ridge of Ashrak, he would rein them in and hobble them,

فَأَرسَلَها تَهوي رِعالاً كَأَنَّها

جَرادٌ زَفَتهُ ريحُ نَجدٍ فَأَتهَما

Then he would unleash them to race like the wind, as though they were

Locusts driven by the Najd wind to devour everything.

فَأَمسى الحَوامي قَد تَعَفَّينَ بَعدَهُ

وَكانَ الحَصى يَكسو دَوابِرَها دَما

After he was gone, the resting places were left desolate,

And the pebbles were covered with the blood of his charges.

فَآبَت عِشاءً بِالنِهابِ وَكُلُّها

يُرى قَلِقاً تَحتَ الرِحالَةِ أَهضَما

In the evening they returned plundered and harrowed,

All seen to be restless under the saddles.

وَكانَت إِذا ما لَم تُطارِد بِعاقِلٍ

أَوِ الرَسِّ خَيلاً طارَدَتها بِعَيهَما

And when they were not chased by a wise one,

Or by an eminent horseman, he would chase them with his blindness.

وَكانَ ثِمالَ الحَيِّ في كُلِّ أَزمَةٍ

وَعِصمَتَهُم وَالفارِسَ المُتَغَشِّما

He was the shelter of the tribe in every crisis,

Their protection and the armed knight.

وَيَنهَضُ لِلعُليا إِذا الحَربُ شَمَّرَت

فَيُطفِئُها قَهراً وَإِن شاءَ أَضرَما

He would rise to supremacy whenever war bared its fangs,

Subduing it by force or setting it aflame as he wished.

فَأَقسَمتُ لا أَنفَكُّ أُحدِرُ عَبرَةً

تَجولُ بِها العَينانِ مِنّي لِتَسجُما

I swear I shall never cease shedding copious tears

That wander in my eyes ceaselessly.