أَبَني سُلَيمٍ إِن لَقَيتُم فَقعَساً

في مَحبَسٍ ضَنكٍ إِلى وَعرِ

O sons of Sulaym, if you meet Fak'as

Imprisoned in a narrow, rugged place

فَاِلقَوهُمُ بِسُيوفِكُم وَرِماحِكُم

وَبِنَضخَةٍ في اللَيلِ كَالقَطرِ

Then attack them with your swords and spears

And a night raid like pouring rain

حَتّى تَفُضّوا جَمعَهُم وَتَذَكَّروا

صَخراً وَمَصرَعَهُ بِلا ثَأرِ

Until you destroy their group and remember

The boulder and its fate without revenge

وَفَوارِساً مِنّا هُنالِكَ قُتِّلوا

في عَشرَةٍ كانَت مِنَ الدَهرِ

And horsemen of ours who were killed there

In a decade that was of time

لاقى رَبيعَةَ في الوَغى فَأَصابَهُ

طَعنٌ بِجائِفَةٍ إِلى الصَدرِ

Rabee'ah met in the fray and was struck

With a piercing stab to the chest

بِمُقَوَّمٍ لَدنِ الكُعوبِ سِنانُهُ

ذَربِ الشَباةِ كَقادِمِ النِسرِ

With a straightened, dense-flanked blade

Like a swooping eagle's talons

وَنَجا رَبيعَةُ يَومَ ذَلِكَ مُرهَقاً

لا يَأتَلي في جودِهِ يَجري

And Rabee'ah survived that day exhausted

Not slowing in his flowing generosity

فَأَتَت بِهِ أَسَلَ الأَسِنَّةِ ضامِرٌ

مِثلُ العُقابِ غَدَت مِنَ الوَكرِ

So the smooth-tongued camels brought him

Like an eagle returning to its nest

وَلَقَد أَخَذنا خالِداً فَأَجارَهُ

عَوفٌ وَأَطلَقَهُ عَلى قَدرِ

And we seized Khalid but 'Awf gave him asylum

And released him for his worth

وَلَقَد تَدارَكَ رَأيَنا في خالِدٍ

ماساءَ خَيلاً آخِرَ الدَهرِ

And our view of Khalid was corrected

However many steeds, late in time