لعمري وما عمري عليَّ بهيّنٍ

لَنِعْمَ الفَتى أرْدَيْتُمُ آلَ خَثْعَما

By my life that has not faded or grown dim,

What an excellent young man you took from us, O tribe of Khasam!

أُصِيبَ بهِ فَرْعا سُلْيمٍ كِلاهُما

فَعَزّ عَلَيْنا أنْ يُصابَ ونُرْغَمَا

He was struck down in his prime like a branch of the tribe of Suleym.

It pained us greatly that he was struck down and we were subdued.

وكانَ إذا ما أقْدَمَ الخَيْلَ بِيشَة ً

الى هضبِ اشراكٍ اناخَ فالجما

Whenever he drove his horses up the slope of Ashraq

To al-Falij, he would unleash them like a swarm of locusts

فارسلها تهوي رعالاً كانَّها

جَرَادٌ زَفَتْهُ ريحُ نَجْدٍ فأتْهَمَا

Blown by the wind of Najd, wreaking havoc.

Afterwards the plains would be covered with blood

فأمْسَى الحَوامي قَدْ تَعَفّيْنَ بَعدَهُ

وكانَ الحَصَى يَكْسو دَوابِرَها دما

Where the pebbles had wounded the horses' chests and flanks.

They came home in the evening exhausted, all showing

فآبتْ عشاءً بالنّهابِ وكلُّها

يرى قلقاً تحتَ الرحالة ِ اهضما

Signs of anxiety beneath the saddles that rubbed them raw.

When she did not chase them with a mare in heat

وكانتْ اذا لم تطاردْ بعاقلٍ

او الرَّسِّ خيلاً طاردتها بعيهما

Or a lead stallion, she would drive them on with her whip.

He was the protection of his tribe in times of crisis

وكانَ ثمالَ الحيِّ في كلِّ ازمة ٍ

وعِصْمَتَهُمْ والفارِسَ المُتَغَشِّمَا

And their place of refuge. He was the horseman who always came galloping to the rescue

And when war bared its teeth he leapt up to fight,

ويَنْهَضُ للعُلْيا إذا الحَرْبُ شمّرَتْ

فيطفئها قهراً وانْ شاءَ اضرما

Subduing it by force if he wished or firing it more.

I swear I cannot help but let fall a flood of tears

فأقْسَمْتُ لا أنْفَكّ أُحْدِرُ عَبرَة ً

تجولُ بها العينانِ منّي لتسجما

That keep flowing from my eyes and will not cease.