أَقولُ لِسَعدٍ وَهوَ خِلِّي بِطانَةً

وَأَيُّ عَظيمٍ لَم أُنَبِّهْ لَهُ سَعدا

I say to Saad while he is my closest friend,

And what great man have I not advised Saad about?

إِذا نَكَبَتْ نَجداً مَطاياكَ لَم أُبَلْ

بِعَيشٍ وَإِن صادَفتُهُ خَضِلاً رَغدا

If your riding camels stumble in Najd, I do not care

about livelihood, even if I find it plentiful.

تَلَبَّثْ قَليلاً يَرْمِ طَرْفي بِنَظرَةٍ

إِلى رَبواتٍ تُنبِتُ النَّفَلَ الجَعْدا

Rest your eyes on me briefly,

Towards pastures that grow soft herbage.

فَإِنَّكَ إِن أَعرَقْتَ وَالقَلبُ مُنجِدٌ

نَدِمتَ وَلَم تَشمُم عَراراً وَلا رَندا

For if you journey and your heart is eager,

You will regret it and will not smell fragrance or taste dew.

وَلَم تَرِدِ الماءَ الَّذي زادَكَ النَّوى

وَقَد ذُقتَ ماءَ الرَّافِدَينِ بِهِ وَجدا

You did not want the water that increased your determination,

Although you have tasted the water of the two rivers with passion.

أَتَرمي بِنا أَرَضَ الأَعاجِمِ ضَلَّةً

فَتَزدادَ عَمّا تَشتَهي قُربَهُ بُعدا

Do you cast us into the lands of non-Arabs, lost,

So that you increase your distance from what you desire?

وَها أَنا أَخشى وَالحوادِثُ جَمَّةٌ

إِذا زُرتَها أَن لا تَرى بَعدَها نَجدا

And here I fear, while calamities abound,

That if you visit those lands, you will not see Najd again.