أَلا قَد أَرى وَاللَهِ أَن لَستُ مِنكُمُ

وَلا أَنتَمُ مِني وَإِن كُنتُمُ أَهلي

By God, I truly see that I do not belong among you,

Nor do you belong to me, though you be my own kin.

وَإِنّي ثَويٌّ قَد أَحَمَّ اِنطِلاقَهُ

يحيِّيهِ مَن حيّاهُ وَهوَ عَلى رَحَلِ

I am but a sojourner whose departure is imminent,

Who returns the greeting of his host while seated upon the saddle,

وَمُنطَلِقٌ مِنكُم بِغَيرِ صِحابَةٍ

وَتابِعُ إِخواني الَّذينَ مَضوا قَبلي

Setting forth from your midst without companionship,

Following my brothers who have passed on before me.

أَلَم أَكُ قَد صاحَبتُ عَمراً وَمالِكاً

وَأَدهَم يَغدو في فَوارِسَ أَو رَجلِ

Did I not once keep company with 'Amr and Malik,

And Adham, riding forth at dawn amidst horsemen and foot soldiers?

وَصاحَبتُ شيباناً وَصاحَبتُ ضابياً

وَصاحَبَني الشُمُّ الطِوالُ بِنو شبلِ

And I kept company with Shayban, and with Dhabiy too,

And the proud, tall sons of Shibl were my companions.

أُولَئِكَ إِخواني مَضَوا لِسَبيلَهُم

يَكادُ يُنسّيني تَذَكُّرهم عَقلي

Those were my true brothers; they have gone on their way,

And remembering them nearly causes me to lose my mind.

يَقولُ أُناسٌ أَخلياء تناسَهم

وَلَيسَ بِناسٍ مِثلهُم أَبَداً مِثلي

Carefree people say to me, "Forget them,"

But a man like me can never forget men like them.

أُلاكَ أَخِلائي إِذا ما ذَكَرتُهُم

بَكَيتُ بِعَينٍ ماءُ عَبرَتِها كُحلي

They are my beloved friends; whenever I remember them,

I weep with eyes that use flowing tears as their kohl.

وَكانوا إِذا ما القَرُّ هَبَّت رياحُهُ

وَضَمَّ سَوادُ اللَيلِ رَحَلاً إِلى رَحلِ

For they were men who, when the bitter winds of winter blew,

And the darkness of night drove saddle close to saddle,

يَدرٌّونَ بِالسَيفِ الوَريدَينِ وَالنَسا

إِذا لَم يقِم راعي أُناسٍ إِلى رِسلِ

Would strike with the sword the jugular and the hock of the camel,

When the herdsman could rise to offer no milk to the tribe.

إِذا ما لَقوا أَقرانَهُم قَتَلوهُمُ

وَإِن قُتِلوا لَم يَقشَعرّوا مِنَ القَتلِ

When they met their equals in battle, they slew them,

And if they were slain, they did not shudder at the face of death.

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكتُم قُيودَهُ

وَسَجلَ دََمٍ أَهرقتُموهُ عَلى سَجلِ

How many a captive have you released from his chains,

And how many buckets of blood have you spilled upon buckets!