أَبَني زيادٍ أنتُمُ في قومكُم

ذَنَبٌ ونحنُ فُروعُ أَصلٍ طَيِّبٍ

You are the sons of Ziyad among your people

A sin, while we are branches of a good root

نَصِلُ الخميسَ إلى الخميس وأنتمُ

بالقَهرِ بين مُرَبِّقٍ ومُكَلِّبِ

We fight on Thursday to Thursday while you

By force between a fortress and hunting dogs

لا تَحسَبُنَّ بني كُحَيلَةَ حَربَنا

سَوقَ الحميرِ بجَأبَةٍ فالكوكبِ

Do not think, O sons of Kuhaylah, our war

Is like driving donkeys in the star constellations

حُيُدٌ عن المعروفِ سَعيُ أبيهِمُ

طَلَبُ الوُعولِ بوَفضَةٍ وَبأكلُبِ

Deviating from kindness was the quest of their father

Seeking marriage payments in silver and dogs

حتى تَكَهَّنَ بعد شَيبٍ شاملٍ

تَرحاً له من كاهنٍ مُتَكَذِّبِ

Until after encompassing gray hair

He supposed an omen from a deceitful fortuneteller

لمّا رأوني في الكَتيفةِ مُقبلاً

وَسطَ الكتيبةِ مثلَ ضوءِ الكوكبِ

When they saw me approaching in the battalion

Among the troops like the light of a star

يَختَبُّ بي العَطَّافُ حولَ بُيوتِهم

ليست عداوتُنا كبرقِ الخُلَّبِ

The Ataff peek around their homes at me

Our enmity is not like the flickering of fireflies

واستيقنوا منّا بوَقعٍ صادقٍ

هَرَبوا وليس أوانَ ساعةِ مَهرَبِ

And they were certain from us with a true occurrence

They fled, and it was not yet the hour of flight

تَركوا السَّوامَ لنا وكلَّ خَريدةٍ

بيضاءَ خَرعَبَةٍ وأُخرى ثَيِّبِ

They left the herds to us and every white

Frightened ewe and another experienced one

عَجَّت نساءُ بني زيادٍ عَجَّةً

كَعَجِيجِ نِسوَتِنا غداةَ الأَرنَبِ

The women of the sons of Ziyad complained

Like the cries of our women the morning after prey