يا أَبا اليَقظانِ أَغواكَ الطَمَع

سَوفَ تَلقى فارِساً لا يَندَفِع

O thou wakeful one, avarice has deceived thee,

Thou shalt meet a knight who does not rush headlong.

زُرتَني تَطلُبُ مِنّي غَفلَةً

زَورَةَ الذِئبِ عَلى الشاةِ رَتَع

Thou visited me seeking my unwariness,

Like the wolf pays a visit to the lamb just to graze.

يا أَبا اليَقظانِ كَم صَيدٍ نَج

خالِيَ البالِ وَصَيّادٍ وَقَع

O thou wakeful one, many is the prey that escaped

While empty minded and the hunter got trapped.

إِن تَكُن تَشكو لِأَوجاعِ الهَوى

فَأَنا أَشفيكَ مِن هَذا الوَجَع

If you complain of love's pain,

I shall heal you from this agony.

بِحُسامٍ كُلَّما جَرَّدتُهُ

في يَميني كَيفَما مالَ قَطَع

With a sword, whenever I unsheathe it

And wield it with my right hand, it cuts whatever it touches.

وَأَنا الأَسوَدُ وَالعَبدُ الَّذي

يَقصِدُ الخَيلَ إِذا النَقعُ اِرتَفَع

I am the black one and the slave who

Seeks out horses when the neighing grows louder.

نِسبَتي سَيفي وَرُمحي وَهُم

يُؤنِساني كُلَّما اِشتَدَّ الفَزَع

My lineage is my sword, my spear and they

Comfort me whenever fear intensifies.

يا بَني شَيبانَ عَمّي ظالِمٌ

وَعَلَيكُم ظُلمَهُ اليَومَ رَجَع

O clans of Shayban, my uncle is unjust

And his injustice has come back to afflict you.

ساقَ بِسطاماً إِلى مَصرَعِهِ

عالِقاً مِنهُ بِأَذيالِ الطَمَع

He led his camel stallion to his death

Haltered by the tails of greed.

وَأَنا أَقصِدُهُ في أَرضِكُم

وَأُجازيهِ عَلى ما قَد صَنَع

And I seek him out in your land

To repay him for what he has done.