أَلا يا دارَ عَبلَةَ بِالطَويِّ

كَرَجعِ الوَشمِ في كَفِّ الهَدِيِّ

Oh Abila of the winding roads

Like henna patterns on the palm of the gift giver

كَوَحيِ صَحائِفٍ مِن عَهدِ كِسرى

فَأَهداها لِأَعجَمَ طِمطِمِيِّ

Or scrolls of bygone days from Chosroes' reign

That he gifted to the stammering foreigner

أَمِن زَوِّ الحَوادِثِ يَومَ تَسمو

بَنو جُرمٍ لِحَربِ بَني عَدِيِّ

Are you now safe from calamities on the day

The Bani Jurhum tribe wars with Bani Adwan?

إِذا اِضطَرَبوا سَمِعتَ الصَوتَ فيهِم

خَفيّاً غَيرَ صَوتِ المَشرَفِيِّ

When they are roused, you hear the muffled sounds amongst them

Not the voice of the watchman up high

وَغَيرَ نَوافِذٍ يَخرُجنَ مِنهُم

بِطَعنٍ مِثلَ أَشطانِ الرَكِيِّ

Nor the windows whence emerge from them

Stabs like the blades of the mattock.

وَقَد خَذَلَتهُمُ ثُعَلُ بنُ عَمروٍ

سَلامانيَّهُم وَالجَروَلِيِّ

And Thu'al ibn Amr has betrayed them

Both their Suleimani and their Jerwali