أَجاعِلَةٌ أُمُّ الحُصَينِ خِزايَةً

عَلَيَّ فِراري أَن لَقيتُ بَني عَبسِ

The mother of fortresses made me a coward,

When I met the Banu 'Abs,

وَرَهطَ بَني عَمرٍ وَعَمروَ بنِ عامِرٍ

وَتَيماً فَجاشَت مِن لِقائِهِمُ نَفسي

And the group of Banu 'Amr and 'Amr ibn 'Aamir,

And Taym - at the sight of them my soul shuddered,

كَأَنَّ جُلودَ النُمرِ جيبَت عَلَيهِمُ

إِذا جَعجَعوا بَينَ الإِناخَةِ وَالحَبسِ

As if the skins of leopards were draped over them,

When they clashed between couching and charging.

لَقونا فَضَمّوا جانِبَينا بِصادِقٍ

مِنَ الطَعنِ حَشَّ النارِ في الحَطَبِ اليَبسِ

We met them and they hemmed us in with true lances,

With stabbing like fire sparked in dry wood.

وَلَمّا دَخَلنا تَحتَ فَيءِ رِماحِهِم

خَبَطتُ بِكَفّي أَطلُبُ الأَرضَ بِاللَمسِ

And when we entered under the shade of their spears,

I groped with my palms seeking the ground by touch.

فَأُبتُ سَليماً لَم تُمَزَّق عِمامَتي

وَلَكِنَّهُم بِالطَعنِ قَد خَرَّقوا تُرسي

Yet I came away unharmed, my turban not ripped,

Though with stabbing they had shredded my shield.

وَلَيسَ يُعابُ المَرءُ مِن جُبنِ يَومِهِ

وَقَد عُرِفَت مِنهُ الشَجاعَةُ بِالأَمسِ

No man should be blamed for the fear of his day

When yesterday his courage was made known.

مَطاعينُ في الهَيجا مَطاعيمُ لِلقِرى

إِذا اِصفَرَّ آفاقُ السَماءِ مِنَ القَرسِ

Obeyed in heyja, obeyed in the lands,

When the horizons of the sky yellowed with twilight.