غَنِيٌّ تَآوى بِأَولادِها

لِتُهلِكَ جِذمَ تَميمِ بنِ مُر

The rich complain about their children

To destroy the lineage of Tameem ibn Murr

وَخِندَفُ أَقرِب بِأَنسابِهِم

وَلَكِنَّنا أَهلُ بيتٍ كُثُر

And Khindif is closer in lineage to them

But we are a numerous household

فَإِن تَصِلونا نُواصِلكُمُ

وَإِن تَصرِمونا فَإِنّا صُبُر

If you befriend us, we'll befriend you

And if you reject us, we have patience

لَقَد عَلِمَت أَسَدٌ أَنَّنا

لَهُم نُصُرٌ وَلَنِعمَ النُصُر

The lion knows well that we

Have help for them - what great help!

فَكَيفَ وَجَدتُم وَقَد ذُقتُمُ

رَغيغَتَكُم بينَ حُلوٍ وَمُرّ

So how did you find when you tasted

Your muddled state of sweet and bitter?

بِكُلِّ مَكانٍ تَرى شَطبَةً

مُوَلِّيَةً رَبَّها مُسبَطِرّ

In every place you see a palm trunk

Prostrating to its Lord, flattened

وَأُذنٌ لَها حَشرَةٌ مَشرَةٌ

كَإِعليطِ مَرخٍ إِذا ما صَفِر

With ears like the flapping wings

Of a yellow cockroach when it buzzes

وَقَتلى كَمِثلِ جُذوعِ النَخيلِ

تَغَشّاهُمُ مُسبِلٌ مُنهَمِر

And bodies like palm tree trunks

Drenched by pouring rain

وَأَحمَرَ جَعداً عَليهِ النُسورُ

وَفي ضِبنِهِ ثَعلَبٌ مُنكَسِر

The vultures turned his blond hair red

And in his spine a fox snapped

وَفي صَدرِهِ مِثلُ جيبِ الفَتا

ةِ تَشهَقُ حيناً وَحيناً تَهِرّ

And in his chest like a pocket

Gasping and growling at times

وَإِنّا وَإِخوانَنا عامِراً

عَلى مِثلِ ما بينَنا نَأتَمِر

We and our brothers fully agree

On what's between us we concur

لَنا صَرخَةٌ ثُمَّ إِسكاتَةٌ

كَما طَرَّقَت بِنَفاسٍ بِكِر

We have a cry then silence

Like a virgin camel's first bellow

نَحُلُّ الدِيارَ وَراءَ الدِيارِ

ثُمَّ نُجَعجِعُ فيها الجُزُر

We abandon home beyond home

Then clamor in it like locusts