تَأَبَّدَ مِن أَهلِهِ مَعشَرُ

فَجَوُّ سُوَيقَةَ فَالأَصفَرُ

His people have parted from him for good

The sky over Suwaikah is yellowish

فَجَزعُ الحُلَيفِ إِلى واسِطٍ

فَذَلِكَ مُبدىً وَذا مَحضَرُ

The tribes of Julayf hastened to Wāsiṭ

That was a clear sign of their vulnerability

فَأَبلِغ سُلَيماً وَأَلفافَها

وَقَد يَعطِفُ النَسَبُ الأَكبَرُ

Inform Suleiman and his cohorts

That kinship has its greater claims

بِأَنّي ثَأَرتُ بِإِخوانِكُم

وَكُنتُ كَأَنّي بِها مُخفِرُ

That I avenged your brothers

And was there like a watchman over them

صَبَحنا فَزارَةَ سُمرَ القَنا

فَمَهلاً فَزارَةُ لا تَضجَروا

We made the morning raid on Fazārah of Sumar

Gently, Fazārah! Do not lose heart

وَأَبلِغ لَدَيكَ بَني مازِنٍ

فَكَيفَ الوَعيدُ وَلَم تَقرِروا

And inform the Maʿdd tribe close to you

How can you threaten without having decided?

فَإِن تَقتُلوا فِتيَةً أُفرِدوا

أَصابَهُمُ الحينُ أَو تَظفَروا

If you kill some isolated youths

Whether you get them now or later on

فَإِنَّ حِزاماً لَدى مَعرَكٍ

وَإِخوَتَهُم حَولَهُم أَنسُرُ

For at Maʿrak's side is Ḥizām

And around them their brothers like eagles

وَيَومَ يَزيدَ بَني ناشِبٍ

وَقَبلُ يَزيدُكُمُ الأَكبَرُ

And the day Yaẓīd struck the Bani Nāshib

And before that he worsted their elders

أَثَرنا صَريخَ بَني ناشِبٍ

وَرَهطَ لَقيطٍ فَلا تَفخَروا

We heard the screams of Bani Nāshib

And the band of Laqiṭ - so do not boast

تَجُرُّ الضِباعُ بِأَوصالِهِم

وَيَلقَحنَ فيهِم وَلَم يُقبَروا

The hyenas drag their corpses about

And plunge among them, and they are unburied