لِاِبنَةِ حِطّانَ بنِ عَوفٍ مَنازِلٌ

كَما رَقشَّ العُنوانَ في الرِقِّ كاتِبُ

To the daughter of Hittan son of Awf’s homesteads

Are like the lines the scribe has traced upon parchment

ظَلِلتُ بِها أُعرى وَأُشعَرث سُخنَةً

كَما اِعتادَ مَحموماً بِخَيبَرَ صالِبُ

I took shade in them shaggy-haired and hot

As one crazed with fever was wont in Khaibar's vales

تَظَلُّ بِها رُبدُ النَعامِ كَأَنَّها

إِماءٌ تُزَجّى بِالعَشِيِّ حَواطِبُ

The ostriches flock there under their shade as though

They were slave girls showing their charms after nightfall

خَليلايَ هَوجاءُ النَجاءِ شِمِلَّةٌ

وَذو شُطَبٍ لا يَجتَويهِ المُصاحِبُ

My boon friends among noble clans coming together

And those of great merit which no companion could equal

وَقَد عِشتُ دَهراً وَالغُواةُ صَحابَتي

اُولائِكَ خُلصاني الَّذينَ أُصاحِبُ

Long have I lived and raiders were my companions

But my true friends were those whom I befriended

رَفيقاً لِمَن أَعيا وَقُلِّدَ حَبلَهُ

وَحاذَرَ جَرّاهُ الصَديقُ الأَقارِبُ

A comrade to him whom I supported and held his rope

While from pitfalls preserved by a kinsman and neighbor

فَأَدَّيتُ عَنّي ما اِستَعَرتَ مِنَ الصِبى

وَلِلمالِ عِندي اليَومَ راعٍ وَكاسِبُ

Of the heat of youth I myself did thus dispose

And wealth today for me hath both keeper and earner

لِكُلِّ أُناسٍ مِن مَعَدٍّ عِمارَةٌ

عَروضٌ إِلَيها يَلجَؤونَ وَجانِبُ

Each tribe of Ma'add hath a home tow'rd which to retire

And precincts to which they may turn and take refuge

لُكَيزٌ لَها البَحرانِ وَالسَيفُ كُلُّهُ

وَإِن يَأتِها بَأسٌ مِنَ الهِندِ كارِبُ

Lukayz—hers are both seas with the sword ...in its entirety

And should war against her come from India's environs

تَطايَرَ عَن أَعجازِ حوشٍ كَأَنَّها

جَهامٌ أَراقَ ماءَهُ فَهوَ آئِبُ

They take wing from the backs of coursers as though they were

Rain clouds that have shed their waters and wander forlorn

وَبَكرٌ لَها ظَهرٌ العِراقِ وَإِن تَشَأ

يَحُل دونَها مِنَ اليَمامَةِ حاجِبُ

And Bakr owns the Iraq; and if she desire

Before her the Hejaz's summit itself is a barrier

وَصارَت تَميمٌ بَينَ قُفٍّ وَرَملَةٍ

لَها مِن حِبالٍ مُنتَأَى وَمَذاهِبُ

And Tamim between Qufays and Ramla doth stand

With her tents' cords far stretched and diverse are her confines

وَكَلبٌ لَها خَبتٌ فَرَملَةُ عالِجٍ

إِلى الحَرَّةِ الرَجلاءِ حَيثُ تُحارِبُ

And Kalb with is lair—while to fierce forays go they of Ramla

Against the free clans where the squadrons fight and collide

وَغَسّانُ حَيٌّ عِزُّهُم في سِواهُمُ

يُجالِدُ عَنهُم مِقنَبٌ وَكَتائِبُ

While life and glory of Ghassan amidst their own Folk

Is with spears defended by warriors formed into columns

وَبَهراءُ حَيٌّ قَد عَلِمنا مَكانَهُم

لَهُم شَرَكٌ حَولَ الرُصافَةِ لاحِبُ

And the clan of Bahra we know well their place of abode

Partners they amidst the Ruṣāfa but none they beside

وَغارَت إِيادٌ في السَوادِ وَدونَها

بَرازيقُ عُجمٌ تَبتَغي مَن تُضارِبُ

And Iyad hath swooped o'er the black land while below them

Are the foreign Ujums who for combatants seek and take pride

وَلَخمٌ مُلوكُ الناسِ يُجبى إِلَيهِمُ

إِذا قالَ مِنهُم قائِلٌ فَهوَ واجِبُ

To Lakhm belong all the Kings and unto them

Doth one yield when their chieftain issueth decree

وَنَحنُ أُناسٌ لا حِجازَ بِأَرضِنا

مَعَ الغَيثِ ما نُلقى وَمَن هُوَ غالِبُ

While we are a folk ne'er constrained by the Hejaz

What rain brings to us we accept be it loss be it pride

تَرى رائِداتِ الخَيلِ حَولَ بُيوتِنا

كَمِعزى الحِجازِ أَعجَزَتها الزَرائِبُ

Thou wouldst see tribes' steeds curved round our abodes

Like goats of the Hejaz from grazing debarred by foreign hordes

فَيُغبَقنَ أَحلاباً وَيُصبَحنَ مِثلَها

فَهُنَّ مِنَ التَعداءِ قُبٌّ شَوازِبُ

To spend the night huddled together the same as themselves

For they from trespassing deterred are blocked off as toward

فَوارِسُها مِن تَغلِبَ اِبنَةَ وائِلٍ

حُماةٌ كُماةٌ لَيسَ فيها أَشائِبُ

Their horsemen of Taghlib and Bakr's progeny

Fearsome and fierce no baseness in them is spied

هُمُ يَضرِبونَ الكَبشَ يَبرُقُ بَيضُهُ

عَلى وَجهِهِ مِنَ الدِماءِ سَبائِبُ

They smite rams white streaked with blood from their blows

Over faces like shooting stars in the darkness descried

بِجَأواءَ يَنفي وِردُها سَرَعانَها

كَأَنَّ وَضيحَ البَيضِ فيها الكَواكِبُ

With milch camels whose udders they hasten to drain

As if stirring white sauce for the stars to divide

وَإِن قَصُرَت أَسيافُنا كانَ وَصلُها

خَضانا إِلى القَومِ الَّذينَ نُضارِبُ

And if our swords prove short tis our brown lances' long reach

Gainst the foe where we ride and our ranks crash and collide

فَلِلَهِ قَومٌ مِثلُ قَومي سوقَةٌ

إِذا اِجتَمَعَت عِندَ المُلوكِ العَصائِبُ

Thus my clan is for me better than any clan known

When together are kings and noble clans far and wide

أَرى كُلَّ قَومٍ يَنظُرونَ إِلَيهِمُ

وَتَقصُرُ عَمّا يَفعَلونَ الذَوائِبُ

I see that from them every tribe doth descry

Falling short of their deeds howsoever they tried

أَرى كُلَّ قَومٍ قارَبوا قَيدَ فَحلِهِم

وَنَحنُ خَلَعنا قَيدَهُ فَهوَ سارِبُ

I see them all stoop beneath yoke of their rule

While we cast loose their yoke running free far and wide