وَكَم مِن ناذِرينَ دَمي رَمَتهُم

إِلَيكَ عَلى مَخافَتِهِم وَفَقرِ

How many votaries have devoted their blood to you

Out of their fear and poverty,

لِتَلقى اِبنَ الوَليدِ وَلا تُبالي

إِذا لَقِيَت نَداهُ بَناتِ دَهرِ

That you may meet Ibn al-Walid and care naught

If you should meet his threats, O days of time!

أَتَيتُكَ بِالجَريضِ وَقَد تَلاقَت

عُرى الأَنساعِ مِن حَقَبٍ وَضَفرِ

I have come to you haltingly when the bands

Of human kindreds have been parted by epochs and graves,

وَكَم خَبَطَت بِأَرساغٍ وَجَرَّت

نِعالَ الجِلدِ وَهيَ إِلَيكَ تَسري

And how often have sandals chafed at the heels

And feet dragged along to you!

وَتَلقى اِبنَ الوَليدِ وَإِن أُنيخَت

إِلى مُغلَولَبٍ بِنَداهُ غَمرِ

Meet Ibn al-Walid even though you be bowed down

To deep gloom by his threats!

تَكُن مِثلَ الَّتي مُطِرَت وَكانَت

بِأَعوامٍ قَوائِظِهُنَّ غُبرِ

Be like her who was rained upon throughout years

Whose rainy seasons were dust colored.

وَجَدتُم يا بَني زَيدٍ نُجوماً

يَنُؤنَ مِنَ السَماءِ بِكُلِّ قَطرِ

You have found, O Banū Zayd, stars

That glare from the sky with every rainfall,

بِهِنَّ المُدلَجونَ بَدَوا وَساروا

وَإِيّاهُنَّ يَتبَعُ كُلُّ مَجرِ

By them the late travellers journeyed and went their way

And by them every wide-stretching course is directed.

حَلَفتُ بِكَعبَةٍ يَهوي إِلَيها

مِنَ الآفاقِ مِن يَمَنٍ وَمِصرِ

I swear by a Kaaba men passionately yearn for

From far horizons, from Yemen and from Egypt,

إِلَيها لِلمَساجِدِ كُلُّ وَجهٍ

وَإِيّاها يُوَجَّهُ كُلُّ قَبرِ

To it all faces are turned in mosques

And to it every tomb is oriented.

لِأَقتَلِعَن صَفاةَ الشِعرِ عَنهُ

فَما أَنا مِن دَوامِغِهِ بِغُمرِ

I will pluck out the gray hair of poetry about it

For I am not good at its subtle meanings.

كَأَنَّ مَواقِعَ الآثارِ مِنها

مَواقِعُ مِن صَوارِمَ ذاتِ أُثرِ

It is as if its vestiges were vestiges

Of a flashing sword that has left an impact.

رَأَيتِكَ يا أَبانُ تَمَمتَ لَمّا

بَلَغتَ الأَربَعينَ تَمامَ بَدرِ

I saw you, O Abān, when you had completed

Forty years, the fullness of the moon.

أَضاءَ الأَرضَ وَالأُخرى عَلَيها

مِنَ السَبعِ الطِباقِ بِكُلِّ شَهرِ

He illuminated the earth while it had over it

One of the seven planets in every month.