لَقَد طَلَبَت بِالذَحلِ غَيرَ ذَميمَةٍ

إِذا ذُمَّ طُلّابُ الذُحولِ الأَخاضِرُ

They sought glory, no ignoble men,

When the seekers of fresh glory were blamed,

هُمُ جَرَّدوا الأَسيافَ يَومَ اِبنِ أَخضَرٍ

فَنالوا الَّتي لا فَوقَها نالَ ثائِرُ

They drew swords on the day of Ibn Akhdar,

And attained what no rebel had attained before.

أَقادوا بِهِ أُسداً لَها في اِقتِحامِها

عَلى الغَمَراتِ في الحُروبِ بَصائِرُ

They roused a lioness, skillful in her raids,

With insights into wars and their turmoil.

وَلَم يُعتِمِ الإِدراكُ مِنهُم بِذَحلِهِم

فَيَطمَعُ فيهِم بَعدَ ذَلِكَ غادِرُ

Their glory did not blind their judgment,

So no traitor afterward coveted them.

كَفِعلِ كُلَيبٍ يَومَ يَدعو اِبنُ أَخضَرٍ

وَقَد نَشِبَت فيهِ الرِماحُ الشَواجِرُ

Unlike Kulayb on the day Ibn Akhdar called,

When lances bristled up like tall trees,

فَلَم يَأتِهِ مِنها وَبَينَ بُيوتِها

أُصيبَ ضَياعاً يَومَ ذَلِكَ ناجِرُ

No help came to him from their dwellings

Though his estate was ravaged, bereft and bare.

وَهُم حَضَروهُ غائِبينَ بِنَصرِهِم

وَنَصرُ اللَئيمِ غائِبٌ وَهوَ حاضِرُ

Absent, they gave him their support in victory,

The coward's aid, when present, profits him not.

وَهُم أَسلَموهُ فَاِكتَسَوا ثَوبَ لامَةٍ

سَيَبقى لَهُم مادامَ لِلزَيتِ عاصِرُ

They left him so he wore the garb of blame -

A garb that clings to them who press the oil.

فَما لِكُلَيبٍ في المَكارِمِ أَوَّلٌ

وَلا لِكَلَيبٍ في المَكارِمِ آخِرُ

Kulayb was neither first nor last in glory.

No first, no last, of glory Kulayb knew.

وَلا في كُلَيبٍ إِن عَرَتهُم مُلِمَّةٌ

كَريمٌ عَلى ما أَحدَثَ الدَهرُ صابِرُ

No noble soul endured with patience like theirs

When tribes faced hardship - they firm and true.