كَم مِن مُنادٍ وَالشَريفانِ دونَهُ

إِلى اللَهِ تُشكى وَالوَليدِ مَفاقِرُه

How many a caller and the noble ones below him

Complain to God and the destitute complain to al-Walid

يُنادي أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ وَدونَهُ

مَلاً تَتَمَطّى بِالمَهاري ظَهائِرُه

Calling upon the Commander of the Faithful and below him

A herd whose udders are sucked dry by the suckling young

بَعيدُ نِياطِ الماءِ يَستَسلِمُ القَطا

بِهِ وَأَدِلّاءُ الفَلاةِ حَيائِرُه

Far from the watering places the oryx surrenders

To it and the guides of the wilderness lose their way

يَبيتُ يُرامي الذِئبَ دونَ عِيالِهِ

وَلَو ماتَ لَم يَشبَع عَنِ العَظمِ طائِرُه

He spends the night fending off wolves from his family

And were he to die his bones would not be picked clean by the birds

رَأَوني فَنادَوني أَسوقُ مَطِيَّتي

بِأَصواتِ هُلّاكٍ سِغابٍ حَرائِرُه

They saw me and called out to me as I led my she-camel

With voices of weeping and free women wailing

فَقالوا أَغِثنا إِن بَلَغتَ بِدَعوَةٍ

لَنا عِندَ خَيرِ الناسِ إِنَّكَ زائِرُه

And said “Help us if you can with a prayer

For us to the best of men, you who visit him”

فَقُلتُ لَهُم إِن يُبلِغِ اللَهُ ناقَتي

وَإِيّايَ أُنبي بِالَّذي أَنا خابِرُه

So I said to them “If God brings my she-camel

And me to where I've seen the wolf every evening

بِحَيثُ رَأَيتُ الذِئبَ كُلَّ عَشِيَّةٍ

يَروحُ عَلى مَهزولِكُم وَيُباكِرُه

Prowling around your emaciated ones and attacking them early

To tear off some carrion from those among you it besieges

لِيَجتَرَّ مِنكُم إِن رَأى بارِزاً لَهُ

مِنَ الجِيَفِ اللائي عَلَيكُم حَظائِرُه

Help Mudar, for years of hardship succeed

Each other, crushing their bones with irresistible force

أَغِث مُضَراً إِنَّ السِنينَ تَتابَعَت

عَلَيها بِحَزٍّ يَكسِرَ العَظمَ جازِرُه

While all other tribes in the countryside have open roads

And they are where hunger lies between Tihama

فَكُلُّ مَعَدٍّ غَيرُهُم حَولَ ساعِدٍ

مِنَ الريفِ لَم تُحظَر عَلَيهِم قَناطِرُه

And Khaybar and the valley where hunger is always present

A valley whose water is only fit for dogs, its interior

وَهُم حَيثُ حَلَّ الجوعُ بَينَ تِهامَةٍ

وَخَيبَرَ وَالوادي الَّذي الجوعُ حاضِرُه

Filled with the crying banners of hunger unfurled

And they even considered slaughtering the dogs that

بِوادٍ بِهِ ماءُ الكُلابِ وَبَطنُهُ

بِهِ العَلَمُ الباكي مِنَ الجوعِ ساجِرُه

Previously, when the rains were delayed, were protected by them as lions

وَهَمَّت بِتَذبيحِ الكِلابِ مِنَ الَّذي

بِها أَسَدٌ إِذ أَمسَكَ الغَيثَ ماطِرُه