كَيفَ تَقولُ وَجدُ بَني تَميمٍ

عَلَيَّ إِذا لَهُم ناعٍ نَعاني

How can you say the tribe of Bani Tamim

Has any claim over me, when they need my aid?

أَلَيسوا هُم حُماةَ الحَربِ لَمّا

أَناخوا بِالثَنِيَّةِ لِلعَوانِ

Are they not the defenders of war whenever

They camp by the pass awaiting allies?

وَكَم مِن مُرهَقٍ قَد جِئتُ أَجري

كَرَرتُ عَلَيهِ نَصري إِذ دَعاني

And how often have I come to the aid

Of an exhausted warrior when he called on me?

بَني عَبدِ المَدانِ فَإِن تَضِلّوا

فَما ضَلَّت حُلومُ بَني قَنانِ

O clan of Abdul Madan, if you go astray

The tribes of Banu Qanan have not erred.

يُلاقونَ العَدُوَّ بِأُسدِ غيلٍ

وَأَحلامٍ مَراجيحٍ رِزانِ

They meet the foe with lions of Ghayl

And dreams of swaying, well-knit spears.

إِذا هَزّوا العَوالي أَنهَلوها

وَهَشّوا لِلضِرابِ وَلِلطِعانِ

When they brandish their lofty spears they make them flow,

And they rush to strike and stab.

وَما تَلقى العَبيدُ بَنو زِيادٍ

بِسَيفٍ لِلِّقاءِ وَلا سِنانِ

The slaves, the clan of Ziyad, have never met

Sword or spear in battle.

ذَليلٌ مَن يَعِزُّ بَنو زِيادٍ

وَهُم كانوا أَذَلَّ مِنَ السَواني

Wretched are those made proud by the clan of Ziyad

When once they were the lowliest of slaves.

عَبيدُ بَني الحُصَينِ تَوارَثوهُم

لَعَمرُ الماضِياتِ مِنَ الزَمانِ

The slaves inherited the clan of Al-Husayn

By the years gone by.

هُمُ أَربابُكُم وَلَهُم عَلَيكُم

فُضولُ السابِقاتِ مِنَ الرِهانِ

They are your lords though over you

They have the prior rights of former wins.