وَأَنتُم عَضاريطِ الخَميسِ عَتادُكُم

إِذا ما غَدا أَرباقُهُ وَحَبائِلُه

You are the knights of Thursday, your equipment

When its saddles and ropes march tomorrow.

وَإِنّا لَمَنّاعونَ تَحتَ لِوائِنا

حِمانا إِذا ما عاذَ بِالسَيفِ حامِلُه

We are the protectors under our banner,

Sheltering when the sword bearer takes refuge.

وَقالَت كُلَيبٌ قَمِّشوا لِأَخيكُمُ

فَفِرّوا بِهِ إِنَّ الفَرَزدَقَ آكِلُه

Kulayb said "Help your brother escape,

For al-Farazdaq will devour him".

فَهَل أَحَدٌ يا اِبنَ المَراغَةِ هارِبٌ

مِنَ المَوتِ إِنَّ المَوتَ لا بُدَّ نائِلُه

So is there anyone, O Ibn Al-Maragha fleeing,

From death? Death will inevitably reach him.

فَإِنّي أَنا المَوتُ الَّذي هُوَ ذاهِبٌ

بِنَفسِكَ فَاِنظُر كَيفَ أَنتَ مُحاوِلُه

I am death that is going after your soul,

So see how you try to escape it.

أَنا البَدرُ يُعشي طَرفَ عَينَيكَ فَاِلتَمِس

بِكَفَّيكَ يا اِبنَ الكَلبِ هَل أَنتَ نائِلُه

I am the full moon that will blind your eyes,

So look with your palms, O son of a dog, will you attain it?

أَتَحسِبُ قَلبي خارِجاً مِن حِجابِهِ

إِذا دُفُّ عَبّادٍ أَرَنَّت جَلاجِلُه

Do you think my heart leaves its veil,

When the drums of 'Abadden resound and its anklets jingle?

فَقُلتُ وَلَم أَملِك أَمالِ اِبنِ مالِكٍ

لِأَيِّ بَني ماءِ السَماءِ جَعائِلُه

I said, not having the hopes of Ibn Malik's son,

"To which of the Bani Maa' tribe do its twisting paths lead?"

أَفي قَمَلِيٍّ مِن كُلَيبٍ هَجَوتُهُ

أَبو جَهضَمٍ تَغلي عَلَيَّ مَراجِلُه

Shall I satirize a louse from Kulayb who lampooned me?

Abu Jahdam whose cooking pots boil against me?

أَحارِثُ داري مَرَّتَينِ هَدَمتَها

وَكُنتَ اِبنُ أُختٍ لا تُخافُ غَوائِلُه

O Harith of the Dari, twice you destroyed it,

And you were the sister’s son, whose twisting paths are not feared.

وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ بَطحاءُ مَكَّةَ لَم يَزَل

بِها مِنكُمُ مُعطي الجَزيلِ وَفاعِلُه

While you are Imru’u al-Qays in the valley of Mecca,

The generous and the doer amongst you has not ceased to be.

فَقُلنا لَهُ لا تُشمِتَنَّ عَدُوَّنا

وَلا تَنسَ مِن أَصحابِنا مَن نُواصِلُه

So we said to him “Do not gloat over our enemy,

And do not forget those of our companions we befriend.”

فَقَبلَكَ ما أَعيَيتُ كاسِرَ عَينِهِ

زِياداً فَلَم تَقدِر عَلَيَّ حَبائِلُه

I did not grow tired of one who poked out Ziyad’s eye,

While his ropes could not overcome me.

فَأَقسَمتُ لا آتيهِ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

وَلَو نُشِرَت عَينُ القُباعِ وَكاهِلُه

I swore I will not come to him for seventy pilgrimages,

Even if the stars of Al-Quba’a and its shoulders appear.

فَما كانَ شَيءٌ كانَ مِمّا نُجِنَّهُ

مِنَ الغِشِّ إِلّا قَد أَبانَت شَواكِلُه

Nothing happened except what our deceit brought out,

Its features were made clear by its bags.

وَقُلتُ لَهُم صَبراً كُلَيبُ فَإِنَّهُ

مَقامُ كِظاظٍ لا تَتِمَّ حَوامِلُه

I said to them “Have patience, O Kulayb,

For it is an abode of ruggedness, none can accomplish its burdens”.