إِلَيكَ أَبانَ بنَ الوَليدِ تَجاوَزَت

قُرىً وَرِجالاً مِنهُمُ المُتَخَيَّرُ

To you, Aban son of al-Walid, I have crossed

Villages and men, among them the pretentious one,

لِنَلقاكَ وَاللاقيكَ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

سَيَلقى فُراتاً وَهوَ مَلآنُ أَكدَرُ

To meet you, and the one who meets you knows

That he will meet Euphrates while it is roiling and turbid,

فَدونَكَ هَذي يا زِيادُ فَإِنَّها

هِيَ المَدحُ وَالشِعرُ الَّذي هُوَ أَشعَرُ

So before you, O Ziyad, here it is,

For it is the praise and poetry that is most eloquent,

أَنا اِبنُ تَميمٍ وَالَّذي لِيَ عِزُّها

عَلى الناسِ بَذّاخٌ مِنَ العِزِّ مُدسَرُ

I am the son of Tamim, and for me is its glory,

On people, a squanderer of glory, lavish,

وَمَن يَلقَنا مِن شانِئٍ يَلقَهُ لَنا

عَلى الناسِ مَعروفٌ كَثيرٌ وَمُنكَرُ

And whoever meets us, from an enemy, meets for us

Among people, much good and much evil,

وَقَد عَلِمَ الناسُ الَّذينَ أَبوهُمُ

لِحَوّاءَ أَنّا مِن حَصى التُربِ أَكثَرُ

And people have known those whose father

Was for Eve, that we from dust motes are more,

وَإِنّا لَضَرّابونَ لِلهامِ في الوَغى

إِذا لَم يَكُن غَيرَ الأَسِنَّةِ مَفخَرُ

And we are fierce strikers for rights in battle

When there is no glory but tongues to boast.