لَعَمري لَقَد كانَ اِبنُ ثَورٍ لِنَهشَلٍ

غَروراً كَما غَرَّ السَليمَ تَمائِمُه

By my life, Ibn Thawr has certainly made the Bani Nahshal arrogant,

Just as ornaments make the bride vain,

فَدَلّاهُمُ حَتّى إِذا ما تَذَبذَبوا

بِمَهواةِ نيقٍ أَسلَمَتهُم سَلالِمُه

So he led them on until when they wavered,

At the pit of death, its ladders made them fall.

فَأَصبَحَ مَن تَحمي رُمَيلَةُ وَاِبنُها

مُباحاً حِماهُ مُستَحَلّاً مَحارِمُه

And so he who protects Umaylah and her son,

Became permitted, though forbidden his sanctities.

وَمِثلُكَ قَد أَبطَرتُهُ قَدرَ ذَرعِهِ

إِذا نَظَرَ الأَقوامُ كَيفَ أُراجِمُه

And the like of you, I have sized up your worth,

When men look how I pelt you with stones.

فَمَن يَزدَجِر طَيرَ اليَمينِ فَإِنَّما

جَرَت لِاِبنِ مَسعودٍ يَزيدَ أَشائِمُه

So who will drive away the bird of ill omen? For verily

Misfortunes befell the son of Mas'ud and increased his woes,

تَسَمَّع وَأَنصِت يا يَزيدُ مَقالَتي

وَهَل أَنتَ إِن أَفهَمتُكَ الحَقَّ فاهِمُه

Listen and pay heed, O Yazeed, to my speech,

And will you, if I make the truth clear to you, understand?

أُنَبِّئكَ ما قَد يَعلَمُ الناسُ كُلُّهُم

وَما جاهِلٌ شَيئاً كَمَن هُوَ عالِمُه

I will inform you what all the people know,

And nothing is unknown to the knowledgeable.

أَلَم تَرَ أَنّا نَحنُ أَفضَلُ مِنكُمُ

قَديماً كَما خَيرُ الجَناحِ قَوادِمُه

Do you not see that we are superior to you,

As the best of wings are the first to arrive?

وَما زالَ باني العِزِّ مِنّا وَبَيتُهُ

وَفي الناسِ باني بَيتِ عِزٍّ وَهادِمُه

And the builder of honor has always been from us,

And among men is the builder and demolisher of the house of honor.

قَديماً وَرِثناهُ عَلى عَهدِ تُبَّعٍ

طِوالاً سَواريهِ شِداداً دَعائِمُه

From ancient times we inherited it in Tubba's era,

Its pillars lofty, its supports firm.

وَكَم مِن أَسيرٍ قَد فَكَكنا وَمِن دَمٍ

حَمَلنا إِذا ما ضاجَ بِالثِقلِ غارِمُه

And how many prisoners have we ransomed and how much blood,

Have we taken on when the debtor was heavily burdened?

بَني نَهشَلٍ لَن تُدرِكوا بِسِبابِكُم

نَوافِذَ قَولي حَيثُ غَبَّت عَوارِمُه

O Bani Nahshal, your insults will not reach,

The outlets of my words wherever its dams have vented.

مَتى تَكُ ضَيفَ النَهشَلِيَّ إِذا شَتا

تَجِد ناقِصَ المِقرى خَبيثاً مَطاعِمُه

When are you the guest of the Nahshali, you will find, if he so wishes,

Scant his generosity, paltry his foods.

أَلَم تَعلَما يا اِبنَي رِقاشٍ بِأَنَّني

إِذا اِختارَ حَربي مِثلُكُم لا أُسالِمُه

Do you not know, O sons of Riqaash, that I,

When my war chooses the likes of you, do not befriend him?