أَتوعِدُني قَيسٌ وَدونَ وَعيدِها

ثَراءُ تَميمٌ وَالعَوادي مِنَ الأُسدِ

Does Qais threaten me? His threats are vain,

For Tameem's wealth is overflowing as heavy rain,

سَأُهدي لِعاوي قَيسَ عَيلانَ إِذ عَوى

لِشَقوَتِهِ إِحدى الدَواهي الَّتي أُهدي

To spiteful Qais I’ll gift a stallion wild and free,

One of my prized steeds I was gifted to me,

وَأَجعَلُ يا قَيسَ بنَ عَيلانَ بَعدَها

لِنَوكاكِ أَحلاماً تَعيشُ بِها بَعدي

And after this, O Qais ibn Ailan I decree,

Sweet dreams for Nawkak where she’ll live on carefree,

أَلَم تَرَ قَيساً لَم تَكُن طَيرُها جَرَت

لَها بِمُعافاةٍ وَلا نَفَلٍ عِندي

Did you not see that Qais, her mount did not trot,

Nor was she gifted comfort or bounty by me,

رَمى اللَهُ فيما بَينَ قَيسٍ وَبَينَنا

عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ بِالعَداوَةِ وَالبُعدِ

Between Qais and I, Allah has clearly set,

With enmity and distance our fates to be met,

وَزادَهُمُ رَغماً وَعَضَّت رِقابَهُم

بِأَيدي تَميمٍ مُصلَتاتٌ مِنَ الهِندِ

And made them writhe, while their necks were wrung,

By Tameem’s hands with swords from India strung,

وَكُنتُ إِذا ما النوكُ ساقَ قَبيلَةً

إِلَيَّ مَعَ الحينِ المُغَيِّبِ لِلرُشدِ

Whenever Nawk brought a tribe forth unto me,

As night falls obscuring all signs of clarity,

شَدَختُ رُؤوسَ النابِحينَ وَحَطَّمَت

جَماجِمَهُم مِرداَةُ قَومٍ بِها أَردي

I crushed the wailers’ heads and smashed their bones,

With a mace—a tool my people often hone,

أَحينَ أَعاذَت بي تَميمٌ نِساءَها

وَجُرِّدتُ تَجريدَاليَماني مِنَ الغِمدِ

When Tameem’s women took refuge in me,

I shed my scabbard like a Yemeni warrior free,

وَمَدَّت بِضَبعَيَّ الرَبابُ وَدارِمٌ

وَعَمروٌ وَسالَت مِن وَرائي بَنو سَعدِ

My steeds Rabab and Darim stepped forth toward the brawl,

And the Saad tribe flowed behind me one and all,

وَمِن آلِ يَربوعٍ زُهاءٌ كَأَنَّهُ

دُجى اللَيلِ مَحمودُ النِكايَةُ وَالرِفدِ

Of the Yarbou clan came Zuha, dark as the night,

Skilled in vengeance and feeding guests till they’re tight,

وَهَرَّت كِلابُ الجِنِّ مِنّي وَبَصبَصَت

بِآذانِها مِن ضَغمِ ضِرغامَةٍ وَردِ

The Jinn's dogs fled terrified of my might,

Their ears rattling from my angry cries of spite,

تَمَنّى اِبنُ راعي الإِبلِ حَربي وَدونَهِ

شَماريخُ صَعباتٌ تَشُقُّ عَلى العَبدِ

Ibn Rai’s son wished war on me, the fool!

With burdensome camels that crush a weak mule,

شَماريخُ لَو أَنَّ النُمَيرِيَّ رامَها

رَأى نَفسَهُ فيها أَذَلَّ مِنَ القِردِ

Camels that if the Numayri saw their toll,

He'd feel lower than monkeys that crawl in holes!