أَلا اِستَهزَأَت مِنّي هُنَيدَةُ أَن رَأَت

أَسيراً يُداني خَطوَهُ حَلَقُ الحِجلِ

Alas! Hinaydah scoffed at me when she saw me

A captive whose steps were fettered in shackles

وَلَو عَلِمَت أَنَّ الوَثاقَ أَشَدُّهُ

إِلى النارِ قالَت لي مَقالَةَ ذي عَقلِ

Had she known that my bonds are the strongest

Towards the Fire, she would have spoken wisely

لَعَمري لَئِن قَيَّدتُ نَفسي لَطالَما

سَعَيتُ وَأَوضَعتُ المَطِيَّةَ لِلجَهلِ

By my life! If I restrain myself, for long have I

Strived and guided the she-camel towards ignorance

ثَلاثينَ عاماً لا أَرى مِن عَمايَةٍ

إِذا بَرَقَت إِلّا شَدَدتُ لَها رَحلي

For thirty years I see not any glimpse

Except I strengthen my saddle for it

أَتَتني أَحاديثُ البَعيثِ وَدونَهُ

زَرودٌ فَشاماتُ الشَقيقِ إِلى الرَملِ

To me came the talks of al-Baith and after him

Green chrysolites of chrysocola to the sand

فَقُلتُ أَظَنَّ اِبنُ الخَبيثَةِ أَنَّني

شُغِلتُ عَنِ الرامي الكِنانَةَ بِالنَبلِ

So I said: I think the son of the wicked woman thought

That I was diverted from shooting arrows with skill

فَإِن يَكُ قَيدي كانَ نَذراً نَذَرتُهُ

فَما بِيَ عَن أَحسابِ قَومِيَ مِن شُغلِ

If my fetters were a vow I vowed

Then I have no distraction from my people's accounts

أَنا الضامِنُ الراعي عَلَيهِم وَإِنَّما

يُدافِعُ عَن أَحسابِهِم أَنا أَو مِثلي

I am the guarantor, the guardian over them

It is I or the like of me who defends their accounts

وَلَو ضاعَ ما قالوا اِرعَ مِنّا وَجَدتَهُم

شِحاحاً عَلى الغالي مِنَ الحَسَبِ الجَزلِ

Had they lost what they said "Graze from us" you would find them

Miserly with the precious thing from the esteemed lineage

إِذا ما رَضوا مِنّي إِذا كُنتُ ضامِناً

بِأَحسابِ قَومي في الجِبالِ وَفي السَهلِ

When they approved of me as the guarantor

Of my people's accounts in the mountains and in the plains

فَمَهما أَعِش لا يُضمِنوني وَلا أَضَع

لَهُم حَسَباً ما حَرَّكَت قَدَمي نَعلي

However long I live, they will not guarantee me, nor will I

Put down accounts for them, as long as my slipper moves

وَلَستُ إِذا ثارَ الغُبارُ عَلى اِمرِئٍ

غَداةَ الرِهانِ بِالبَطيءِ وَلا الوَغلِ

And I will not be, when the dust rises over a man,

The next morning after the wager, with the slow or stumbling

وَلَكِن تَرى لي غايَةُ المَجدِ سابِقاً

إِذا الخَيلُ قادَتها الجِيادُ مَعَ الفَحلِ

Rather you see for me the utmost glory preceding

When the steeds are led by the excellent stallions

وَحَولَكَ أَقوامٌ رَدَدتَ عُقولَهُم

عَلَيهِم لَكانوا كَالفَراشِ مِنَ الجَهلِ

And around you are people whose minds you returned

To them, they would be like the moth in ignorance