أَبلِغ رَبيعَةَ وَاِبنَ أُمِّهِ نَوفَلاً

أَني مُصيبُ العُظمِ إِن لَم أَصْفَحِ

Tell Rabee'ah and Ibn Ummuhu Nowfal

That I bear a grudge if I do not pardon.

وَكَأَنَّني رِئبالُ غابٍ ضَيغَمٍ

يَقرو الأَماعِزَ بِالفَجاجِ الأَفيَحِ

I am like a hungry wolf in the rugged land

Who bleats at the goats in the barren valley.

غَرَثَت حَليلَتُهُ وَأَرمَلَ لَيلَةُ

فَكَأَنَّهُ غَضبانُ ما لَمْ يَجرَحِ

His female has miscarried and a night has widowed him,

So he is wrathful if he is not vicious.

فَتَخالُهُ حَسّانَ إِذ حَرَّبتَهُ

فَدَعِ الفَضاءَ إِلى مَضيقِكَ وَاِفسَحِ

Deem him to be singing when you have provoked him,

So leave the open country for your narrow pass and give room.

إِنَّ الخِيانَةَ وَالمَغالَةَ وَالخَنا

وَاللُؤمَ أَصبَحَ ثاوِياً بِالأَبطَحِ

Truly treachery, sinfulness, and baseness.

Have become desolate in the stony tracts.

قَومٌ إِذا نَطَقَ الخَنا ناديهِمِ

تُبِعَ الخَنا وَأُضيعَ أَمرُ المُصلِحِ

A people, if an evildoer addresses them,

Evil is followed and the good deed of the reformer is lost.

وَاِشَتقَّ عِندَ الحِجرِ كُلُّ مُزَلَّجٍ

إِلّا يَصِح عِندَ المَقالَةِ يَنبَحِ

Everyone slick withdrew at the stone(-throwing)

Except the barking of the fools in altercation.

أَهَجَوتَ حَمزَةَ أَن تُوَفِّيَ صابِراً

وَكَفاكَ أَهلُكَ كَالرِئالِ الرُزَّحِ

You censured Hamzah hoping he would show forbearance

While your family suffices you like jointed puppets.

فَلَبِئسَ ما قاتَلتَ يَومَ لَقيتَنا

أَيرٌ تَقَلقَلَ في حِرٍ لَم يُصلَحِ

Evil is that for which you fought us the day you met us -

A blind man tottering in barren heat that cannot be rectified.

عَبدٌ إِذا فَعَلَ العَظائِمَ أَهلُها

جَعدُ الأَنامِلِ في الشِتاءِ المَدلَحِ

When a slave commits enormities, his people

Are ruffled hair in winter's violent cold.