قَالَتْ فُطَيْمَةُ حَلِّ شِعْرَكَ مَدْحَهُ

أَفَبَعْدَ كِنْدَةَ تَمْدَحَنَّ قَبِيلا

Futaymah said, solve your poety praising him

After Kindah, will you praise a tribe?

وَهَمُ الكِرَامُ بَنُو الخَضَارِمَةِ العُلا

ِسَمَيْدَعٍ أَكْرِمْ بِذَاكَ نَجِيلا

The generous are Bani Khadram, sublime

Of Sumayda', be kind with that, my friend

يَا أَيُّها السَّاعِي لِيُدْرِكَ مَجْدَنَا

ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّكَ هَلْ تَرُدُّ قَتِيلا

O you who seek to attain our glory

May your mother be bereft of you, will you return a corpse?

هَلْ تَرْقَيَنَّ إلى السَّماءِ بِسُلَّمٍ

وَلَتَرْجِعَنَّ إلى العَزِيزِ ذَلِيلا

Will you climb to the sky on a ladder?

You will surely return humiliated to the Almighty

سَائِلْ بَنِي مَلِكِ المُلُوكِ إذا الْتَقَوا

َنَّا وَعَنْكُمْ لا تَعَاشَ جَهُولا

Ask the clan of the King of Kings when they meet

We and you, may the ignorant not live

مِنَّا الذي مَلِكَ المَعَاشِرَ عَنْوَةً

مَلَكَ الفَضَاءَ فَسَلْ بِذَاك عُقُولا

Of us is he who ruled the people by force

Who ruled the expanse, so ask the minds about that

وَبَنُوهُ قَدْ مَلَكُوا خِلافَةَ مُلْكِهِ

شُبَّانَ حَرْبٍ سَادَةً وَكُهُولا

And his sons who inherited his kingdom

Young warriors, chiefs and elders

قالوا لَهُ : هَلْ أنتَ قَاضٍ ما تَرَى

إِنَّا نَرَى لَكَ ذا المَقَامَ قَلِيلا

They said to him: Are you a judge, what do you see?

We see this position unfit for you

فَقَضَى لكلِّ قَبِيلةٍ بِتِرَاتِهِمْ

لَمْ يَأْلُهُمْ في مُلْكِهمْ تَعْدِيلا

So he judged for each tribe according to their treaties

He did not wrong them in their reign an iota

فَثَوَى وَوَرَّثَ مُلْكِ مَنْ وَطِئَ الحَصَى

قَسْرًا أبوهُ عَنْوَةً وَنُحُولا

So he rested and bequeathed the rule of those who trod the pebbles

His father had taken by force and tyranny

سَائِلْ بَنِي أَسَدٍ بِمَقْتَلِ رَبِّهِمْ

حُجْرِ بنِ أُمِّ قَطَامِ جَلَّ قَتِيلا

Ask the clan of Asad about the killing of their lord

Hujr son of Umm Qatam, an exalted martyr

إذا سَارَ ذو التَّاجِ الهِجَانِ بِجَحْفَلٍ

لَجِبٍ يُجَاوَبُ بالفَلاةِ صَهِيلا

When the crowned dignitary marched with armies

Whinnying in the desert responding to neighs

حتى أَبَالَ الخَيْلَ في عَرَصَاتِهِمْ

فَشَفَى وَزَادَ على الشِّفَاءِ غَلِيلا

Until he had the horses trample their land

Healing yet increasing the simmering anguish

أَحْمَى دُرُوعَهُمُ فَسَرْبَلَهُمْ بِهَا

والنَّارَ كَحَّلَهُمْ بها تَكْحِيلا

Their shields kindled the fire that clad them in flames

A king who justified quenching it ardently

وأقامَ يَسْقِي الرَّاحِ في هَامَاتِهِمْ

مَلِكٌ يُعَلُّ بِشُرْبِها تَعْلِيلا

The whites he forced into intense heat

And that sufficed to punish the enemies

والبِيْضَ قَنَّعَهَا شَدِيدًا حَرُّهُا

فَكَفَى بذلكَ لِلْعِدَا تَنْكِيلا

After prohibiting them, they became permitted to him

Or that he contaminate them with washing

حَلَّتْ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ تَحْرِيمٍ لَهَا

أَو أَنْ يَمَسَّ الرَّأسَ منه غُسُولا

Until he permitted ravaging their homes, so he destroyed them

And they wandered astray, unable to find a path

حتى أباحَ ديارَهمْ فَأَبَارَهُمْ

فَعَمُوا فهمْ لا يَهْتَدونَ سَبِيلا