تَطاوَلَ لَيلُكَ بِالأَثمَدِ
وَنامَ الخَلِيُّ وَلَم تَرقُدِ
Your night has grown long with sleeplessness
While the tribesman slept, you did not rest
وَباتَ وَباتَت لَهُ لَيلَةٌ
كَلَيلَةِ ذي العائِرِ الأَرمَدِ
And he spent a night like the night
Of the blind man with failing sight
وَذَلِكَ مِن نَبَإٍ جاءَني
وَخُبِّرتُهُ عَن أَبي الأَسوَدِ
This news has come to me
I was told about Abu Al-Aswad
وَلَو عَن نَثاً غَيرِهِ جاءَني
وَجُرحُ اللِسانِ كَجُرحِ اليَدِ
Even if the news came from another
The wound of the tongue is like the wound of the hand
لَقُلتُ مِنَ القَولِ ما لا يَزا
لُ يُؤثِرُ عَنّي يَدَ المُسنِدِ
I would have said something unseemly
That the supporter’s hand would not transmit from me
بِأَيِّ عَلاقَتِنا تَرغَبونَ
أَعَن دَمِ عَمروٍ عَلى مَرثِدِ
With what bond do they want us
Is it the blood-tie with Amr on Murthid?
فَإِن تَدفُنوا الداءَ لا نُخفِهِ
وَإِن تَبعَثوا الحَربَ لا نَقعُدِ
If you bury disease we do not conceal it
And if you resurrect war we do not sit
فَإِن تَقتُلونا نُقَتِّلُكُم
وَإِن تَقصِدوا لِدَمٍ نَقصُدِ
If you kill us we will kill you
And if you seek blood we will seek it
مَتى عَهدُنا بِطِعانِ الكُما
ةِ وَالحَمدِ وَالمَجدِ وَالسُؤدُدِ
When did we make a habit of praising
Glory, praise, honor and necklaces?
وَبَنيِ القِبابِ وَمَلءِ الجِفا
نِ وَالنارِ وَالحَطَبِ المُفأَدِ
The lineage of dignitaries and the filling of leather skins
Fire, firewood and expensive horses?
وَأَعدَدتُ لِلحَربِ وَثّابَةً
جَوادَ المَحَثَّةِ وَالمِروَدِ
I have prepared sturdy, noble steeds for war
Galloping, stamping, bringing them is like
سَموحاً جَموحاً وَإِحضارُها
كَمَعمَعَةِ السَعَفِ الموقَدِ
The flashing of burning palm branches
Tightly girded, leaping, they appear in the sand like lightning
وَمَشدودَةَ السَكِّ مَوضونَةٍ
تَضاءَلُ في الطَيِّ كَالمِبرَدِ
Their chests pouring forth on the warriors
Like the outpouring of clouds on the lush land
تَفيضُ عَلى المَرءِ أَردانُها
كَفَيضِ الأَتِيِّ عَلى الجَدجَدِ
Charging like the torrents of heavy rain
From the clusters of the smooth palm tree
وَمُطَّرِداً كَرِشاءِ الجَرو
رِ مِن خُلُبِ النَخلَةِ الأَجرَدِ
With obscured inscriptions, cryptic is their speech
When they strike the bone they do not bend
وَذا شَطَبٍ غامِضاً كَلمُهُ
إِذا صابَ بِالعَظمِ لَم يَنأَدِ
