أَلا هَل أَتاها أَنَّ شِكَّةَ حازِمٍ
لَدَيَّ وَأَنّي قَد صَنَعتُ الشَموسا
Has it not reached her that Hāzim's doubt
Is with me, and that I have made the suns
وَداوَيتُها حَتّى شَتَت حَبَشِيَّةً
كَأَنَّ عَلَيها سُندُساً وَسُدوسا
And nurtured them until a Habashī woman scattered them
As if silk and sūdūs were upon them
قَصَرنا عَلَيها بِالمَقيظِ لِقاحَنا
رَباعِيَةً وَبازِلاً وَسَديسا
We stopped at them with firm spears
Ribā'iyyahs and bāzil and sudīs
فَآضَت كَتَيسِ الرَبلِ تَنزو إِذا نَزَت
عَلى رَبِذاتٍ يَغتَلينَ خُنوسا
So she overflowed like an overflowing waterskin when it overflows
Upon scattered female oryxes bleating plaintively
نُعِدُّ لِيَومِ الرَوعِ زَغفاً مُفاضَةً
دِلاصاً وَذا غَربٍ أَحَذَّ ضَروسا
We prepare on the day of commotion an overflowing zaghfa
Delās and accompanied by a setting sun of fierce heat
نُجيدُ عَلَيها البَزَّ في كُلِّ مَأزِقٍ
إِذا شَهِدَ الجَمعُ الكَثيفُ خَميسا
We excel at al-bazz upon it in every tight spot
When numerous witnesses attend on Thursday
تَحَلَّل أَبَيتَ اللَعنَ مِن قَولِ آثِمٍ
عَلى مالِنا لَيُقسَمَنَّ خُموسا
May the accursed perish! Vile is the word of an evildoer
About our money that will surely be divided in fifths
إِذا ما قَطَعنا رَملَةً وَعَدابَها
فَإِنَّ لَنا أَمراً أَحَذَّ غَموسا
When we cut through a tract of shifting sands and cross it
Then we have a matter more cutting than piercing swords
أَقيموا بَني النُعمانِ عَنّا صُدورَكُم
وَإِلّا تُقيموا كارِهينَ الرُؤوسا
Stand, O Banū Nu'mān, your chests before us
Otherwise unwillingly lower your heads
أَكُلُّ لَئيمٍ مِنكُمُ وَمُعَلهَجٍ
يَعُدُّ عَلَينا غارَةً فَخُبوسا
Every despicable and hot-tempered person among you
Who raids against us is stupid and unlucky
أَلا اِبنَ المُعَلّى خِلتَنا وَحَسِبتَنا
صَرارِيَّ نُعطي الماكِسينَ مُكوسا
O Ibn al-Mu'allá! Our lineage and your lineage
We Ṣurār give the retractors dispraise
فَإِن تَبعَثوا عَيناً تَمَنّى لِقاءَنا
تَجِد حَولَ أَبياتي الجَميعَ جُلوسا
So if they send out a scout hoping to meet us
He will find all around my encampment seated
