1. دَعي اللَومَ إِنَّ العَيشَ لَيسَ بِدائِمٍ

    وَلا تَعجَلي بِاللَومِ يا أُمَّ عاصِمِ

    Leave off blame: life is not everlasting.

    And do not rush to blame, O Umm Asim.

  2. فَإِن عَجِلَت مِنكِ المَلامَةُ فَاِسمَعي

    مَقالَةَ مَعنِيٍّ بِحَقِّكِ عالِمِ

    But if reproach comes hastily from you, then hear

    The words of one concerned for your rights and well aware of them.

  3. وَلا تَعذِلينا في الهَدِيَّةِ إِنَّما

    تَكونُ الهَدايا مِن فُضولِ المَغانِمِ

    And do not reproach us over the gift, for only

    From surplus spoils do gifts come.

  4. فَلَيسَ بِمُهدٍ مَن يَكونُ نَهارُهُ

    جَلاداً وَيَمسي لَيلُهُ غَيرَ نائِمِ

    For no giver of gifts is he whose day

    Is combat, and whose night passes sleepless.

  5. يُريدُ ثَوابَ اللَهِ يَوماً بِطَعنَةٍ

    غَموسٍ كَشِدقِ العَنبَرِيِّ بنِ سالِمِ

    He seeks God's reward one day through a spear-thrust

    Deep-plunging, as wide as the mouth of al-Anbari, son of Salim.

  6. أَبيتُ وَسُربالي دِلاصٌ حَصينَةٌ

    وَمِغفَرُها وَالسَيفُ فَوقَ الحَيازِمِ

    I pass the night, my shirt a smooth, stout coat of mail,

    And its mail hood, with the sword above my breast.

  7. حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ الواقِفينَ عَشِيَّةً

    لَدى عَرَفاتٍ حَلفَةً غَيرَ آثِمِ

    I swore by the Lord of those standing at evening

    At Arafat—an oath sworn without sin—

  8. لَقَد كانَ في القَومِ الَّذينَ لَقيتُهُم

    بِسابورَ شُغلٌ عَن بُزوزِ اللَطائِمِ

    There was indeed, among the men I met

    At Sabur, enough to keep me from the trading caravans' cloth wares.

  9. تُوَقَّدُ في أَيديهِمُ زاعِبِيَّةٌ

    وَمُرهَفَةٌ نَفري شُئونَ الجَماجِمِ

    Za'ibi spears blaze in their hands,

    And keen-edged swords; we cleave the sutures of skulls.

  10. تَرى الخَيلَ تَردي بِالتَجافيفِ بَينَهُم

    بِفُرسانِها مَرَّ النُسورِ القَشاعِمِ

    You see the horses galloping among them in armor,

    With their riders, sweeping past like great old vultures.

  11. إِذا اِنتَطَحتَ مِنّا كَراديسُ غادَرَت

    جَراثيمَ صَرعى لِلنُّسورِ القَشاعِمِ

    When our battalions clash head-on, they leave

    Heaps of slain men for the great old vultures.

  12. وَلَم أَكُ مشغولاً بِسابورَ عَنكُمُ

    وَبِالسَفحِ إِذ نَغشى صُدورَ الغَواشِمِ

    Nor was I distracted from you at Sabur,

    Or at al-Safh, when we assailed the breasts of fierce warriors.