1. كَفُّ النَدى أَضحَت بِغَيرِ بَنانِ

    وَقَناتُهُ أَمسَت بِغَيرِ سِنانِ

    The hand of generosity is now without fingers,

    and its spear is now without a point.

  2. جَبَلُ الجِبالِ غَدَت عَلَيهِ مُلِمَّةٌ

    تَرَكَتهُ وَهوَ مُهَدَّمُ الأَركانِ

    A calamity befell the mountain of mountains,

    leaving him with his pillars shattered.

  3. أَنعى عُمَيرَ بنَ الوَليدِ لِغارَةٍ

    بِكرٍ مِنَ الغاراتِ أَو لِعَوانِ

    I announce Umayr ibn al-Walid's death to a raid—

    a maiden raid among raids, or to one renewed.

  4. أَنعى فَتى الفِتيانِ غَيرَ مُكَذَّبٍ

    قَولي وَأَنعى فارِسَ الفُرسانِ

    I announce the death of the youth of youths, with none disputing

    my words, and I announce the death of the horseman of horsemen.

  5. عَثَرَ الزَمانُ وَنائِباتُ صُروفِهِ

    بِمُقيلِنا عَثَراتِ كُلِّ زَمانِ

    Time and the calamities of its changing fortunes have tripped up

    our rescuer from the stumbles of every age.

  6. لَم يَترُكِ الحَدَثانُ يَومَ سَطا بِهِ

    أَحَداً نَصولُ بِهِ عَلى الحَدَثانِ

    On the day fate struck him, it did not leave

    anyone with whose aid we could assail fate.

  7. قَد كُنتَ حِشوَ الدِرعِ ثُمَّ أَراكَ قَد

    أَصبَحتَ حِشوَ اللَحدِ وَالأَكفانِ

    Once you filled the coat of mail; now I see you have

    come to fill the grave and the shrouds.

  8. شُغِلَت قُلوبُ الناسِ ثُمَّ عُيونُهُم

    مُذ مُتَّ بِالخَفقانِ وَالهَمَلانِ

    People's hearts, and then their eyes, have been occupied,

    since you died, with throbbing and streaming tears.

  9. وَاِستَعذَبوا الأَحزانَ حَتّى إِنَّهُم

    يَتَحاسَدونَ مَضاضَةَ الأَحزانِ

    And they found sorrow sweet, so much that they

    envy one another the bitter pangs of sorrow.

  10. ما يَرعَوي أَحَدٌ إِلى أَحَدٍ وَلا

    يَشتاقُ إِنسانٌ إِلى إِنسانِ

    No one turns to another, nor

    does one person long for another.

  11. أَأَصابَ مِنكَ المَوتُ فُرصَةَ ساعَةٍ

    فَعَدا عَلَيكَ وَأَنتُما أَخَوانِ

    Did Death find a moment's opening against you,

    then attack you, though you two were brothers?

  12. فَمَنِ الَّذي أَبقى لِيَومِ تَكَرُّمٍ

    وَمَنِ الَّذي أَبقى لِيَومِ طِعانِ

    Whom, then, has it spared for a day of generosity,

    and whom has it spared for a day of spear combat?

  13. مَن يَدفَعِ الكُرَبَ العِظامَ إِذا اِلتَقَت

    في مَأزِقٍ حَلَقاتُ كُلِّ بِطانِ

    Who will ward off great afflictions when there meet

    in a narrow place the rings of every saddle-girth?

  14. حَمّالُ ما لَو حَلَّ أَصغَرُهُ عَلى

    ثَهلانَ لَاِنهَدَّت ذُرى ثَهلانِ

    A mighty bearer of burdens—had the least of them fallen upon

    Thahlan, the summits of Thahlan would have collapsed.