1. كَأَنَّ رِعالَهُنَّ بِوارِداتٍ

    وَقَد نَكَّبنَ أَسفَلَ ذاتِ هامِ

    Their bands at Waridat seemed—

    having skirted the lower reaches of Dhat Ham—

  2. قَوارِبُ مِن قَطا مَرّانَ جَونٌ

    غَدَونَ مِن النَواصِفِ أَو خِزامِ

    like dark, water-seeking sandgrouse of Marran,

    setting out at dawn from al-Nawasif or Khizam.

  3. فَكانَ هُوَ الشَفاءَ فَبَرَّزَتهُ

    ضَلِيعَ الجِسمِ رابِيَةَ الحِزامِ

    So it was the cure, and she brought it forth—

    broad-bodied, high at the girth.

  4. تَقُدُّ الجَريَ مُنقَبِضاً حَشاها

    كَشاةِ الرَبلِ تُرمى بِالسِهامِ

    She slices along at a run, her belly drawn tight,

    like an antelope among rabl herbage, shot at with arrows.

  5. أَهانَ لَها الطعامَ فَلَم تُضِعهُ

    غَداةَ الرَوعِ إِذ أَزَمَت أَزامِ

    He spared her no food, and she did not waste it

    on the morning of terror, when Calamity bit down.

  6. لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ يا وَبرَ بنَ أَوسٍ

    لَقَد أَخزَيتَ قَومَكَ في الكَلامِ

    By your father's life, O Wabr son of Aws,

    you have indeed disgraced your people in speech.

  7. لَقَد أَخزَيتَهُم خِزياً مُبِيناً

    مُقِيماً ما أَقَامَ ابنا شَمامِ

    Indeed, you have brought them manifest disgrace,

    enduring as long as Shamam's two sons remain.

  8. مَتَى أَكَلَت لُحُومَهُمُ كِلابِي

    أَكَلتَ يَدَيكَ مِن جَرَبٍ تِهامي

    Whenever my dogs eat their flesh,

    you gnaw your hands from Tihami mange.

  9. أَتَترُكُ مَعشَراً قَتَلُوا هُذَيلاً

    وَتُوعِدُنِي بِقَتلى مِن جُذامِ

    Do you leave alone a people who killed Hudhayl

    and threaten me over slain men from Judham?

  10. وَلَم تَفعَل كَما فَعَلَ ابنُ قيسٍ

    وَعِرقُ الصَدقِ في الأَقوامِ نامِ

    Yet you did not act as Ibn Qays did,

    and the root of integrity flourishes among the clans.

  11. سَرى بِمُقاعِسٍ وَتَرَكتَ عَوفاً

    وَنِمتَ وَلَم يَنَم لَيلَ التَمامِ

    He travelled by night with Muqa'is, while you abandoned Awf;

    you slept, while he stayed awake the whole night.

  12. فَأَصبَحَ دُونَهُ بَقَرُ التَناهي

    وَأَصبَحَ حَولَكُم فِرَقُ البِهامِ

    By morning, the wild cattle of the pools were before him,

    while around you stood flocks of lambs and kids.

  13. كَذي داءٍ بِإِحدى خِصيَتَيهِ

    وَأُخرى ما تَشَكّى مِن سَقامِ

    Like a man with an ailment in one of his testicles,

    while the other complained of no illness:

  14. أَلحَّ عَلى الصِيحَةِ فَاِنتَحاها

    بِسِكِّينٍ لَهُ ذَكَرٍ هُذامِ

    he pressed upon the healthy one [apparently intended], then aimed at it

    with his hard-tempered, keen-cutting knife.

  15. فَضَمَّ ثِيابَهُ مِن غَيرِ بُرءٍ

    عَلى شَعراءَ تُنقِضُ بِالبِهامِ

    Then, still uncured, he gathered his clothes

    over a hairy one that throbbed beneath the thumb.

  16. كَذلِكَ يُضرَبُ الثَورُ المُعَنّى

    لِبَشربَ وارِدُ البَقَرِ العيامِ

    Thus the tormented bull is beaten,

    so that the thirsty cattle coming to water may drink.