1. عَجِّلا اليَومَ صاحِبَيَّ رَواحا

    وَاِسقِياني قَبلَ التَرَوُّحِ راحا

    Hasten your departure today, my two companions,

    and give me wine before setting out.

  2. عَلَّ ما بالفُؤادِ يَذهَبُ عَنهُ

    إِنَّ عَقلي أَمسى غَريباً مُراحا

    Perhaps what is in the heart will leave it;

    for my mind has become a stranger, driven away.

  3. أَينَ لَيلى وَأَينَ لَيلى وَلَيلى

    أَمرَضَت غَيرَنا رِجالاً صِحاحا

    Where is Layla? And where is Layla—and Layla?

    She has sickened healthy men besides us.

  4. لا تَرى عاشِقاً تَعَلَّقَ لَيلى

    وَيُلاقي المَماتَ مِنها رَواحا

    You see no lover who has fallen for Layla

    and meets death through her at evening.

  5. هاجَ لي ذِكرَها حَمامُ هَديلٍ

    ذُكِّرَ الإِلفَ في الغُصونِ فَناحا

    A cooing dove stirred her memory in me;

    reminded of its mate among the branches, it lamented.

  6. لَقِيَت تَغلِبٌ كَهَلكَةِ عادٍ

    إِذ أَتاهُم هَولُ العَذابِ صَباحا

    Taghlib met destruction like that of Ad,

    when the terror of punishment came upon them in the morning.

  7. وَنَهاهُم نَبِيُّهُم يَومَ ذاكُم

    وَدَعاهُم إِلى الإِلَهِ صُراحا

    Their prophet warned them that day,

    and called them openly to God.

  8. وَنَهَينا عَن حَربِنا تَغلِبَ العُش

    وَ فَما عافتِ البَلا وَالمَتاحا

    We warned night-blind Taghlib against fighting us;

    yet they did not shun affliction and fated doom

  9. دونَ أَن أَبصَرَت خُيولاً لِبَكرٍ

    وَسُيوفاً هِندِيَّةً وَرِماحا

    until they saw horses belonging to Bakr,

    and Indian swords and spears.

  10. فَقَتَلنا بِوارِداتٍ رِجالاً

    إِذ بَدا كاضِمُ الضَميرِ ضُباحا

    So at Waridat we killed men,

    when pent-up feeling burst into barking cries.

  11. وَلَقى القَومُ بِالذَنائِبِ منّا

    إِذ كَشَفنا الخُلودَ مَوتاً ذُباحا

    At al-Dhana'ib the people met at our hands,

    when we swept immortality aside, a death by slaughter.

  12. وَأَسَرنا عَدِيَّها وَاِصطَنَعنا

    بِيَدٍ لَو أَثابَ مِنّا نَجاحا

    We captured their Adi and showed him favor,

    with a kindness—if only he had repaid the good he gained from us.

  13. سَفَّهوا حِلمَنا فَلَمّا أَثاروا

    لِلِقاءِ الكُماةِ طاحوا طِياحا

    They scorned our forbearance; when they rose

    to meet the armored warriors, they fell headlong.

  14. لَقوا أُسدَ غابَةٍ وَكُهولاً

    وَقَناً تَصرَعُ الكُماةَ سِفاحا

    They met forest lions and seasoned men,

    and spears that strike armored warriors down, spilling blood.

  15. يَطرُدونَ الخُيولَ في رَهَجِ النَق

    عِ وَيفرونَ بِالسُيوفِ السِلاحا

    They drive the horses through clouds of dust,

    and cut through armor with their swords.

  16. سايَحوا شَيخَنا جُحَيشاً وَكانوا

    كُلَّما أَخرَجوهُ لِلحَربِ ساحا

    They sent our elder wandering alone, and

    whenever they brought him out to war, he ranged forth.

  17. وَلَقَد كانَ كارِهاً لِلَّذي كا

    نَ رَجاءً بِأَن يَكونَ الرباحا

    He had indeed been averse to what had

    happened, hoping that there would be gain.

  18. فَأَصابوا بُجَيرَ مِن غَيرِ جرمٍ

    كانَ مِنهُ إِذ صادَفوهُ كِفاحا

    Then they struck Bujayr for no offense

    of his, when they encountered him face to face.

  19. ضَرَّجوا ثَوبَهُ وَقالوا سَفاهاً

    أَنتَ بِالشِسعِ مِن كُلَيبٍ صُراحا

    They bloodied his garment and said in folly:

    You are plainly payment for a sandal-strap of Kulayb's.

  20. فَأَصابَ القِتالُ آنافَ بكرٍ

    فَأَبادَت بِهِ الرِجالَ الصِباحا

    Then battle struck Bakr's proud noses,

    and with it they annihilated the handsome men.

  21. ورَجَت تَغلِبٌ تُعيدَ كُلَيباً

    فَأَطَحنا سَراتَهُم حَيثُ طاحا

    Taghlib hoped to bring Kulayb back,

    so we brought their chiefs down where he had fallen.

  22. قَد تَرَكنا نِساءَهُم مُعوِلاتٍ

    مُعلِناتٍ مَعَ البُكاءِ النُواحا

    We have left their women wailing,

    raising lamentation aloud along with their weeping.

  23. بَقِيَت بَعدَهُ الجَليلَةُ تَبكي

    وَالخَرودُ العَيطاءُ تَدعو لَحاحا

    Al-Jalila remained after him, weeping,

    and the shy, long-necked maiden called out insistently.

  24. وَتَرَكنا أُصَيبِياتٍ صِغاراً

    وَذَرارى يَحتَسونَ القِراحا

    And we left small, young children,

    and offspring sipping plain water.

  25. كانَ سَهمُ النِساءِ جِباهٍ

    وَأَجَلنا عَلى الرِجالِ القِداحا

    The women's lot was foreheads [sense unclear],

    and we cast lot-arrows over the men.

  26. وَتَرَكنا دِيارَ تَغلِبَ قَفراً

    وَكَسَرنا مِنَ الغُواةِ الجَناحا

    And we left Taghlib's dwellings a wasteland,

    and broke the wing of the misguided.

  27. وَتَرَ الزئرَ يَمعَجُ القَولَ فينا

    بِعدَما صارَ مُفرَدا مُستَباحا

    And you see al-Zir twisting words about us,

    after he became alone and open to attack.

  28. هُوَ في الشَرِّ قبائِلٌ وَمُرَوٍّ

    لَيتَهُ ماتَ قَبلَها فَاِستَراحا

    In wickedness he is whole tribes, and a plotter [wording unclear];

    if only he had died before it and found rest!