أَلا مِن مُبلِغٌ عَدوانَ عَنّي

أَلا مِن مُبلِغٌ عَدوانَ عَنّي

وَما يُغني التَوعُّدُ مِن بَعيدِ

وَما يُغني التَوعُّدُ مِن بَعيدِ

Ah, who will carry a message from me to ʿAdwān?

O Woe! None to carry tidings unto thee

And what use are threats from afar?

Of my distress, and threats at distance fail;

فَإِنَّكَ لَو رَأَيتَ رِجالَ أَبوى

فَإِنَّكَ لَو رَأَيتَ رِجالَ أَبوى

غَداةَ تَسَربَلوا حَلَقَ الحَديدِ

غَداةَ تَسَربَلوا حَلَقَ الحَديدِ

For if you had seen the men of Abwā

Couldst thou but look on warriors bent of knee

On the morning they clad themselves in rings of iron,

Whenas they don the ring-mail's iron veil,

إِذاً لَظَنَنتَ جِنَّةَ ذي عَرينٍ

إِذاً لَظَنَنتَ جِنَّةَ ذي عَرينٍ

وَآسادَ الغُرَيفَةِ في صَعيدِ

وَآسادَ الغُرَيفَةِ في صَعيدِ

Then you would surely have thought them the jinn of Dhū ʿArīn

Thou wouldst believe some genie-haunted hill

And the lions of al-Ghurayfa on an open plain.

Swarming with devil-wolves across the wold.