1. لَعَمرِيَ لا أَنسى وَإِن طالَ عَهدُنا

    لِقاءَ اِبنَةِ الضَمرِيِّ في البَلَدِ الخالي

    By my life, I shall not forget, however long we have been apart,

    My meeting with al-Damri's daughter in the deserted land.

  2. تَذَكَّرتُها وَهناً وَقَد حالَ دونَها

    قُرى أَذرَبيجانَ المَسالِحُ وَالجالي

    I remembered her deep in the night, while between us lay

    The villages of Azerbaijan, the garrisons, and the departing host.

  3. أَلا يا اِصبَحاني قَبلَ غارَةِ سِنجالِ

    وَقَبلَ مَنايا باكِراتٍ وَآجالِ

    Ho, you two, give me morning wine before the Sinjal raid,

    And before early-coming deaths and appointed ends,

  4. وَقَبلَ اِختِلافِ القَومِ مِن بَينِ سالِبٍ

    وَآخَرَ مَسلوبٍ هَوى بَينَ أَبطالِ

    And before the men clash, one a plunderer,

    And another despoiled, fallen among champions.

  5. وَقُلتُ لَهُم خُدّوا لَهُ بِرِماحِكُم

    بِنازِحَةِ العُوّادِ خَفّاقَةِ الآلِ

    And I told them: dig him a grave with your spears

    In a place far from visitors, with a shimmering mirage.

  6. فَبَكَّوا قَليلاً ثُمَّ وَلَّوا وَوَدَّعوا

    وَقَد غادَروا في اللَحدِ لَحمى وَأَوصالي

    So they wept a little, then turned away and bade farewell,

    Having left my flesh and limbs in the burial niche.

  7. لَقَد غادَرَت خَيلٌ بِموقانَ أَسلَمَت

    بُكَيرَ بَني الشُدّاخِ فارِسَ أَطلالِ

    Indeed, horsemen at Muqan abandoned and forsook

    Bukayr of Banu al-Shuddakh, the rider of Atlal,

  8. فَتىً كانَ يَروي سَيفَهُ وَسِنانَهُ

    مِنَ العَلَقِ الآني لَدى المُجحَرِ التالي

    A youth who would slake his sword and spearhead

    With hot, clotted blood, beside the hard-pressed man in the rear.

  9. وَقَد عَلِمَت خَيلٌ بِموقانَ أَنَّني

    أَنا الفارِسُ الحامي لَدى المَوت نَزّالِ

    And horsemen at Muqan knew well that I—

    I am the defending horseman, a close-combat fighter in the face of death.

  10. وَأَعدَدتُ لِلساقَينِ وَالرِجلِ وَالنَسا

    لِجاماً وَسَرجاً فَوقَ أَعوَجَ مُختالِ

    And I readied for the two shins, the foot, and the sciatic sinew

    A bridle and a saddle upon proud, prancing A'waj.

  11. أَرِقتُ لَهُ في القَومِ وَالصُبحِ ساطِعٌ

    كَما سَطَعَ المِرّيخُ شَمَّرَهُ الغالي

    I lay sleepless for him among the men, while dawn shone,

    As a long arrow rose, launched by the far-shooting archer.

  12. وَذَكَّرَني أَهلَ القَوادِسِ أَنَّني

    رَأَيتُ رِجالاً واجِمينَ بِأَجمالِ

    And what recalled the people of al-Qawadis to me was that I

    Saw men silent and downcast at Ajmal.