1. كِليني لِهَمٍّ يا أُمَيمَةَ ناصِبِ

    وَلَيلٍ أُقاسيهِ بَطيءِ الكَواكِبِ

    Leave me, O Umayma, to a wearying sorrow,

    and a night I endure, whose stars move slowly.

  2. تَطاوَلَ حَتّى قُلتُ لَيسَ بِمُنقَضٍ

    وَلَيسَ الَّذي يَرعى النُجومَ بِآئِبِ

    It stretched on until I said, "It will never end,"

    nor will the one who tends the stars return.

  3. وَصَدرٍ أَراحَ اللَيلُ عازِبَ هَمِّهِ

    تَضاعَفَ فيهِ الحُزنُ مِن كُلِّ جانِبِ

    And a breast whose straying sorrow night brought home:

    grief within it doubled from every side.

  4. عَلَيَّ لِعَمروٍ نِعمَةٌ بَعدَ نِعمَةٍ

    لِوالِدِهِ لَيسَت بِذاتِ عَقارِبِ

    I owe 'Amr a kindness after a kindness

    from his father, with no scorpions in it.

  5. حَلَفتُ يَميناً غَيرَ ذي مَثنَوِيَّةٍ

    وَلا عِلمَ إِلّا حُسنُ ظَنٍّ بِصاحِبِ

    I swore an oath admitting no exception,

    and had no knowledge beyond a good opinion of a companion:

  6. لَئِن كانَ لِلقَبرَينِ قَبرٍ بِجِلَّقٍ

    وَقَبرٍ بِصَيداءَ الَّذي عِندَ حارِبِ

    if indeed the two graves have a claim on him—a grave at Jilliq,

    and a grave at Sayda, the one near Harib—

  7. وَلِلحارِثِ الجَفنِيَّ سَيِّدِ قَومِهِ

    لَيَلتَمِسَن بِالجَيشِ دارَ المُحارِبِ

    and al-Harith al-Jafni, lord of his people,

    he shall surely seek the enemy's abode with the army.

  8. وَثِقتُ لَهُ بِالنَصرِ إِذ قيلَ قَد غَزَت

    كَتائِبُ مِن غَسّانَ غَيرُ أَشائِبِ

    I trusted in victory for him when they said, "To war have gone

    battalions of Ghassan, no motley bands."

  9. بَنو عَمِّهِ دُنيا وَعَمروُ بنُ عامِرٍ

    أولَئِكَ قَومٌ بَأسُهُم غَيرُ كاذِبِ

    His close paternal cousins, and the sons of 'Amr ibn 'Amir—

    those are a people whose valor never proves false.

  10. إِذا ماغَزوا بِالجَيشِ حَلَّقَ فَوقَهُم

    عَصائِبُ طَيرٍ تَهتَدي بِعَصائِبِ

    When they go raiding with the army, above them circle

    flocks of birds guided by bands of warriors.

  11. يُصاحِبنَهُم حَتّى يُغِرنَ مُغارَهُم

    مِنَ الضارِياتِ بِالدِماءِ الدَوارِبِ

    They accompany them until they too raid where the men raid—

    birds habituated to blood, well practiced.

  12. تَراهُنَّ خَلفَ القَومِ خُزراً عُيونُها

    جُلوسَ الشُيوخِ في ثِيابِ المَرانِبِ

    You see them behind the men, their eyes narrowed,

    sitting like old men in rabbit-fur robes.

  13. جَوانِحَ قَد أَيقَنَّ أَنَّ قَبيلَهُ

    إِذا ما اِلتَقى الجَمعانِ أَوَّلُ غالِبِ

    Leaning toward them, they are certain that his tribe,

    when the two hosts meet, is the first to prevail.

  14. لَهُنَّ عَلَيهِم عادَةٌ قَد عَرَفنَها

    إِذا عُرِّضَ الخَطِّيُّ فَوقَ الكَواثِبِ

    With these men they have a custom they know well,

    when the Khatti spear is leveled above the withers,

  15. عَلى عارِفاتٍ لِلطِعانِ عَوابِسٍ

    بِهِنَّ كُلومٌ بَينَ دامٍ وَجالِبِ

    on grim-faced mares well versed in spear-fighting,

    bearing wounds, some bleeding and some scabbed.

  16. إِذا اِستُنزِلوا عَنهُنَّ لِلطَعنِ أَرقَلوا

    إِلى المَوتِ إِرقالَ الجِمالِ المَصاعِبِ

    When called to dismount from them for spear combat, they rush

    toward death with the swift trot of unbroken camels.

  17. فَهُم يَتَساقَونَ المَنيَّةَ بَينَهُم

    بِأَيديهِمُ بيضٌ رِقاقُ المَضارِبِ

    So they exchange draughts of death among themselves,

    white swords in their hands, slender at the striking edges.

  18. يَطيرُ فُضاضاً بَينَها كُلُّ قَونَسٍ

    وَيَتبَعَها مِنهُم فَراشُ الحَواجِبِ

    Every helmet-crest flies in fragments between them,

    and after them fly splinters of the men's brow bones.

  19. وَلا عَيبَ فيهِم غَيرَ أَنَّ سُيوفَهُم

    بِهِنَّ فُلولٌ مِن قِراعِ الكَتائِبِ

    And there is no fault in them, except that their swords

    bear notches from clashing with battalions.

  20. تُوُرَّثنَ مِن أَزمانِ يَومِ حَليمَةٍ

    إِلى اليَومِ قَد جُرِّبنَ كُلَّ التَجارِبِ

    Handed down since the time of the Day of Halima,

    to this day they have been tested in every trial.

  21. تَقُدَّ السَلوقِيَّ المُضاعَفَ نَسجُهُ

    وَتوقِدُ بِالصُفّاحِ نارَ الحُباحِبِ

    They cleave Saluqi mail with its doubled weave,

    and kindle al-Hubahib's fire on flat stones,

  22. بِضَربٍ يُزيلُ الهامَ عَن سَكِناتِهِ

    وَطَعنٍ كَإيزاغِ المَخاضِ الضَوارِبِ

    with blows that dislodge heads from their resting places,

    and thrusts like urine spurting from tail-raising pregnant camels.

  23. لَهُم شيمَةٌ لَم يُعطِها اللَهُ غَيرَهُم

    مِنَ الجودِ وَالأَحلامُ غَيرُ عَوازِبِ

    They have a trait God has granted to none but them,

    of generosity; and their sound judgment never deserts them.

  24. مَحَلَّتُهُم ذاتُ الإِلَهِ وَدينُهُم

    قَويمٌ فَما يَرجونَ غَيرَ العَواقِبِ

    Their dwelling is God's own, and their religion

    is upright; they hope only for the final rewards.

  25. رِقاقُ النِعالِ طَيِّبٌ حُجُزاتُهُم

    يُحَيّونَ بِالريحانِ يَومَ السَباسِبِ

    Their sandals are thin, their waistbands pure;

    they are greeted with fragrant herbs on Sabasib Day.

  26. تُحَيّهِمُ بَيضُ الوَلائِدِ بَينَهُم

    وَأَكسِيَةُ الإِضريجِ فَوقَ المَشاجِبِ

    Fair-skinned slave girls greet them in their midst,

    and red-silk cloaks hang upon the clothes-racks.

  27. يَصونونَ أَجساداً قَديماً نَعيمُها

    بِخالِصَةِ الأَردانِ خُضرِ المَناكِبِ

    They protect bodies long accustomed to luxury,

    in spotless-sleeved robes, green at the shoulders.

  28. وَلا يَحسَبونَ الخَيرَ لا شَرَّ بَعدَهُ

    وَلا يَحسِبونَ الشَرَّ ضَربَةَ لازِبِ

    They do not think good fortune has no evil after it,

    nor deem misfortune an inescapable blow.

  29. حَبَوتُ بِها غَسّانَ إِذ كُنتُ لاحِقاً

    بِقَومي وَإِذ أَعيَت عَلَيَّ مَذاهِبي

    I gave this as a gift to Ghassan when I was joining

    my people, and when my paths had failed me.