1. They buried your remains in the sands, a banner
That rouses the valley, morning and evening alike,

2. Alas for them! They erected a minaret of blood
That inspires coming generations with hatred,

3. It would not have harmed them to make relations
Between peoples, affection and brotherhood,

4. A wound cries out afar, a sacrifice
Groping for crimson freedom,

5. O naked sword, wearing epochs
With the swords over time erased,

6. Those wilds are the scabbard of every polished sword
That did its duty against the enemy flawlessly,

7. And the graves of Umayyad youth and elders
Who did not cease to live,

8. Had Maqil taken refuge in al-Jawza
They would have entered its citadels unopposed,

9. They opened its plains and mountains in the north
And penetrated deep to colonize the Green,

10. And built their civilization, its pillar grew high
The Abode of Peace overshadowed Syria,

11. You were given the choice and chose to camp on the hills
Not to build glory or amass wealth,

12. True heroism is to die of thirst
Heroism is not to exhaust water,

13. Africa, cradle and grave of lions
Cried out for you, men and women,

14. And Muslims, however far their lands
Can offer no solace for the bereaved,

15. While behind their graves, the Age of Ignorance
Weeps for Zayd’s horses and horsemen,

16. In the care of the Noble, the Preserver
A body in Barqah sealed off the desert,

17. The harsh turns of fate did not destroy
Weapons wear out but do not shed blood,

18. Like the remains of an eagle or a fossil
Spent the night behind the SUV forgotten,

19. The hero of Badawah did not raid
On a tank, or ride the skies,

20. Rather, a brother to horses who protected their pastures
And managed their heated zeal,

21. He answered the decree of the land with devotion
Fearing only the decree of Heaven,

22. He came with head held high, as if
Socrates dragged to face the judges,

23. A sheikh who restrained his years, he did not burst out
Like a child weeping in fear of punishment,

24. And a brother in ordeals who lived through them
So he expected the worst in the trials,

25. The lion roars in chains but you will never see
In prison, a hyena weep pleadingly,

26. The captive came dragging his heavy fetters
A lion dragging a groveling snake,

27. The shackles bit at his legs but he did not flinch
And the years walked off with his body to its end,

28. Ninety, if they rode the backs of lofty camels
Their highlands would crawl away spent,

29. Hidden from the judge, she was deprived of the kindness
Of officers, noble leaders,

30. And the years blow fiercely at every refined heart
That knew its ancestors and forefathers,

31. They handed the glorious one to the executioner
To treat wounds and free captives,

32. To share the reserve of his weapons with his comrades
And hold the enemies around them at bay,

33. And they chose the shameful noose as the death
Of a lion spewing foam around him,

34. They denied the death by swords and spears
Of one who could deliver the most valiant blow,

35. I saw the hand of civilization set aflame
With truth, destroying and building both,

36. It laid down people's rights in their homelands
Except the obstinate victims and weak,

37. O people close by, listening,
Let me compose an elegy for the martyr's life,

38. Or have disasters muted you, depriving
Your ears when addressed to hear?

39. The leader passed away but you remain eternal
So rouse your men and choose leaders,

40. Relieve your elders of war's burdens
And lay its weights on your youth,