تَقَطَّعَ باقي وَصلِ أُمِّ مُؤَمَّلٍ

تَقَطَّعَ باقي وَصلِ أُمِّ مُؤَمَّلٍ

بِعاقِبَةٍ وَاِستَبدَلَت نِيَّةً خُلفا

بِعاقِبَةٍ وَاِستَبدَلَت نِيَّةً خُلفا

The last bond with Umm Mu'ammal was severed

The remainder of Umm Maml's affection was severed

In the end, and she traded her resolve for broken faith.

By an outcome, and intention was substituted in exchange

وَقَد حَلَفَت بِاللَهِ لا تَقطَعُ القُوى

وَقَد حَلَفَت بِاللَهِ لا تَقطَعُ القُوى

فَما صَدَقَت فيهِ وَلا بَرِّتِ الحَلفا

فَما صَدَقَت فيهِ وَلا بَرِّتِ الحَلفا

She had sworn by God never to sever the strands,

She swore by Allah she would not sever her strength

But she was not true to it, nor did she keep her oath.

Yet she was not true to it, nor did she fulfill her oath

خُفافِيَّةٌ بَطنُ العَقيقِ مَصيفُها

خُفافِيَّةٌ بَطنُ العَقيقِ مَصيفُها

وَتَحتَلُّ في البادينَ وَجرَةَ فَالعُرفا

وَتَحتَلُّ في البادينَ وَجرَةَ فَالعُرفا

A woman of Khufaf, her summer home is the valley of al-ʿAqiq,

My she-camels have Bellies like carnelian agates is their summer pasture

And among the desert-dwellers she camps at Wajrah, then al-ʿUrf.

And they wander about in the open country and climb up the hillsides

فَإِن تَتبَعِ الكُفّارَ أَمُّ مُؤَمَّلٍ

فَإِن تَتبَعِ الكُفّارَ أَمُّ مُؤَمَّلٍ

فَقَد زَوَّدَت قَلبي عَلى نَأيِها شَغفا

فَقَد زَوَّدَت قَلبي عَلى نَأيِها شَغفا

So if Umm Mu'ammal follows the unbelievers,

If Umm Maml pursues the infidels

She has filled my heart with passion despite her distance.

She has endowed my heart with passion in her absence

وَسَوفَ يُنَبّيها الخَبيرُ بِأَنَّنا

وَسَوفَ يُنَبّيها الخَبيرُ بِأَنَّنا

أَبَينا وَلَم نَطلُب سِوى رَبِّنا حِلفا

أَبَينا وَلَم نَطلُب سِوى رَبِّنا حِلفا

And one who knows will tell her that we

And the Expert will make her understand that we

Refused, and sought alliance with none but our Lord;

Refused and sought only our Lord as an oath

وَأَنّا مَعَ الهادي النَبِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَأَنّا مَعَ الهادي النَبِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَفَينا وَلَم يَستَوفِها مَعشَرٌ أَلفا

وَفَينا وَلَم يَستَوفِها مَعشَرٌ أَلفا

And that we, with the guide, the Prophet Muhammad,

And that we are with the Guiding Prophet Muhammad

Mustered a full thousand, which no other tribe supplied,

And we fulfilled while a thousand men did not fulfill

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ مِن سُلَيمٍ أَعِزَّةٍ

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ مِن سُلَيمٍ أَعِزَّةٍ

أَطاعوا فَما يَعصونَ مِن أَمرِهِ حَرفا

أَطاعوا فَما يَعصونَ مِن أَمرِهِ حَرفا

With loyal young men of Sulaym, men of might:

With sincere youths from Sulaym, most honorable

They obeyed and never defy one letter of his command.

They obeyed so they do not disobey any of His commands

خُفافٌ وَذَكوانٌ وَعَوفٌ تَخالُهُم

خُفافٌ وَذَكوانٌ وَعَوفٌ تَخالُهُم

مَصاعِبَ زافَت في طَروقَتِها كُلفا

مَصاعِبَ زافَت في طَروقَتِها كُلفا

Khufaf, Dhakwan, and ʿAwf—you would think them

My she-camels Khufaf, Dhakwan, and Awaf whom

Dark reddish-brown, untamed camel stallions strutting among their she-camels.

Difficulties missed in their sure-footedness out of weakness

كَأَنَّ نَسيجَ الشُهبِ وَالبيضَ مُلبَسٌ

كَأَنَّ نَسيجَ الشُهبِ وَالبيضَ مُلبَسٌ

أُسوداً تَلاقَت في مَراصِدِها غُضفا

أُسوداً تَلاقَت في مَراصِدِها غُضفا

As though woven gray mail and helmets had been put on

As if the interwoven white and black garment is clothed

Drooping-eared lions assembled in their ambush lairs.

With pitch blackness converging in its hidden places out of darkness

بِنا عَزَّ دينُ اللَهِ غَيرَ تَنَحُّلٍ

بِنا عَزَّ دينُ اللَهِ غَيرَ تَنَحُّلٍ

وَزِدنا عَلى الحَيِّ الَّذي مَعَهُ ضِعفا

وَزِدنا عَلى الحَيِّ الَّذي مَعَهُ ضِعفا

Through us God's religion grew mighty—no false pretension—

Through us the religion of Allah gained strength without decay

And we outnumbered the tribe with him twofold,

And we surpassed the living one who had weakness with him

بِمَكَّةَ إِذ جِئنا كَأَنَّ لِواءَنا

بِمَكَّةَ إِذ جِئنا كَأَنَّ لِواءَنا

عُقابٌ أَرادَت بَعدَ تَحليقِها خَطفا

عُقابٌ أَرادَت بَعدَ تَحليقِها خَطفا

At Mecca, when we came, as though our banner

In Mecca when we came as if our banner

Were an eagle seeking, after soaring, to snatch its prey,

Were a hawk that wanted to snatch after its soaring

عَلى شُخَّصِ الأَبصارِ تَحسِبُ بَينَها

عَلى شُخَّصِ الأَبصارِ تَحسِبُ بَينَها

إِذا هِيَ جالَت في مَراوِدِها عَزفا

إِذا هِيَ جالَت في مَراوِدِها عَزفا

Above staring eyes; you imagine among them,

Dazzling the eyes that gaze at it, they would think between them

Whenever it wheels along its courses, a humming sound.

When it soared during its circling a musical mode

غَداةَ وَطِئنا المُشرِكينَ وَلَم نَجِد

غَداةَ وَطِئنا المُشرِكينَ وَلَم نَجِد

لِأَمرِ رَسولِ اللَهِ عَدلاً وَلا صَرفا

لِأَمرِ رَسولِ اللَهِ عَدلاً وَلا صَرفا

The morning we trampled the polytheists and could find no

On the morning we trod the polytheists and did not find

Substitute or evasion of the command of God's Messenger,

For the matter of Allah’s Messenger justice or even change

بِمُعتَرَكٍ لا يَسمَعُ القَومُ وَسطَهُ

بِمُعتَرَكٍ لا يَسمَعُ القَومُ وَسطَهُ

لَنا زَجمَةٌ إِلّا التَذامُرَ وَالنَقفا

لَنا زَجمَةٌ إِلّا التَذامُرَ وَالنَقفا

In a fray where the men, amid it, hear no

In a melee where the people in its midst do not hear

Sound from us but mutual exhortations and cracking blows,

Except our battle cry and groaning

بِبيضٍ تُطيرُ الهامَ عَن مُستَقَرِّها

بِبيضٍ تُطيرُ الهامَ عَن مُستَقَرِّها

وَنَقطِفُ أَعناقَ الكُماةِ بِها قَطفا

وَنَقطِفُ أَعناقَ الكُماةِ بِها قَطفا

With bright swords that send heads flying from their places,

With white blades that make cares fly from their abode

And with them we pluck the armored warriors' necks clean off.

And we pluck the necks of the violent attackers with them, plucking

فَكائِن تَرَكنا مِن قَتيلٍ مُلَحَّبٍ

فَكائِن تَرَكنا مِن قَتيلٍ مُلَحَّبٍ

وَأَرمَلَةٍ تَدعو عَلى بَعلِها لَهفا

وَأَرمَلَةٍ تَدعو عَلى بَعلِها لَهفا

So many a slain man we left, hacked to pieces,

However many a blood-smeared corpse we left

And a widow crying in anguish over her husband.

And a widow calling down evil on her husband in anguish

رِضا اللَهِ نَنوي لا رِضا الناسِ نَبتَغي

رِضا اللَهِ نَنوي لا رِضا الناسِ نَبتَغي

وَلِلَّهِ ما يَبدو جَميعاً وَما يَخفى

وَلِلَّهِ ما يَبدو جَميعاً وَما يَخفى

God's pleasure is our aim; we do not seek people's pleasure.

We intend the pleasure of Allah, not the pleasure of people we seek

And to God belongs all that appears and all that is hidden.

And to Allah appears all that is evident and all that is hidden