أَقولُ لابراهيمَ لما لَقيتُهُ

أَقولُ لابراهيمَ لما لَقيتُهُ

أَرى الأَمرَ أَمسى مُنصِباً مُتَشَعِّباً

أَرى الأَمرَ أَمسى مُنصِباً مُتَشَعِّباً

I said to Ibrahim when I met him:

I say to Ibrahim when I met him,

I see the situation has grown wearisome and tangled.

I see the matter has become complex and multifaceted.

تجهَّز وَأَسرِع وَالحَق الجَيشَ لا أَرى

تجهَّز وَأَسرِع وَالحَق الجَيشَ لا أَرى

سِوى الجَيشِ إِلّا في المَهالِكِ مَذهَبا

سِوى الجَيشِ إِلّا في المَهالِكِ مَذهَبا

Make ready, hurry, and join the army; I see no

Prepare and hurry and join the army, I do not see

path outside the army except into deadly peril.

Salvation except in the army or in ruin.

تَخَيَّر فَأَمّا أَن تَزورَ ابنَ ضابىءٍ

تَخَيَّر فَأَمّا أَن تَزورَ ابنَ ضابىءٍ

عُمَيراً وَإِمّا أَن تَزورَ المُهَلَّبا

عُمَيراً وَإِمّا أَن تَزورَ المُهَلَّبا

Choose: either visit the son of Dabiʾ,

Make your choice, either you visit the son of Dhabi

Umayr, or else visit al-Muhallab.

Umayr or you visit Al-Muhallab.

هما خُطَّتا خَسفٍ نَجاؤُكَ منهما

هما خُطَّتا خَسفٍ نَجاؤُكَ منهما

رُكوبُكَ حَوليّاً مِن الثَلجِ أَشهَبا

رُكوبُكَ حَوليّاً مِن الثَلجِ أَشهَبا

Both are courses of humiliation; your escape from them

Both are the terrain of quicksand, your survival from them

is to ride a gray yearling made of snow.

Is your riding around the gray-haired from the ice.

فَما أَن أَرى الحُجَّاجَ يَغمِدُ سَيفَهُ

فَما أَن أَرى الحُجَّاجَ يَغمِدُ سَيفَهُ

يَدَ الدَهرِ حَتّى يتركَ الطِفلَ أَشيَبا

يَدَ الدَهرِ حَتّى يتركَ الطِفلَ أَشيَبا

For I do not see al-Hajjaj sheathing his sword

I do not see Al-Hajjaj sheathing his sword,

ever, until he leaves a child gray-haired.

The hand of fate, until he leaves the youngster gray-haired.

فَأَضحى وَلَو كانَت خُراسانُ دونَهُ

فَأَضحى وَلَو كانَت خُراسانُ دونَهُ

رآها مَكانَ السُوقِ أَو هيَ أَقرَبا

رآها مَكانَ السُوقِ أَو هيَ أَقرَبا

So he became such that, even if Khurasan lay before him,

He became as if Khorasan were in front of him

he would see it as near as the market, or nearer still.

Or even closer than the marketplace.

فَكائِن تَرى مِن مُكرِهِ العدوٍ مُسمِنٍ

فَكائِن تَرى مِن مُكرِهِ العدوٍ مُسمِنٍ

تَحَمَّمَ حِنوَ السَرجِ حَتّى تَجنَبّا

تَحَمَّمَ حِنوَ السَرجِ حَتّى تَجنَبّا

And how many a keeper of fat mounts, reluctant to gallop, you see,

You will see the enemy's hatred do something hateful,

who has taken to the saddle-bow until he leans aside.

Bearing the saddle-bags until he avoids.