كذا تَفْتَضُّ أبكارَ البلادِ

كذا تَفْتَضُّ أبكارَ البلادِ

ولا مَهْرٌ سوى البيض الحِدَادِ

ولا مَهْرٌ سوى البيض الحِدَادِ

Thus are virgin lands unveiled and taken,

Thus you deflower virgin lands,

Thus you pluck the virgins of the countries

Thus do you deflower the virgin lands,

with no bride-price but keen white swords.

And no dowry but gleaming, sharp swords.

And no dowry except the mourning whites

With no dowry save for sharp white blades.

هَدَيتَ العَسكَرَ الجرَّارَ ليْلاً

هَدَيتَ العَسكَرَ الجرَّارَ ليْلاً

فأَهْدَيت الظُّباةَ إلى الهوادي

فأَهْدَيت الظُّباةَ إلى الهوادي

You guided the vast army by night,

You guided the vast army by night,

You guided the mighty army at night

You guided the sweeping army through the night,

and brought the sword-blades to the necks.

So you offered the sword-edges to the necks.

So you guided the hyenas to the valleys

And directed sword edges toward the necks.

ملأتَ به الفضَاءَ فضاءَ ليل

ملأتَ به الفضَاءَ فضاءَ ليل

مَحتْ فِيهِ الظُّبى شكلَ السّوادِ

مَحتْ فِيهِ الظُّبى شكلَ السّوادِ

With it you filled the open expanse—an expanse of night

With it you filled the expanse—the expanse of night,

You filled the night sky with it

You filled the vast horizon with it, a horizon of night,

where blades erased the very shape of blackness.

Where sword-edges erased the shape of darkness.

In which the hyenas erased the form of darkness

Wherein the blades erased the form of darkness.

وما أَقبلتَ إِلّا بعدَ ما قَدْ

وما أَقبلتَ إِلّا بعدَ ما قَدْ

سَقَيتَ الثَغْرَ مِن ثُغَر الأعادِي

سَقَيتَ الثَغْرَ مِن ثُغَر الأعادِي

Nor did you advance until after

And you did not come until you had

And you did not attack until after

And you did not advance until you had already

you had watered the frontier from the mouths of the foes.

Watered the frontier from the mouths of foes.

You quenched the throat from the throats of the enemies

Quenched the frontier's thirst from the gaps in enemy lines.

وكانَ مرامُ دانيةٍ عزيزاً

وكانَ مرامُ دانيةٍ عزيزاً

فهانَ على المُسَوَّمةِ الجِيادِ

فهانَ على المُسَوَّمةِ الجِيادِ

The goal of Dénia had been hard to attain,

And Dénia had been a hard goal to attain,

And the matter of Daniyah was dear

The conquest of Dénia was a difficult ambition,

but proved easy for the marked noble steeds.

But it became easy for the marked, noble steeds.

So it became cheap to the branded horses

Yet it became easy for the marked, noble steeds.

فآثرت العوالي في المعالي

فآثرت العوالي في المعالي

وآثرت الصلادم في الصلادِ

وآثرت الصلادم في الصلادِ

So you chose lofty lances in pursuit of lofty glory,

So you preferred long spears in pursuit of high honors,

You preferred the heights in the glories

You chose high lances to attain high glory,

and chose the adamantine amid the hardness of war.

And preferred sturdy steeds on hard, rocky ground.

And you preferred the firmness in firmness

And chose sturdy horses for the rugged terrain.

كأنّ سيوفَكَ الأقدارُ تجرْي

كأنّ سيوفَكَ الأقدارُ تجرْي

بِما شاءَ الإله على العِبَادِ

بِما شاءَ الإله على العِبَادِ

As though your swords were the decrees of fate, proceeding

As though your swords were fate's decrees, unfolding

It is as if your swords, oh Fate

As though your swords are Destinies flowing

against God's servants as the Lord willed.

Upon His servants as God has willed.

Flow with what God willed upon the servants

With what God has willed for His servants.

ومثلكَ مَن جَنَى ثَمرَ الأمانِي

ومثلكَ مَن جَنَى ثَمرَ الأمانِي

وآتى حَقّه يَومَ الحصادِ

وآتى حَقّه يَومَ الحصادِ

One such as you is he who reaps the fruit of hopes

And one like you reaps the fruit of hopes,

And one like you who reaped the fruit of wishes

And one like you is he who harvests the fruit of wishes,

and renders its due on harvest day.

And pays its due on harvest day.

And came to his right on the day of harvest

And pays its due on the day of harvest.

تَشَاغَلَتِ الملوكُ بمن دَهاها

تَشَاغَلَتِ الملوكُ بمن دَهاها

وشُغْلُكَ في جِهاتِكَ بالجِهادِ

وشُغْلُكَ في جِهاتِكَ بالجِهادِ

Kings were preoccupied with those who assailed them,

Kings busied themselves with those who beset them,

The kings were busy with those who misguided them

The kings busied themselves with what befell them,

while your concern throughout your frontiers was holy war.

While your concern in your domains is fighting for the faith.

And your business in your directions is jihad

While your only business in your lands is Jihad.

بناك اللّهُ للإسلامِ حِصْناً

بناك اللّهُ للإسلامِ حِصْناً

وعلَّمَكَ التجلُّدَ للجِلادِ

وعلَّمَكَ التجلُّدَ للجِلادِ

God built you as a fortress for Islam

God built you as a fortress for Islam,

God built you as a fortress for Islam

God has built you as a fortress for Islam,

and taught you fortitude for combat.

And taught you fortitude for combat.

And taught you endurance to the whip

And taught you endurance for the clash of battle.

وتَنهضُ والثَّقيلُ عليكَ خفٌّ

وتَنهضُ والثَّقيلُ عليكَ خفٌّ

وتنظرُ والخَفيُّ إِليكَ بادِ

وتنظرُ والخَفيُّ إِليكَ بادِ

You rise to act, and what is heavy sits lightly upon you;

And you rise, with heavy burdens light upon you,

You rise while the heavy one is easy for you

You rise, and the heavy burden is light upon you,

you look, and what is hidden lies manifest before you.

And you look, with the hidden plain to you.

And you see while the hidden is clear to you

And you look, and the hidden is manifest to you.

وكيفَ يُنافسونكَ في المعالي

وكيفَ يُنافسونكَ في المعالي

وأنتَ سبقتَهم سَبْقَ الجَوادِ

وأنتَ سبقتَهم سَبْقَ الجَوادِ

How could they vie with you for lofty glory

And how can they rival you in high honors,

And how can they compete with you in glories

How could they compete with you for high honors,

when you outstripped them as a racehorse does?

When you have outstripped them like a noble steed?

While you preceded them, preceding the steed

When you have outstripped them like a swift steed?

فتحتَ معاقلاً لو أبصَروها

فتحتَ معاقلاً لو أبصَروها

لقالوا أنتَ لُقمان بنُ عادِ

لقالوا أنتَ لُقمان بنُ عادِ

You conquered strongholds which, had they seen them,

You conquered fortresses that, had they seen them,

You opened fortresses, if they saw them

You conquered strongholds that, had they but seen them,

they would have said: You are Luqmān, son of ʿĀd.

They would have said, "You are Luqman son of ʿAd."

They would say you are Luqman son of ‘Aad

They would say you are Luqman, son of 'Ad.

وفي سَرقسطةٍ لك دارُ مُلْكٍ

وفي سَرقسطةٍ لك دارُ مُلْكٍ

زَريتَ بها على ذاتِ العِمادِ

زَريتَ بها على ذاتِ العِمادِ

And in Zaragoza you possess a royal abode

And in Zaragoza you have a royal residence,

And in Saragossa you have a house of kingdom

And in Zaragoza you possess a royal abode,

by which you put Iram of the Pillars to shame.

With which you put the city of pillars to shame.

You visited it at the pillar of glory

With which you put Iram of the Pillars to shame.

ورأيُك في الإدارةِ لو رآه

ورأيُك في الإدارةِ لو رآه

مُعاويةٌ لأُغْنِيَ عن زِيادِ

مُعاويةٌ لأُغْنِيَ عن زِيادِ

And your judgment in governance—had Muʿāwiya seen it,

And your judgment in governance, had it been seen

And your view in management, if Mu’awiyah saw it

And your judgment in governance—had it been witnessed

it would have freed him from need of Ziyād.

By Muʿawiya, would have spared him any need of Ziyad.

He would be spared from Ziyad

By Muawiya, he would have had no need for Ziyad.

لقد أَرَبتْ سيوفُك يومَ سُلّتْ

لقد أَرَبتْ سيوفُك يومَ سُلّتْ

على قُسّ بنِ ساعِدَةَ الإِيادِي

على قُسّ بنِ ساعِدَةَ الإِيادِي

Indeed, your swords, on the day they were drawn, surpassed

Indeed, your swords, the day they were drawn, surpassed

Indeed your swords harvested on the day they were released

Your swords, the day they were drawn, proved more eloquent

Quss ibn Sāʿida al-Iyādī.

Quss son of Saʿida of Iyad.

Upon Quss son of Sa’dah Al-Eyadi

Than Quss bin Sa'ida of the Iyad.