فقل لعبيد اللَه لو كان جعفر

فقل لعبيد اللَه لو كان جعفر

هو الحي لم ينجح وأنت قتيل

هو الحي لم ينجح وأنت قتيل

Then tell ʿUbayd Allāh: had Jaʿfar

So say to the servants of God, if Jafar

been the one alive, and you slain, he would not have inclined [uncertain reading],

Had lived, he would not have succeeded and you would be dead,

ولم تيبع المراق والثار فيهم

ولم تيبع المراق والثار فيهم

وفي كفه عصب الذباب صقيل

وفي كفه عصب الذباب صقيل

nor followed the renegades, among whom lay the blood-debt,

And you would not have taken revenge and vengeance for them,

with a polished, sharp-pointed sword in his palm,

With his hand wielding the polished sword of flies,

إلى معشر أردوا أخاك واكفروا

إلى معشر أردوا أخاك واكفروا

أباك فماذا بعد ذاك تقول

أباك فماذا بعد ذاك تقول

toward a people who killed your brother and branded

To a group who wanted your brother and disbelieved

your father an unbeliever—what do you say after that?

Your father, so what can you say after that?

فلا وصلتك الرحم من ذي قرابةٍ

فلا وصلتك الرحم من ذي قرابةٍ

وطالب وتر والذليل ذليل

وطالب وتر والذليل ذليل

So may no bond of kinship reach you from any kinsman,

So no kinship remains for you from one of kinship,

or seeker of blood vengeance; the abject remain abject.

Seeker of vengeance, while the disgraced remains disgraced.

تركت أخا شيبان يسلب بزه

تركت أخا شيبان يسلب بزه

ونجاك خوار العنان مطول

ونجاك خوار العنان مطول

You left the man of Shaybān to be stripped of his gear,

You left an aging brother despoiled in his glory,

and a long-bodied horse, pliant to the reins, saved you.

While the despised one of loose bridle saved you.