1. مَن لَم يُؤدِّبهُ تأديبُ الكتابِ فَمَا

    لَهُ بغيرِ ذُبابِ السيفِ تأديبُ

    Whoever the Book's instruction does not discipline has no

    discipline except through the sword's edge.

  2. إنّ الخلافةَ لا تشكو بمعضلةٍ

    والحافظُ اللَهُ والمنصورُ يعقوبُ

    The caliphate suffers no grave difficulty,

    while God is its guardian and Yaqub is al-Mansur, the Victorious.

  3. مشمِّر البُرد للحرب الزبونِ وقد

    ضفت عليه من التقوى جلابيبُ

    He girds up his cloak for fierce war, while

    ample robes of piety have spread over him.

  4. فالبيضُ منهنَّ مسلولٌ ومدخرُ

    والخيلُ منهنَّ مركوبٌ ومجنوبُ

    So of the bright swords, some are drawn and some kept in reserve;

    and of the horses, some are ridden and some led alongside.

  5. وليس يظفرُ بالغايات طالبُها

    إلا إذا قُرِعَت فيها الطنابيبُ

    No seeker attains his goals

    unless the war drums are beaten for them.

  6. للحرب جلُّ مساعيه وما تَرَكَت

    منه الحروبُ تهادَتهُ المحاريبُ

    Most of his endeavors are for war; whatever is left

    of him by the wars, the prayer niches pass among themselves as a gift.

  7. إن كانَ عَربَدَ في الأعداءِ صارمُهُ

    فإنَّهُ لرحيقِ الهامِ شِرِّيبُ

    If his keen sword has caroused among the enemies,

    then it is a deep drinker of the pure wine of heads.

  8. قد حَصحَصَ الحقُّ إنَّ النصرَ يَتبَعُهُ

    فكان من أنفُسِ الكُفَّارِ تَكذيبُ

    Truth has become manifest: victory surely follows it;

    so a refutation came from the unbelievers' own selves.

  9. لَقَد عَدَتهُم عَنِ التَوفيقِ شقوتهم

    إن الشقي على التوفيق مغلوبُ

    Their wretchedness has surely turned them away from success;

    indeed, the wretched are thwarted in attaining success.

  10. ما غر قفصَةَ إلا أنها اجترمت

    فلم يكن عندَ أهلِ الحُلمِ تَثريبُ

    Nothing deluded Qafsa except that she had transgressed

    yet met with no rebuke from the forbearing.

  11. ما بالها زار أمر اللَه حوزتها

    فلم يكن عندها أهل وترحيبُ

    What ails her? God's command visited her domain,

    yet there was no welcome or greeting from her.

  12. توهمت أن أهل البغي تمنعُها

    وقلما حَمَتِ الشهدَ اليعاسيبُ

    She imagined that the rebels would protect her,

    but seldom do the chief bees protect the honeycomb.

  13. تلك البغي التي خانت فحاق بها

    وبالزناة بها رجمٌ وتعذيبُ

    That is the harlot who betrayed; so upon her,

    and those who fornicated with her, fell stoning and torment.

  14. قد فضَّ شملُهُم عنها وقد نعبت

    فيها من الحين غربانٌ غرابيبُ

    Their company has been scattered from her; and there have cawed

    within her ravens of doom, black as pitch.

  15. أبى يردُّ سليماً ما يباشرُهُ

    وفيه للنفسِ ترغيبٌ وترهيبٌ

    He refuses to send back unharmed whatever he confronts;

    and in him lie encouragement and intimidation for the soul.

  16. هذي أعاديه قد صارت مُقَسَّمَةً

    على البلايا فمقتولٌ ومَسلوبُ

    These enemies of his have now been apportioned

    among calamities: some slain, others despoiled.

  17. ترمي المجانيقُ بالأحجار فضلة من

    رمتهمُ منهم الجردُ السراحيب

    The catapults pelt with stones the remnant of those

    among them whom the sleek, long-bodied steeds had assailed,

  18. من كلِّ ملمومةٍ صَمَّاءَ حائمةٍ

    على النفوس فتصعيدُ وتصويبُ

    with rounded, solid stones, each circling

    over lives—an upward flight and a downward plunge.

  19. يقول مبصِرُها في الجوِّ صاعدةً

    هذا بلاءٌ على الكُفَّارِ مَضبوبُ

    Whoever sees it rising in the air says:

    "This is calamity poured down upon the unbelievers."

  20. تَمَهَّدَ الأَمرُ في أكنافِ دولتِهِ

    حتّى تآلف فيها السَّخلُ والذيبُ

    Order has grown secure throughout his dominion,

    till lamb and wolf have become companions within it.