أَتَزعَمُ ياضَخمَ اللَغاديدِ أَنَّنا

أَتَزعَمُ ياضَخمَ اللَغاديدِ أَنَّنا

وَنَحنُ أُسودُ الحَربِ لانَعرِفُ الحَربا

وَنَحنُ أُسودُ الحَربِ لانَعرِفُ الحَربا

Do you claim, O thick-jowled one, that we—

Do you claim, O huge-jowled man, that we,

we, the lions of war—know nothing of war?

Though we are the lions of war, do not know war?

فَوَيلَكَ مَن لِلحَربِ إِن لَم نَكُن لَها

فَوَيلَكَ مَن لِلحَربِ إِن لَم نَكُن لَها

وَمَن ذا الَّذي يُمسي وَيُضحي لَها تِربا

وَمَن ذا الَّذي يُمسي وَيُضحي لَها تِربا

Woe to you! Who is there for war, if we are not,

Then woe to you! Who is there for war if we are not?

and who meets it morning and evening as its peer?

And who is its age-mate, evening and morning?

وَمَن ذا يَلُفُّ الجَيشَ مِن جَنَباتِهِ

وَمَن ذا يَلُفُّ الجَيشَ مِن جَنَباتِهِ

وَمَن ذا يَقودُ الشُمَّ أَو يَصدُمُ القَلبا

وَمَن ذا يَقودُ الشُمَّ أَو يَصدُمُ القَلبا

Who envelops an army on every side,

And who envelops the army from its flanks?

and who leads the proud warriors or strikes its heart?

And who leads the proud warriors, or crashes into the army's heart?

وَوَيلَكَ مَن أَدى أَخاكَ بِمَرعَشٍ

وَوَيلَكَ مَن أَدى أَخاكَ بِمَرعَشٍ

وَجَلَّلَ ضَرباً وَجهَ والِدِكَ العَضبا

وَجَلَّلَ ضَرباً وَجهَ والِدِكَ العَضبا

Woe to you! Who felled your brother at Marʿash,

And woe to you! Who laid your brother low at Mar'ash,

raking his face and both hands with keen blows?

And covered your father's face with blows of the keen sword?

وَوَيلَكَ مَن خَلّى اِبنَ أُختِكَ موثِقاً

وَوَيلَكَ مَن خَلّى اِبنَ أُختِكَ موثِقاً

وَخَلّاكَ بِاللَقّانِ تَبتَدِرُ الشَعبا

وَخَلّاكَ بِاللَقّانِ تَبتَدِرُ الشَعبا

Who left your sister’s son bound in fetters,

And woe to you! Who left your sister's son in fetters,

and left you at al-Laqqan racing for the pass?

And left you at al-Laqqan rushing toward the mountain pass?

أَتوعِدُنا بِالحَربِ حَتّى كَأَنَّنا

أَتوعِدُنا بِالحَربِ حَتّى كَأَنَّنا

وَإِيّاكَ لَم يُعصَب بِها قَلبُنا عَصبا

وَإِيّاكَ لَم يُعصَب بِها قَلبُنا عَصبا

Do you threaten us with war, as though—

Do you threaten us with war, so much that it is as though we

against you—our heart had never, raging, played havoc with it?

And you had never had our hearts bound tight by it?

لَقَد جَمَعَتنا الحَربُ مِن قَبلِ هَذِهِ

لَقَد جَمَعَتنا الحَربُ مِن قَبلِ هَذِهِ

فَكُنّا بِها أُسداً وَكُنتَ بِها كَلبا

فَكُنّا بِها أُسداً وَكُنتَ بِها كَلبا

War brought us together before this day:

War has indeed brought us together before this,

we were its lions, while you were its dog.

So we were lions in it, while you were a dog in it.

فَسَل بَردَساً عَنّا أَخاكَ وَصِهرَهُ

فَسَل بَردَساً عَنّا أَخاكَ وَصِهرَهُ

وَسَل آلَ بَرداليسَ أَعظَمُكُم خَطبا

وَسَل آلَ بَرداليسَ أَعظَمُكُم خَطبا

Then ask Bardas about us—your brother—and his son-in-law;

So ask Bardas, your brother, and his in-law about us;

ask the house of Bardalis whose calamity among you was greatest.

And ask the house of Bardalis, the most formidable among you.

وَسَل قُقُواساً وَالشَميشَقَ صِهرَهُ

وَسَل قُقُواساً وَالشَميشَقَ صِهرَهُ

وَسَل سِبطَهُ البَطريقَ أَثبَتُكُم قَلبا

وَسَل سِبطَهُ البَطريقَ أَثبَتُكُم قَلبا

Ask Qouqas and al-Shamishaq, his son-in-law;

And ask Ququwas and al-Shamishaq, his in-law;

ask his grandson, the patrician, which of you was firmest-hearted.

And ask his grandson, the patrician, the firmest-hearted among you.

وَسَل صيدَكُم آلَ المَلايِنِ إِنَّنا

وَسَل صيدَكُم آلَ المَلايِنِ إِنَّنا

نَهَبنا بِبيضِ الهِندِ عِزَّهُمُ نَهبا

نَهَبنا بِبيضِ الهِندِ عِزَّهُمُ نَهبا

Ask your quarry, O brood of the accursed: truly,

And ask your proud lords, the house of al-Malayin: indeed we

with a few Indian blades we plundered all their glory.

Plundered their glory utterly with India's gleaming swords.

وَسَل آلَ بَهرامٍ وَآلَ بَلَنطَسٍ

وَسَل آلَ بَهرامٍ وَآلَ بَلَنطَسٍ

وَسَل آلَ مَنوالَ الجَحاجِحَةَ الغُلبا

وَسَل آلَ مَنوالَ الجَحاجِحَةَ الغُلبا

Ask the house of Bahram and the house of Balantas,

And ask the house of Bahram and the house of Balantas;

and ask the house of Manwal, those mighty, victorious chiefs.

And ask the house of Manwal, those great, thick-necked chiefs.

وَسَل بِالبُرُطسيسِ العَساكِرَ كُلَّها

وَسَل بِالبُرُطسيسِ العَساكِرَ كُلَّها

وَسَل بِالمُنَسطَرياطِسِ الرومَ وَالعُربا

وَسَل بِالمُنَسطَرياطِسِ الرومَ وَالعُربا

Ask all the armies of the house of al-Burtusis,

And ask all the armies about al-Burutsis;

and at al-Munastariyat ask the Romans and the Arabs.

And ask the Romans and the Arabs about al-Munastaryatis.

أَلَم تُفنِهِم قَتلاً وَأَسراً سُيوفُنا

أَلَم تُفنِهِم قَتلاً وَأَسراً سُيوفُنا

وَأُسدَ الشَرى المَلأى وَإِن جَمُدَت رُعبا

وَأُسدَ الشَرى المَلأى وَإِن جَمُدَت رُعبا

Did our swords not annihilate them, killing and capturing,

Did our swords not annihilate them by killing and capture,

even the lions of the teeming thicket, though they froze in terror?

And the full-bellied lions of al-Shara, even if they froze in terror?

بِأَقلامِنا أُجحِرتَ أَم بِسُيوفِنا

بِأَقلامِنا أُجحِرتَ أَم بِسُيوفِنا

وَأُسدَ الشَرى قُدنا إِلَيكَ أَمِ الكُتبا

وَأُسدَ الشَرى قُدنا إِلَيكَ أَمِ الكُتبا

Was it with our pens you were driven into your lair—or with our swords?

Were you driven into your burrow by our pens, or by our swords?

And was it lions of the thicket we drove against you—or books?

And did we lead the lions of al-Shara against you, or letters?

تَرَكناكَ في بَطنِ الفَلاةِ تَجوبُها

تَرَكناكَ في بَطنِ الفَلاةِ تَجوبُها

كَما اِنتَفَقَ اليَربوعُ يَلتَثِمُ التُربا

كَما اِنتَفَقَ اليَربوعُ يَلتَثِمُ التُربا

We left you roaming through the belly of the open waste,

We left you in the belly of the desert, roaming through it,

like a jerboa bursting from its burrow, scrabbling for earth.

Like a jerboa that burrows, veiling its face in dust.

تُفاخِرُنا بِالطَعنِ وَالضَربِ في الوَغى

تُفاخِرُنا بِالطَعنِ وَالضَربِ في الوَغى

لَقَد أَوسَعَتكَ النَفسُ يا اِبنُ اِستِها كِذبا

لَقَد أَوسَعَتكَ النَفسُ يا اِبنُ اِستِها كِذبا

Do you boast against us of spear-thrusts and sword-blows amid battle?

You vie with us in boasting of thrusts and blows in battle;

Your soul has lavished lies upon you, O son of her arse.

Your soul has surely fed you lies aplenty, you son of her arse!

رَعى اللَهُ أَوفانا إِذا قالَ ذِمَّةً

رَعى اللَهُ أَوفانا إِذا قالَ ذِمَّةً

وَأَنفَذَنا طَعناً وَأَثبَتَنا قَلبا

وَأَنفَذَنا طَعناً وَأَثبَتَنا قَلبا

May God preserve the truest of us whenever a man gives his pledge,

May God guard the one of us truest to his pledge when he speaks,

the keenest of us in thrusting and the firmest-hearted.

And most piercing in his thrusts, and firmest of heart.

وَجَدتُ أَباكَ العِلجَ لَمّا خَبَرتُهُ

وَجَدتُ أَباكَ العِلجَ لَمّا خَبَرتُهُ

أَقَلُّكُمُ خَيراً وَأَكثَرَكُم عُجبا

أَقَلُّكُمُ خَيراً وَأَكثَرَكُم عُجبا

When you tested your foreign, uncouth father, you found him

I found your father, the foreign brute, when I tested him,

the least good among you and the greatest in conceit.

The least of you in goodness, and the greatest in conceit.