لعَمري لأهلُ الشام أطعنُ بالقَنا

لعَمري لأهلُ الشام أطعنُ بالقَنا

وأحمى لما تُخشى عليه الفَضائح

وأحمى لما تُخشى عليه الفَضائح

By my life, the people of Syria thrust more fiercely with the spear,

By my life, the people of Syria thrust more skillfully with spears,

and guard more zealously what they fear disgrace may touch.

And better defend those for whom disgrace is feared.

هم المُقدِمونَ الخيلَ تدمى نحورُها

هم المُقدِمونَ الخيلَ تدمى نحورُها

إذا ابيضَ من هولِ اللقاء المسائح

إذا ابيضَ من هولِ اللقاء المسائح

They are the ones who drive the horses forward, their throats streaming blood,

They drive the horses forward, their breasts bleeding,

when the locks of hair turn white from the terror of battle.

When locks turn white from the terror of battle.

فَرَرنا عجالاً عن بنينا وأهلِنا

فَرَرنا عجالاً عن بنينا وأهلِنا

وأزواجنا إذ عارضتنا الصفائح

وأزواجنا إذ عارضتنا الصفائح

We fled in haste, away from our sons and our kin,

We fled in haste, leaving our sons and our kin,

and from our wives, when the sword-blades confronted us.

And our wives, when sword-blades confronted us.

جبنّا وما مِن مورد الموت مَهربٌ

جبنّا وما مِن مورد الموت مَهربٌ

ألا قبَحت تلك النفوس الشحائح

ألا قبَحت تلك النفوس الشحائح

We lost our nerve—though from the watering-place of death there is no escape.

We proved cowards, though there is no escape from death's watering-place.

Fie upon those miserly, self-clinging souls!

Ah, shame upon those miserly souls!

تركناهُم صحنَ العراقِ وناقلت

تركناهُم صحنَ العراقِ وناقلت

بنا الأعوجيات الطول الشرامح

بنا الأعوجيات الطول الشرامح

We left them in the open plain of Iraq, while bearing us away

We left them on Iraq's open plain, and away sped

were tall, long-limbed mares of al-A‘waj’s breed.

The tall, long-limbed A‘waj-bred horses, bearing us.

فقل للحواريات يبكينَ غيرنا

فقل للحواريات يبكينَ غيرنا

ولا تبكنا إلّا الكلابَ النوابح

ولا تبكنا إلّا الكلابَ النوابح

So tell the fair women to weep for men other than us;

So tell the fair-skinned women to weep for others, not us,

let none mourn us but barking dogs.

And let none but barking dogs weep for us.

بكينَ إلينا خشيةً أن تُبيحَها

بكينَ إلينا خشيةً أن تُبيحَها

رماحُ النصارى والسيوف الجوارح

رماحُ النصارى والسيوف الجوارح

They appealed to us in tears, fearing they would be given over as spoil

They wept to us, fearing they would be ravaged

to the Christians’ spears and the swords that rend flesh.

By the Christians' spears and the wounding swords.

بكين لكيما يمنعوهُنَّ منهم

بكين لكيما يمنعوهُنَّ منهم

وتأبى قلوبٌ أضمرتها الجوانِح

وتأبى قلوبٌ أضمرتها الجوانِح

They wept in hopes that men would shield them from those foes,

They wept so that the men might protect them from the enemy,

but the hearts enclosed within our ribs refused.

But hearts hidden within the ribs refused.

وناديتنا أين الفرارُ وكُنتُم

وناديتنا أين الفرارُ وكُنتُم

تغارون أن تبدو البرى والوشائح

تغارون أن تبدو البرى والوشائح

They called after us: “Where can you flee? You once

And you called to us: “Where can you flee? You used to

were jealous even lest our anklets and embroidered sashes be exposed.

Guard jealously against anklets and jeweled sashes being seen.

أأسلمتمونا للعدّو على القنا

أأسلمتمونا للعدّو على القنا

إذا انتُزعت منها القرونُ النواطح

إذا انتُزعت منها القرونُ النواطح

Have you surrendered us to the enemy at spearpoint,

Have you handed us over to the enemy upon the spears,

now that the spears have been stripped of their butting horns?”

When their butting horns were wrenched away?”

فما غار منكم غائرٌ لحليلةٍ

فما غار منكم غائرٌ لحليلةٍ

ولا غربٌ عزّت عليه المناكح

ولا غربٌ عزّت عليه المناكح

Yet not one of you showed a protector’s zeal for his wife,

So no jealous man among you showed concern for a wife,

nor any man of mettle, though the bonds of marriage were dear to him.

Nor any man of spirit to whom wives were dear.