1. أَبى فَلا شَنَباً يَهوى وَلا فَلَجا

    وَلا اِحوِراراً يُراعيهِ وَلا دَعَجا

    He has turned away: he loves neither cool, sweet teeth nor spaced teeth,

    Nor does he gaze upon eyes of vivid black and white, nor wide, dark eyes.

  2. كَفى فَقَد فَرَّجَت عَنهُ عَزيمَتُهُ

    ذاكَ الوَلوعَ وَذاكَ الشَوقَ فَاِنفَرَجا

    Enough: his resolve has lifted from him

    That infatuation and that longing, and both have passed.

  3. كانَت حَوادِثُ في موقانَ ما تَرَكَت

    لِلخُرَّمِيَّةِ لا رَأساً وَلا ثَبَجا

    There were calamities in Muqan that left

    The Khurramiyya neither head nor trunk.

  4. تَهَضَّمَت كُلَّ قَرمٍ كانَ مُهتَضِماً

    وَفَتَّحَت كُلَّ بابٍ كانَ مُرتَتِجا

    They humbled every champion who had been an oppressor,

    And flung open every gate that had been bolted.

  5. أَبلِغ مُحَمَّداً المُلقي كَلاكِلَهُ

    بِأَرضٍ خُشَّ أَمامَ القَومِ قَد لُبِجا

    Tell Muhammad, who has laid his breast

    On Khushsh's earth, struck down before his men:

  6. ما سَرَّ قَومَكَ أَن تَبقى لَهُم أَبَداً

    وَأَنَّ غَيرَكَ كانَ اِستَنزَلَ الكَذَجا

    Your people would not have rejoiced to keep you with them forever,

    While someone other than you had forced al-Kadhaj to surrender.

  7. لَمّا قَرا الناسُ ذاكَ الفَتحَ قُلتُ لَهُم

    وَقائِعٌ حَدِّثوا عَنها وَلا حَرَجا

    When the people read of that conquest, I told them:

    Such battles—tell of them without restraint!

  8. أَضاءَ سَيفُكَ لَمّا اِجتُثَّ أَصلُهُمُ

    ما كانَ مِن جانِبَي تِلكَ البِلادِ دَجا

    Your sword, when their root was torn out, illuminated

    Whatever had grown dark on either side of that land.

  9. مِن بَعدِ ما غودِرَت أُسدُ العَرينِ بِهِ

    يَتبَعنَ قَسراً رَعاعَ الفِتنَةِ الهَمَجا

    After the lions of the lair had been left there,

    Forced to follow the ignorant rabble of rebellion.

  10. لا تَعدَمَنَّ بَنو نَبهانَ قاطِبَةً

    مَشاهِداً لَكَ أَمسَت في العُلى سُرُجا

    May all the sons of Nabhan never lack

    Your battle-deeds, now lamps in the heights of glory.

  11. إِن كانَ يَأرَجُ ذِكرٌ مِن بَراعَتِهِ

    فَإِنَّ ذِكرَكَ في الآفاقِ قَد أَرِجا

    If renown gives off fragrance through its excellence,

    Then your renown has spread fragrance across the horizons.

  12. وَيَومَ أَرشَقَ وَالآمالُ مُرشِقَةٌ

    إِلَيكَ لا تَتَبَغّى عَنكَ مُنعَرَجا

    And on the day of Arshaq, with hopes directed

    Toward you, seeking no turn away from you,

  13. أَرضَعتَهُم خِلفَ مَكروهٍ فَطَمتَ بِهِ

    مَن كانَ بِالحَربِ مِنهُم قَبلَهُ لَهِجا

    You suckled them at hardship's teat, and with it weaned

    Those among them who had been addicted to war before it.

  14. لِلَّهِ أَيّامُكَ اللاتي أَغَرتَ بِها

    ضَفرَ الهُدى وَقَديماً كانَ قَد مَرَجا

    God be praised for your days, in which you tightened

    The braid of guidance, long since unraveled.

  15. كانَت عَلى الدينِ كَالساعاتِ مِن قِصَرٍ

    وَعَدَّها بابَكٌ مِن طولِها حِجَجا

    To the faith they were like hours, so brief,

    But Babak counted them as years, so long they were.

  16. أَصبَحتَ تَدلِفُ بِالأَرضِ الفَضاءِ لَهُ

    نَصباً وَأَصبَحَ في شِعبَيهِ قَد لَحِجا

    You began advancing toward him across the open land,

    As his adversary, while he was stuck fast in his two ravines.

  17. عادَت كَتائِبُهُ لَمّا قَصَدتَ لَها

    ضَحاضِحاً وَلَقَد كانَت تُرى لُجَجا

    His battalions, when you advanced upon them, became

    Shallows, though they had once seemed deep seas.

  18. لَمّا أَبَوا حُجَجَ القُرآنِ واضِحَةً

    كانَت سُيوفُكَ في هاماتِهِم حُجُجا

    When they rejected the Qur'an's clear proofs,

    Your swords became proofs within their skulls.

  19. أَقبَلتَهُ فَخمَةً جَأواءَ لَستَ تَرى

    في نَظمِ فُرسانِها أَمتاً وَلا عِوَجا

    You brought against him a mighty, dark-armored host; you see no

    Unevenness or crookedness in its horsemen's ranks.

  20. إِذا عَلا رَهَجٌ جَلَّت صَوارِمُها

    وَالذُبَّلُ الزُرقُ مِنها ذَلِكَ الرَهَجا

    Whenever dust rose high, its keen swords swept it away,

    And its slender blue spears cleared away that dust.

  21. بيضٌ وَسُمرٌ إِذا ما غَمرَةٌ زَخَرَت

    لِلمَوتِ خُضتَ بِها الأَرواحَ وَالمُهَجا

    White swords and brown spears: whenever a torrent surged,

    Death's torrent—you waded with them through souls and lifeblood.

  22. نَزّالَةٌ نَفسَ مَن لاقَت وَلا سِيَما

    إِن صادَفَت ثُغرَةً أَو صادَفَت وَدَجا

    They wrest out the soul of whomever they meet, especially

    If they strike the throat's hollow or strike a jugular vein.

  23. رَأيُ الحُمَيدَينِ أَلقَحتَ الأُمورَ بِهِ

    مَن أَلقَحَ الرَأيَ في يَومِ الوَغى نَتَجا

    The two Humayds' counsel—you fertilized affairs with it;

    Whoever fertilizes counsel on battle's day brings forth offspring.

  24. لَو عايَناكَ لَقالا بَهجَةً جَذَلاً

    أَبرَحتَ أَيسَرُ ما في العِرقِ أَن يَشِجا

    Had those two seen you, they would have said in joyful delight:

    You have excelled! The least a vein of kinship does is intertwine.

  25. أَحَطتَ بِالحَزمِ حَيزوماً أَخا هِمَمٍ

    كَشّافَ طَخياءَ لا ضَيقاً وَلا حَرَجا

    You encompassed prudence in your breast, a man of lofty ambitions,

    A dispeller of deep darkness, neither narrow nor constricted.

  26. فَالثَغرُ وَالساكِنوهُ لا يَؤودُهُمُ

    ما عِشتَ فيهِم أَطارَ الدَهرُ أَم دَرَجا

    So the frontier and its inhabitants are untroubled,

    While you live among them, whether Time flies or walks.

  27. سَمَّوا حُسامَكَ وَالهَيجاءُ مُضرَمَةٌ

    كَربَ العُداةِ وَسَمَّوا رَأيَكَ الفَرَجا

    They named your keen sword, while battle blazed,

    “The enemies' anguish,” and they named your counsel “Relief.”

  28. إِن يَنجُ مِنكَ أَبو نَصرٍ فَعَن قَدَرٍ

    تَنجو الرِجالُ وَلَكِن سَلهُ كَيفَ نَجا

    If Abu Nasr escapes you, then it is from fate

    That men escape; but ask him how he escaped.

  29. قَد حَلَّ في صَخرَةٍ صَمّاءَ مُعنِقَةٍ

    فَاِنحِت بِرَأيِكَ في أَوعارِها دَرَجا

    He has settled on a solid, towering crag;

    So carve, with your counsel, steps into its rugged slopes.

  30. وَغادِهِ بِسُيوفٍ طالَما شُهِرَت

    فَأَخلَفَت مُترَفاً ما كانَ قَبلُ رَجا

    And assail him at dawn with swords that were so often drawn,

    And dashed a pampered man's former hopes.

  31. وَشُزَّبٍ مُضمَراتٍ طالَما خَرَقَت

    مِنَ القَتامِ الَّذي كانَ الوَغى نَسَجا

    And with lean, well-conditioned steeds that so often tore through

    The dust that battle had woven,

  32. وَيوسُفِيِّينَ يَومَ الرَوعِ تَحسِبُهُم

    هوجاً وَما عَرَفوا أَفناً وَلا هَوَجا

    And with Yusuf's men, whom on terror's day you would think

    Reckless, though they have known neither weak judgment nor recklessness.

  33. مِن كُلِّ قَرمٍ يَرى الإِقدامَ مَأدُبَةً

    إِذا خَدا مُعلِماً بِالسَيفِ أَو وَسَجا

    Each a champion who sees bold advance as a banquet,

    When he strides, his sword his emblem, or hastens.

  34. تَنعى مُحَمَّداً الثاوي رِماحُهُمُ

    وَيَسفَحونَ عَلَيهِ عَبرَةً نَشَجا

    Their spears proclaim the death of Muhammad, who lies at rest,

    And they pour out tears over him with sobbing.

  35. قَد كانَ يَعلَمُ إِذ لاقى الحِمامَ ضُحىً

    لا طالِباً وَزَراً مِنهُ وَلا وَحَجا

    He knew, when he met death at midmorning,

    Seeking neither refuge from it nor shelter,

  36. أَن سَوفَ تُهدى إِلى آثارِهِ بُهُماً

    يُمسي الرَدى مُسرِياً فيها وَمُدَّلِجا

    That you would send dauntless warriors along his tracks,

    Death passing the evening in their ranks, journeying by night and before dawn.

  37. لَو لَم يَكُن هَكَذا هَذا لَدَيهِ إِذاً

    ما ماتَ مُستَبشِراً بِالمَوتِ مُبتَهِجا

    Had this not been so in his mind, then

    He would not have died rejoicing in death, full of delight.

  38. لَو أَنَّ فِعلَكَ أَمسى صورَةً لَثَوى

    بَدرُ الدُجى أَبَداً مِن حُسنِها سَمِجا

    If your deeds took visible form,

    Night's full moon would forever seem ugly beside its beauty.