أَلا أَبلِغا عَنّي عَلى ذاتِ بَينِنا

أَلا أَبلِغا عَنّي عَلى ذاتِ بَينِنا

لُؤَيّاً وَخُصّا مِن لُؤَيٍّ بَني كَعبِ

لُؤَيّاً وَخُصّا مِن لُؤَيٍّ بَني كَعبِ

Hearken, you two: convey on my behalf, in view of the bond between us,

Convey from me to her with whom I reproached,

To Luʾayy, and single out among Luʾayy the sons of Kaʿb:

A Lueyy and intimate words from Lueyy ibn Ka'b,

أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنّا وَجَدنا مُحَمَّداً

أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنّا وَجَدنا مُحَمَّداً

نَبيّاً كَموسى خُطَّ في أَوَّلِ الكُتبِ

نَبيّاً كَموسى خُطَّ في أَوَّلِ الكُتبِ

Did you not know that we found Muhammad

Don't you know that we found Muhammad,

A prophet like Moses, recorded in the earliest scriptures,

A prophet like Moses, mentioned first in the scriptures,

وَأَنَّ عَلَيهِ في العِبادِ مَحَبَّةً

وَأَنَّ عَلَيهِ في العِبادِ مَحَبَّةً

وَلا خَيرَ مِمَّن خَصَّهُ اللَهُ بِالحُبِّ

وَلا خَيرَ مِمَّن خَصَّهُ اللَهُ بِالحُبِّ

And that among people there is love for him,

And that he has among the servants, love,

And none is better than one whom God has singled out with love,

And there is no good in one who God did not endow with love,

وَأَنَّ الَّذي أَلصَقتُمُ مِن كِتابِكُم

وَأَنَّ الَّذي أَلصَقتُمُ مِن كِتابِكُم

لَكُم كائِنٍ نَحساً كَراغِيَةِ السَقبِ

لَكُم كائِنٍ نَحساً كَراغِيَةِ السَقبِ

And that your document, which you have affixed,

And that what you have clung to from your scripture,

Will be ill fortune for you, like the camel calf's bellow?

Is for you ill-omened like the quills of porcupines,

أَفِيقوا أَفِيقوا قَبلَ يُحفَرَ الثَرى

أَفِيقوا أَفِيقوا قَبلَ يُحفَرَ الثَرى

وَيُصبِح مَن لَم يَجنِ ذَنباً كَذي الذَنبِ

وَيُصبِح مَن لَم يَجنِ ذَنباً كَذي الذَنبِ

Come to your senses, come to your senses, before the earth is dug up,

Wake up, wake up, before the earth is dug,

And one who has committed no offense becomes like the guilty.

And one without sin becomes like one with sin,

وَلا تَتبَعوا أَمرَ الوُشاةِ وَتَقطَعوا

وَلا تَتبَعوا أَمرَ الوُشاةِ وَتَقطَعوا

أَواصِرَنا بَعدَ المَوَدَّةِ وَالقُربِ

أَواصِرَنا بَعدَ المَوَدَّةِ وَالقُربِ

And do not follow the command of slanderers and sever

And do not follow the order of the malicious, and sever

Our bonds after affection and kinship,

Our bonds after closeness and kinship,

وَتَستَجلِبوا حَرباً عَواناً وَرُبَّما

وَتَستَجلِبوا حَرباً عَواناً وَرُبَّما

أَمَرَّ عَلى مَن ذاقَهُ جَلَبُ الحَربِ

أَمَرَّ عَلى مَن ذاقَهُ جَلَبُ الحَربِ

Nor bring on a renewed war; often

And bring about war, helpers, and sometimes,

War's tumult has proved bitter to whoever tasted it.

Passes over one who tasted it, the bringing of war,

فَلَسنا وَرَبِّ البَيتِ نُسلِمُ أَحمَداً

فَلَسنا وَرَبِّ البَيتِ نُسلِمُ أَحمَداً

لِعَزّاءَ مِن عَضِّ الزَمانِ وَلا كَربِ

لِعَزّاءَ مِن عَضِّ الزَمانِ وَلا كَربِ

For, by the Lord of the House, we will not surrender Ahmad

By the Lord of the House we will not surrender Ahmed,

Because of dire hardship from time's bite, or anguish,

To the resolute ones from the bite of time or distress,

وَلمّا تَبِن مِنّا وَمِنكُم سَوالِفٌ

وَلمّا تَبِن مِنّا وَمِنكُم سَوالِفٌ

وَأَيدٍ أُتِرَّت بِالقُساسيّةِ الشُهبِ

وَأَيدٍ أُتِرَّت بِالقُساسيّةِ الشُهبِ

Not before necks of ours and yours are severed,

And when it becomes clear between us and you conversations,

And hands cut off by gleaming Qusāsī swords,

And hands equipped with spears,

بِمُعتَركٍ ضَنكٍ تُرى كسرُ القَنا

بِمُعتَركٍ ضَنكٍ تُرى كسرُ القَنا

بِهِ وَالنُسورُ الطُخم يَعكُفنَ كَالشربِ

بِهِ وَالنُسورُ الطُخم يَعكُفنَ كَالشربِ

In a cramped battlefield, where fragments of spears are seen,

In a narrow, difficult battle, you see the breaking of spears,

And dark vultures cluster there like a company of drinkers.

In it, and the plump vultures hovering like drinking,

كَأَنَّ صُهالَ الخَيلِ في حجَراتِهِ

كَأَنَّ صُهالَ الخَيلِ في حجَراتِهِ

وَمَعمَعَةَ الأَبطالِ مَعرَكَة الحَربِ

وَمَعمَعَةَ الأَبطالِ مَعرَكَة الحَربِ

As though the horses' neighing within its bounds

As if the neighing of horses in their enclosures,

And the heroes' tumult were the clash of war.

And the clamor of heroes in the battle of war,

أَلَيسَ أَبونا هاشِمٌ شَدَّ أَزرَهُ

أَلَيسَ أَبونا هاشِمٌ شَدَّ أَزرَهُ

وَأَوصى بَنيهِ بِالطِعانِ وَبِالضَربِ

وَأَوصى بَنيهِ بِالطِعانِ وَبِالضَربِ

Was it not our forefather Hashim who girded his loins

Is not our father Hashim who girded his loins,

And enjoined his sons to thrust with spears and strike?

And advised his sons with stabbing and striking?

وَلَسنا نَمَلُّ الحَربَ حَتّى تَمَلَّنا

وَلَسنا نَمَلُّ الحَربَ حَتّى تَمَلَّنا

وَما نَشتَكي ما قَد يَنوبُ مِنَ النَكبِ

وَما نَشتَكي ما قَد يَنوبُ مِنَ النَكبِ

And we do not tire of war until it tires of us,

And we do not dislike war until it makes us dislike it,

Nor do we complain of whatever misfortunes may befall us.

And we do not complain of what catastrophes may come,

وَلَكِنَّنا أَهلُ الحَفائِظِ وَالنُّهى

وَلَكِنَّنا أَهلُ الحَفائِظِ وَالنُّهى

إِذا طارَ أَرواحُ الكُماةِ مِنَ الرُعبِ

إِذا طارَ أَرواحُ الكُماةِ مِنَ الرُعبِ

But we are men who defend their honor and exercise sound judgment,

But we are people of safeguards and prohibition,

When armored warriors' souls take flight in terror.

When the souls of the oppressed flee in terror.