1. هَلِ الرَبعُ قَد أَمسَت خَلاءً مَنازِلُه

    يُجيبُ صَداهُ أَو يُخَبِّرُ سائِلُه

    Does the encampment, whose dwellings now lie empty,

    answer through its echo, or give its questioner news?

  2. وَهَل مُغرَمٌ قَد ضَعَّفَ الحُزنَ وَجدَهُ

    يُكَفكِفُ دَمعاً قَد تَحَدَّرَ هامِلُه

    And can a lovesick man, whose yearning has doubled his grief,

    stem the tears that have streamed down in torrents?

  3. أَعِنّي عَلى عَينٍ قَليلٍ هُجودُها

    عَصَت وَعَلى قَلبٍ كَثيرٍ بَلابِلُه

    Help me against an eye whose sleep is scant,

    that has rebelled, and against a heart whose torments are many.

  4. يَشُطُّ فَيَنأى مَن نُحِبُّ اِقتِرابَهُ

    وَيَقطَعُنا مِن هَجرِهِ مَن نُواصِلُه

    He whose nearness we cherish withdraws and grows distant,

    and he with whom we keep ties cuts us off through his desertion.

  5. لَقَد نُصِرَت وَالنَصرُ أَولى حُقوقِها

    جُيوشُ أَبي الجَيشِ الحِدادَ مَناصِلُه

    Victory has indeed been granted—and is their foremost due—

    to the armies of Abu al-Jaysh, whose sword-blades are keen.

  6. كَفاهُ العِدى حَتّى تَصَرَّمَ كَيدُهُم

    طُغَجُّ بنُ جُفٍّ مُصلَتاتٍ قَنابِلُه

    He was shielded from his foes until their scheming came to an end

    by Tughj ibn Juff, whose squadrons were poised to strike,

  7. بِقونِيَةَ العُليا مَكاناً إِذِ القَنا

    بِقونِيَةَ العُليا تُدُمّى عَوامِلُه

    at Quniya, lofty in its setting, when the spears

    at lofty Quniya were bloodied at their tips.

  8. وَيَومَ الحَريقِ في مَلورِيَّةَ اِنتَحى

    لِساكِنِها مَوتٌ تَيَسَّرَ عاجِلُه

    And on the day of the fire in Maluriyya, there came

    for its inhabitants a death swift and unhindered.

  9. وَأُصفِيَ مِن بُرغوثَ سَبيٌ كَأَنَّما

    عَقابيلُ أَسرابِ الظِباءِ عَقابِلُه

    And captives were set apart from Burghuth, as though

    their successive bands were successive bands of gazelle herds.

  10. وَقَد أَزعَجَت خَيلَ الدُمُستُقِ خَيلُهُ

    كَما أَزعَجَ العامَ المُجَرَّمَ قابِلُه

    And his cavalry has driven out the cavalry of the Domestikos,

    as the coming year drives out the year gone by.

  11. فَلا مَعقِلٌ إِلّا حَوَتهُ سُيوفُهُ

    وَلا مَغنَمٌ إِلّا حَجَتهُ جَحافِلُه

    So there is no stronghold his swords have not seized,

    and no booty his mighty hosts have not sought out.

  12. إِذا ما طُغُجُّ سارَ في صَدرِ عَسكَرٍ

    تُجيبُ رَواغيهِ عِشاءً صَواهِلُه

    Whenever Tughj marches at the head of an army,

    whose neighing horses answer its bellowing camels at nightfall,

  13. رَأَيتَ الرَدى سَهلَ السَبيلِ إِلى العِدى

    وَقَد رُفِعَت لِلناظِرينَ قَساطِلُه

    you see death finding an easy path to the foes,

    with the army's clouds of battle-dust raised before the watchers.

  14. إِذا أَظلَمَ الدَهرُ العَبوسُ أَضاءَهُ

    أَغَرُّ مِنَ الفِتيانِ حُلوٌ شَمائِلُه

    When frowning Time grows dark, it is illumined

    by a radiant young man, sweet in his ways.

  15. إِذا طَلَبَ الأَقامُ رُتبَةَ مَجدِهِ

    أَباها عَلَيهِم تُبَّعٌ وَمُقاوِلُه

    When the peoples seek his rank in glory,

    Tubbaʿ and his chieftains deny it to them.