1. العز في مشق الحسام الأَخضَر

    وَالمَجد مِن فَوق الجِياد الضمر

    Honor lies in the swift stroke of the green-hued sword,

    And glory above the lean steeds.

  2. والطيب في صَدأ الدُروع تشمه

    وَالفَخر في قَصَب الوَشيج الأَسمَر

    And fragrance—you smell it in the rust of armor,

    And pride lies in the brown shafts of spear-wood.

  3. فَإِذا ضَرَبت فَكُن بِسَيف ضارِباً

    وَإِذا انتَسبت فَفي قَبايل حمير

    So when you strike, strike with a sword;

    And when you trace your lineage, trace it to Himyar's tribes.

  4. فَهُم الجِبال الراسيات لَدى الوَغى

    وَهُم البِحار الطاميات لمقتر

    For they are mountains firmly rooted amid battle,

    And overflowing seas for the needy.

  5. شَرِبوا لَدى الهَيجاء أَعذَب منهل

    وَسَقوا الأَعادي بِالنجيع الأَحمَر

    Amid the fray they drank from the sweetest spring,

    And made their enemies drink crimson blood.

  6. وَتَقَلدوا بيض الصفاح وَزَينوا

    تِلكَ المَناكب بِالحَديد السمهري

    They slung on bright-white blades, and adorned

    Those shoulders with stout spear-iron.

  7. وَجَنوا ثِمار المَدح مِن شَجَر القنا

    وَتَجَنبوا الشَجر الَّذي لَم يُثمر

    And plucked the fruits of praise from the trees of spears,

    And avoided the trees that bore no fruit.

  8. نَزَعوا البُرود البيض عَن أَجسامِهم

    وَتَسَربَلوا زرد الحَديد الأَخضَر

    They stripped white mantles from their bodies,

    And clothed themselves in rings of green-hued iron.

  9. وَاستبدَلوا عَن كُل غانية لَهُم

    بِعِناق كُل مدجج وَغضَنفَر

    And in place of every beautiful woman they had, they chose

    The embrace of every armored warrior and lion.

  10. غر يَمانيون إِلا أَنَّهُم

    مُتنمرون لِحادث متنمر

    Radiant-faced Yemenis, save that they are

    Leopard-fierce against a leopard-fierce calamity.

  11. مِن كُل مقدام عَلَيهِ تَريكة

    لَيلاء فيها كُل وَجه مقمر

    Each a bold warrior, wearing a helmet

    Night-dark, with every face within it moon-bright.

  12. مِن كُل حَيدرة يَطول بِحَيدر

    أَو قسور يَرد الحُروب بِقسور

    Each a lion who prevails with a lion,

    Or a lion who enters wars with a lion.

  13. أَقيال حمير من يُباري مَجدهم

    وَمحلهم فَوقَ السماك المُزهر

    The princes of Himyar—who can rival their glory,

    When their station is above shining al-Simak?

  14. قومي بِهم أَرقى إِلى رُتب العُلى

    وَأصك أَنف المارد المتجبر

    My people—through them I climb to the ranks of greatness,

    And smash the nose of the defiant tyrant.

  15. أَنا فرع ذاكَ الأَصل طبت بِطيبه

    إِذ كانَ عُنصره المُشرف عُنصري

    I am a branch of that root, pure through its purity,

    Since its noble stock was my own stock.

  16. قُل لِلَّذي طَلَبَ الفَخار بِقَومه

    إِن كانَ قَومك مثل قَومي فَافخر

    Say to him who seeks glory through his people:

    If your people are like mine, then boast.

  17. من صبحوا بِالصافِنات هَوازِناً

    فَتَزلزلت مِنهُم حُصون المنذر

    Those who assailed Hawazin at dawn with poised steeds,

    So that al-Mundhir's fortresses trembled before them.

  18. إِن كُنت لَم تَسمَع بكسر خُيولهم

    كِسرى وَفتك قصارهم في قَيصر

    If you have not heard of their horses' overthrow of

    Kisra, and their short blades' deadly attack on Qaysar,

  19. فَانظر سليمان الأَمير وَفَتكه

    بِظبا الصَوارم في قَبائل شمر

    Then look at the emir Sulayman and his onslaught

    With keen sword-edges among Shammar's tribes,

  20. لَما تَصَدر في كَتائب حمير

    كَالبَدر يُحدق بِالعجاج الأَكدَر

    When he took the lead among Himyar's battalions,

    Like the full moon encircled by murky dust.

  21. بِالفَجر صبحهم بِكُلِّ طمرة

    تَنقض كَالبازي بِكُل معذر

    At dawn he assailed them with every bounding mare,

    Swooping like a falcon, each bearing a downy-cheeked warrior.

  22. فَعلا بِظَهر السَيف صَهوة ظاهر

    وَأَتى عَلى بكر بكل مبكر

    Then he struck Zahir's saddle with the sword's flat,

    And laid Bakr low with every early attacker.

  23. فَتَفَرقَت مِنهُم كَتائب زوبع

    حَتّى كَأَن رموثها لَم تذكر

    Then Zawba's battalions scattered before them,

    Until it seemed their rafts had never been mentioned.

  24. فَكَأَنَّهُم وَحرابه بِظهورهم

    جن وَقَد رجمت بِنجم مُزهر

    So, with his lances in their backs, they seemed

    Jinn pelted with a shining star.

  25. راعتهُم الجُرد العِتاق فَأَصبَحوا

    حُمراً وَكانَ فرارهم مِن قسور

    The sleek thoroughbred steeds terrified them, and they became

    Wild asses—and their flight was from a lion.

  26. حَتّى تمزق جَمعهم وَتَفَرَقوا

    أَيدي سَبا في ذا اليباب المقفر

    Until their host was torn apart, and they scattered

    Like Saba's scattered clans in this desolate wasteland.

  27. تِلكَ الرِياسة لا رِياسَة رستم

    تِلكَ الشَجاعة لا شَجاعة عَنتر

    That is leadership, not Rustam's leadership;

    That is courage, not Antar's courage.

  28. يا صاحب الرَأي القَوي وَمن هُوَ ال

    لَيث الكَمي وَصاحب القَلب الجَري

    O master of strong judgment, and you who are the

    Lion-warrior in armor, and master of a bold heart,

  29. أَتبعت شمر بِالعَقيدات الألى

    غدروا وَأَنتَ بِخلفهم لَم تغدر

    After Shammar, you turned upon the Uqaydat, who

    Broke faith, though you broke none with those they left behind.

  30. وَرَكزت رُمحك في خِلال دِيارهم

    وَتَركتهم كَالهايم المُتَحير

    And planted your spear amid their dwellings,

    And left them like a bewildered wanderer.

  31. وَكَففت خَيلك عن حجال حَريمهم

    وَصَدَدت صَد الخاشع المُستغفر

    And held your cavalry back from their women's curtained chambers,

    And turned away as a humble seeker of forgiveness would.

  32. فَتهن يا ابن الأَكرَمين بِوقعة

    كتبت عَلى لَوح الزَمان بعنبر

    So rejoice, O son of the noblest, in a battle

    Inscribed on time's tablet in ambergris.

  33. كَم أطفَأت ناراً تَأجج شَرها

    وَفرت بُطون الناكِثين بِخنجر

    How many a fire, its evil blazing, it extinguished,

    And slit the bellies of oath-breakers with a dagger!

  34. مَحجوبة إِلا عَلَيك فَإِنَّني

    أَهدَيتُها لِجَناب عزك فَانظر

    It is veiled from all but you, for I

    Have offered it to your august presence; look upon it.

  35. فاستر بِأَثواب القبول قُصورَها

    لَكنها في بابِها لَم تقصر

    So cover its shortcomings with the robes of acceptance,

    Yet in its own genre it has not fallen short.

  36. وَانعم بِنَصر غابر أَو حاضر

    وَلَسوف تَأتيك السَعادة فَابصر

    And rejoice in victory, past or present;

    And good fortune will surely come to you—watch for it.

  37. لا زِلت مِقدام الجُيوش تحوطها

    بِظبا السُيوف وَهمة الإسكندر

    May you ever be the armies' bold leader, protecting them

    With sword-edges and Alexander's resolve.