1. The reward of the Commander of the Faithful is my praise
For blessings unceasing, and generosity abounding.

2. He spent the dark nights pursuing what was left of my prey,
Until today naught remains but their wailing.

3. He brought the extremities of his glory near for my hopes,
And tied the tent ropes of his bounty with my ambitions.

4. He taught me how to rise up to the heights,
And how the comfort of a man comes after hardship.

5. And how to force the days to recoil from their pace,
And meet the chests of steeds, no matter the encounter.

6. So I cannot ignore the demands of all-consuming desires,
Knowing I am prone to oblivion.

7. I leave the wine thirsty though free of sediment,
And the worst canal is one that is not sating.

8. When I drag the spear no father cries out behind me,
Nor a mother wailing in my wake.

9. My heart escorts me when I command it,
Obeying resolutely, without deceit or doubt.

10. I see people craving to be saved from evil,
Yet the fulfillment of man is but prolonged agony.

11. They decry murder, but murder is comfort,
And lingering death by disease wearies more than rest.

12. I am no son of She-Camels if I do not return them
Scowling, spurning injustice like my defiance.

13. I bring them back bereaved of their young,
When they have slipped from the death-grip in blood.

14. To the tribe whose leader was his enemy,
And whom he greeted at dawn with destiny.

15. He is the lion, neither rousing over prey,
Nor turning from an opportunity in shyness.

16. His will in action is not subdued,
Nor his pace in havoc hampered.

17. He is the kindling of fires in every darkness,
And spiller of blood rivers every evening.

18. I am the one who raises the moan of the bow in every raid,
With arrows of struggle or ransom alike.

19. Exalted - if a star were granted the like of him
It would spurn to dwell in the sky's expanse!

20. A face - if the moon bore its resemblance
It would illuminate the nights, days and years!

21. Lineages whose roots drink deep of the nurture of glory,
Meeting in the prophets and caliphs of God.

22. And how many a screamer called out to you when
Drunkenness overcame him, devoid of reason.

23. You returned his soul to him, and the sun, so he recoiled
With the greatest spirit, in deepest light.

24. And how many resentful breasts boxed within,
Churning words of contention from the tongue.

25. He hides his grudges with hypocrisy,
Like the deadly snake hides its back with camouflage.

26. You returned his waywardness with forbearance, until you slew him
Without piercing, in the fray's turmoil and chaos.

27. When people carry the banners as tokens
It suffices that the tips of spears are all the banner's shade.

28. An army of Mudar is like torrents in the wasteland,
Their necks like flood-waves, their bodies like landmarks.

29. As if the meadow showered them its rains,
And warded off their want with its cloak.

30. Horses prancing in armor as if they are
Stallions' chests or flasks from the Pleiades.

31. Theirs are the improvised raids and theirs are the cheeks -
When shaded by their strikes - the darkest gloom.

32. None can claim might alone if his might lacks
Felicity, and none is valiant bereft of munificence.

33. You are not destined for a meager share of glory,
Nor content in life with but a mouthful.

34. Your portion of this world is like you - abundant,
Your fortune in it foretells eternity.

35. If all were allotted as much as their souls desire
The world would be yours without contention.

36. These days are but stars that wane and leave us
For a brief respite after their visitation.

37. Take then of joy what you are able, and profit thereby,
For the people are fated times of ease and of stress.

38. Hasten to luxuries, for fate is disposed
To poison bliss and darken splendor.

39. I advise you sincerely, without pretense,
And please you with counsel, no hypocrisy.

40. I remember what you have granted me of grace,
And so repay my debt to you in obedience and loyalty.

41. Help me against a fate that assays me in its crucible,
And jerks my reins while engulfed in darkness.

42. It has distanced me from those whose enmity is my ruin,
And nearness to them is my remedy.

43. So I have lost in losing loved ones,
And parting from those I love is the greatest bane.

44. Do not presume to possess me, oh fate,
For my haven from what has pained me is my shield.

45. With it I parry the hands of foes from every side,
And evade the blows of harm and tribulation.

46. I delight my heart beyond what would content it,
And better than my riches is my abstinence.

47. One whose soul obeys the call of frugality
Is satisfied with little of abundant means.

48. They trotted on the day the valley thundered with their hooves,
And the day their riders were wary with pleading.

49. Do not mislead them to every pasture
Where their herd calls out, lighting the dark.

50. Drink only enough water to survive,
If their hooves stumble into a stream.

51. They have a herder who dominates them with his whip
And sings to their tracks with fervent prodding.

52. A boy nimble as the brace of the bridle,
Whom the breasts of the Pleiades nourish in every open expanse.

53. When your call reaches them, their company attains
Ample reward for prolonged praise.

54. And one like you is feasted by the glow of his fire,
And finds the encampments at every ruin.

55. Not all who perform great deeds are thereby equal,
Nor are all seekers of glory the same.