أَتَأكُلُ ميراثَ الحُتاتَ ظُلامَةً

أَتَأكُلُ ميراثَ الحُتاتَ ظُلامَةً

وَميراثُ حَربٍ جامِدٌ لَكَ ذائِبُه

وَميراثُ حَربٍ جامِدٌ لَكَ ذائِبُه

Do you consume al-Hutat’s inheritance unjustly,

Do you feast on the inheritance of the vipers in darkness?

while Harb’s inheritance—even its liquid wealth—remains solidly yours?

And the frozen inheritance of war melts for you, its melting one.

أَبوكَ وَعَمّي يا مُعاوِيَ أَورَثا

أَبوكَ وَعَمّي يا مُعاوِيَ أَورَثا

تُراثاً فَيَحتازُ التُراثَ أَقارِبُه

تُراثاً فَيَحتازُ التُراثَ أَقارِبُه

Your father and my uncle, O Muawiya, both bequeathed

Your father and uncle, O Mu'awiya, bequeathed

an inheritance, so each man’s kin take possession of his inheritance.

An inheritance, so the relatives share the inheritance.

فَلَو كانَ هَذا الدينُ في جاهِلِيَّةٍ

فَلَو كانَ هَذا الدينُ في جاهِلِيَّةٍ

عَرَفتَ مَنِ المَولى القَليلُ حَلايِبُه

عَرَفتَ مَنِ المَولى القَليلُ حَلايِبُه

So, had this debt been owed in pre-Islamic times,

If this religion were in the days of ignorance,

you would have known which kinsman had few supporters.

You would know who has few milk-brothers.

وَلَو كانَ هَذا الأَمرُ في غَيرِ مُلكِكُم

وَلَو كانَ هَذا الأَمرُ في غَيرِ مُلكِكُم

لَأَبدَيتُهُ أَو غَصَّ بِالماءِ شارِبُه

لَأَبدَيتُهُ أَو غَصَّ بِالماءِ شارِبُه

And had this affair been under a rule other than yours,

If this matter were not in your kingdom,

I would have revealed it—or the drinker would have choked on water.

I would manifest it, or the one who drinks the water would choke.

وَكَم مِن أَبٍ يا مُعاوِيَ لَم يَكُن

وَكَم مِن أَبٍ يا مُعاوِيَ لَم يَكُن

أَبوكَ الَّذي مِن عَبدِ شَمسٍ يُقارِبُه

أَبوكَ الَّذي مِن عَبدِ شَمسٍ يُقارِبُه

And many a father, O Muawiya, was never

How many a father, O Mu'awiya, who was not

matched by your father, who was of Abd Shams.

Your father, the one who is close to being a servant of Shams.