وَمِن حَينِ قَحطاني سَجَستانِ أَصبَحوا

وَمِن حَينِ قَحطاني سَجَستانِ أَصبَحوا

عَلى سَيِّئٍ مِن دينِهِم قَد تَغَيَّرا

عَلى سَيِّئٍ مِن دينِهِم قَد تَغَيَّرا

And to their undoing, the Qahtanites of Sijistan have come

Since the drought struck me, the people of Sajistan

to an evil, altered state of their faith.

Have turned to evil in their religion and changed

وَهُم مائَتا أَلفٍ وَلا عَقلَ فيهِمِ

وَهُم مائَتا أَلفٍ وَلا عَقلَ فيهِمِ

وَلا رَأيَ مِن ذي حيلَةٍ لَو تَفَكَّرا

وَلا رَأيَ مِن ذي حيلَةٍ لَو تَفَكَّرا

They are two hundred thousand, yet there is no sense among them,

Two hundred thousand of them, with no sense among them

nor counsel from a resourceful man, were he to reflect.

No wisdom from a cunning schemer, even if they pondered

يَسوقونَ حَوّاكاً لِيَستَفتِحوا بِهِ

يَسوقونَ حَوّاكاً لِيَستَفتِحوا بِهِ

عَلى أَولِياءِ اللَهِ مِمَّن تَخَيَّرا

عَلى أَولِياءِ اللَهِ مِمَّن تَخَيَّرا

They drive a weaver forward, seeking victory through him

They lead an impostor to use him

against God’s allies, those He has chosen,

To attack the friends of God whom they chose

عَلى عُصبَةٍ عُثمانُ مِنهُم وَمِنهُمُ

عَلى عُصبَةٍ عُثمانُ مِنهُم وَمِنهُمُ

إِمامٌ جَلا عَنّا الظَلامَ فَأَسفَرا

إِمامٌ جَلا عَنّا الظَلامَ فَأَسفَرا

against a company of whom Uthman is one, and among whom

A group who sided with Uthman, and among them

is an imam who dispelled our darkness, and daylight broke.

An eminent Imam who cleared the darkness so it lit up

خَليقَةُ مَروانَ الَّذي اِختارَهُ لَنا

خَليقَةُ مَروانَ الَّذي اِختارَهُ لَنا

بِعِلمٍ عَلَينا مَن أَماتَ وَأَنشَرا

بِعِلمٍ عَلَينا مَن أَماتَ وَأَنشَرا

Marwan’s offspring, whom He chose for us,

The creation of Marwan whom he chose for us

with knowledge, to rule over us—He who gives death and raises the dead.

With knowledge of who would kill and revive over us

بِهِ عَمَرَ اللَهُ المَساجِدَ وَاِنتَهى

بِهِ عَمَرَ اللَهُ المَساجِدَ وَاِنتَهى

عَنِ الناسِ شَيطانُ النِفاقِ فَأَقصَرا

عَنِ الناسِ شَيطانُ النِفاقِ فَأَقصَرا

Through him God made the mosques flourish, and

Through him God gave life to the mosques and ceased

the devil of hypocrisy withdrew from the people and desisted.

The devil of hypocrisy from the people so he was banished

وَلَو زَحَفوا بِاِبنَي شَمامٍ كِلَيهِما

وَلَو زَحَفوا بِاِبنَي شَمامٍ كِلَيهِما

وَبِالشُمِّ مِن سَلمى إِلى سَروِ حِميَرا

وَبِالشُمِّ مِن سَلمى إِلى سَروِ حِميَرا

Even had they marched with both sons of Shamam,

Even if they marched with the two sons of Shamam both

and with the lofty peaks from Salma to Himyar’s highlands,

And the Syrians from Salma to the Sarah of Himyar

عَلى دينِهِم وَالهِندُ تُزجى فُيولُهُم

عَلى دينِهِم وَالهِندُ تُزجى فُيولُهُم

وَبِالرومِ في أَفدانِها رومِ قَيصَرا

وَبِالرومِ في أَفدانِها رومِ قَيصَرا

in support of their faith, while the Indians’ elephants were driven onward,

Against their religion, with India arraying their vanguards

and with the Romans in their palaces—Caesar’s Romans—

And the Romans in their land, the Romans of Caesar

إِلى بَيعَةِ اللَهِ الَّذي اِختارَ عَبدَهُ

إِلى بَيعَةِ اللَهِ الَّذي اِختارَ عَبدَهُ

لَها اِبنَ أَبي العاصي الإِمامَ المُؤَمَّرا

لَها اِبنَ أَبي العاصي الإِمامَ المُؤَمَّرا

against the allegiance pledged to God, who chose His servant

To the pledge of God which his servant chose

for it—the son of Abu al-As, the imam invested with command—

For it the son of Abu Al-Aasi, the Imam to be trusted

لَفَضَّ الَّذي أَعطى النُبُوَّةَ كَيدَهُم

لَفَضَّ الَّذي أَعطى النُبُوَّةَ كَيدَهُم

بِأَكيَدَ مِمّا كايَدوهُ وَأَقدَروا

بِأَكيَدَ مِمّا كايَدوهُ وَأَقدَروا

He who granted prophethood would surely shatter their plot

He would thwart those whose prophecy he gave their cunning

with a subtler scheme than any they plotted against him and could devise.

With more cunning than what they plotted and contrived

أَتاني بِذي بَهدى أَحاديثُ راكِبٍ

أَتاني بِذي بَهدى أَحاديثُ راكِبٍ

بِها ضاقَ مِنها صَدرُهُ حينَ خَبَّرا

بِها ضاقَ مِنها صَدرُهُ حينَ خَبَّرا

At Dhu Bahda, a rider’s reports reached me;

The rider at Zuby Buhda brought me narrations

there his breast tightened at the news as he recounted it:

Which straitened his chest when he told the tale

وَقائِعُ لِلحَجّاجِ تَرمي نِساؤُها

وَقائِعُ لِلحَجّاجِ تَرمي نِساؤُها

بِأَولادِ ما قَد كانَ مِنهُنَّ مُضمَرا

بِأَولادِ ما قَد كانَ مِنهُنَّ مُضمَرا

battles of al-Hajjaj, where the women cast forth

Events for Hajjaj where his wives were discarding

the children that had lain concealed within them.

The children of what was conceived of them in secret

فَقُلتُ فِدىً أُمّي لَهُ حينَ صاوَلَت

فَقُلتُ فِدىً أُمّي لَهُ حينَ صاوَلَت

بِهِ الحَربُ نابَي رَأسِها حينَ شَمَّرا

بِهِ الحَربُ نابَي رَأسِها حينَ شَمَّرا

I said, ‘May my mother be his ransom!’ when war fought

So I said, my mother as ransom for him when

through him against her head’s two fangs, as he girded for battle.

War gored him, erecting its head when he prepared

سَقى قائِدَيها السُمَّ حَتّى تَخاذَلوا

سَقى قائِدَيها السُمَّ حَتّى تَخاذَلوا

عَلَيها وَأَروى الزاعِبِيَّ المُؤَمَّرا

عَلَيها وَأَروى الزاعِبِيَّ المُؤَمَّرا

He made her two commanders drink poison until they deserted one another

He poisoned his two commanders until they lost heart

in that war, and quenched the thirst of the pointed Zaʿibi lance.

Against him, and quenched the commissioned thirsty one

سَقى اِبنَ رِزامٍ طَعنَةً فَوَّزَت بِهِ

سَقى اِبنَ رِزامٍ طَعنَةً فَوَّزَت بِهِ

وَمَحروشَهُم مَأمومَةً فَتَقَطَّرا

وَمَحروشَهُم مَأمومَةً فَتَقَطَّرا

He made Ibn Rizam drink a spear-thrust that carried him to his death,

He stabbed the son of Rizam with a mortal wound laid bare

and their Mahrush a wound reaching the brain’s membrane; he fell headlong.

And their protected one a fatal blow which oozed and dripped

وَأَفلَتَ رَوّاضُ البِغالِ وَلَم تَدَع

وَأَفلَتَ رَوّاضُ البِغالِ وَلَم تَدَع

لَهُ الخَيلِ مِن إِخراجِ زَوجَيهِ مَعشَرا

لَهُ الخَيلِ مِن إِخراجِ زَوجَيهِ مَعشَرا

The mule-trainer escaped, but there was not left

The horse hands escaped and did not leave

to him by the cavalry a band to bring his two wives away.

Any horses depriving them of their pairs