أَلوَت بِعَتّابٍ شَوارِدُ خَيلِنا

أَلوَت بِعَتّابٍ شَوارِدُ خَيلِنا

ثُمَّ اِنثَنَت لِكَتائِبِ الحجّاجِ

ثُمَّ اِنثَنَت لِكَتائِبِ الحجّاجِ

Our straying horses swept ʿAttab away,

Our horses stampeded to the admonitions of a preacher,

Then wheeled against al-Hajjaj’s battalions,

Then gathered in legions at the call of the pilgrim guide.

لِأَخي ثَمودَ فَرُبَّما أَخطَأنَهُ

لِأَخي ثَمودَ فَرُبَّما أَخطَأنَهُ

وَلَقَد بَلَغنَ العُذرَ في الإِدلاجِ

وَلَقَد بَلَغنَ العُذرَ في الإِدلاجِ

Against Thamud’s brother—perhaps they missed him,

My brother Thamud I would sometimes chide,

And indeed they did all they could in the night march,

Yet we made allowance for him in his seclusion.

حَتّى تَرَكنَ أَخا الضَلالِ مُسهَّداً

حَتّى تَرَكنَ أَخا الضَلالِ مُسهَّداً

مُتَمَنِّعاً بِحَوائِطٍ وَرِتاجِ

مُتَمَنِّعاً بِحَوائِطٍ وَرِتاجِ

Until they left the brother of error sleepless,

Until we left the misguided one lying dead,

Holding out behind walls and a closed gate.

Barricaded in his mansion and annex.

وَلَعمرُ أُمِّ العَبدِ لَو أَدرَكنَهُ

وَلَعمرُ أُمِّ العَبدِ لَو أَدرَكنَهُ

لَسَقَينَهُ صِرفاً بِغَيرِ مِزاجِ

لَسَقَينَهُ صِرفاً بِغَيرِ مِزاجِ

And by the life of Umm al-ʿAbd, had they caught him,

By the life of the Mother of the Servant, had he met us

They would surely have given him an undiluted draught, with no admixture.

We'd have offered him a draft with no dilution.

وَلَقَد تَخَطَّأَتِ المَنايا حَوشَباً

وَلَقَد تَخَطَّأَتِ المَنايا حَوشَباً

فَنَجا إِلى أَجَلٍ وَلَيسَ بِناجِ

فَنَجا إِلى أَجَلٍ وَلَيسَ بِناجِ

And indeed death passed Hawshab by,

Death indeed has missed a most formidable quarry,

So he escaped until an appointed time, yet he will not escape.

Who has survived to a time, but no longer strong.