هو الفتحُ منظوماً على إثرِهِ الفتحُ

هو الفتحُ منظوماً على إثرِهِ الفتحُ

وما فيهما عهدٌ ولا فيهما صُلحُ

وما فيهما عهدٌ ولا فيهما صُلحُ

It is conquest, with conquest strung along in its wake,

Victory follows victory

And there was no treaty in either, nor any peace pact,

In them no truce or reconciliation

سِوى أنَّ صَفحاً كانَ من بعدِ قُدرةٍ

سِوى أنَّ صَفحاً كانَ من بعدِ قُدرةٍ

وأحسنُ مقرونٍ إلى قُدرةٍ صَفحُ

وأحسنُ مقرونٍ إلى قُدرةٍ صَفحُ

Save that pardon came after mastery;

Except that pardon came after power

And pardon is the finest thing joined to power.

And the best things come after power with pardon

سَلِ السَّيفَ والرُّمحَ الرُّدينيَّ عنهما

سَلِ السَّيفَ والرُّمحَ الرُّدينيَّ عنهما

فتسمعَ ما يُنْبي به السيفُ والرمحُ

فتسمعَ ما يُنْبي به السيفُ والرمحُ

Ask the sword and the Rudayni spear about them both,

Ask the sword and the pool-like spear about them

Then hear what the sword and spear relate.

And you will hear what the sword and spear tell

لقد شَفعت يومَ العروبةِ عِندَها

لقد شَفعت يومَ العروبةِ عِندَها

بعيدٍ لنا فيه السلامةُ والنُّجحُ

بعيدٍ لنا فيه السلامةُ والنُّجحُ

Indeed, Friday was coupled there

Indeed on the day of the Arabs it interceded for us

With a feast in which we found safety and success,

Far off for us in which is safety and success

ذبائحُ راحتْ يوَم عيدِ لحومِها

ذبائحُ راحتْ يوَم عيدِ لحومِها

وما ازدانَ عيدٌ لا يكونُ بهِ ذبحُ

وما ازدانَ عيدٌ لا يكونُ بهِ ذبحُ

By victims gone on the feast-day of their flesh;

Sacrifices went on the day of their flesh feast

And no feast is adorned without slaughter.

And no feast is adorned unless there is slaughter in it

قَرَيناهُمُ سَجْلاً من الحربِ مُرَّةً

قَرَيناهُمُ سَجْلاً من الحربِ مُرَّةً

وعَشراً ركيكاً ليس في طَعمهِ ملحُ

وعَشراً ركيكاً ليس في طَعمهِ ملحُ

We regaled them with a bitter bucketful of war,

We coupled them, a register of war once

And thin, watered-down milk with no salt in its taste,

And a vile mob whose taste has no salt

ومُقْرَبة يشقرُّ في النَّقْعِ كمْتُها

ومُقْرَبة يشقرُّ في النَّقْعِ كمْتُها

وتَخْضرُّ حيناً كلَّما بَلَّها الرَّشحُ

وتَخْضرُّ حيناً كلَّما بَلَّها الرَّشحُ

And choice steeds whose bay coats redden in the dust,

And an altar whose flour was kneaded

And turn green-black at times whenever sweat wets them.

And which greens whenever the sprinkler wets it

تَراهُنَّ في نَضْحِ الدماءِ كأنَّما

تَراهُنَّ في نَضْحِ الدماءِ كأنَّما

كساها عَقيقاً أحمراً ذلكَ النَّضحُ

كساها عَقيقاً أحمراً ذلكَ النَّضحُ

You see them amid the spattering of blood, as though

You see them in the outpouring of blood as if

That spattering had clothed them in red agate.

That outpouring clothed them in red carnelian

تطيرُ بلا ريشٍ إلى كلِّ صَيحةٍ

تطيرُ بلا ريشٍ إلى كلِّ صَيحةٍ

وتَسبحُ في البرِّ الَّذي ما بهِ سَبْحُ

وتَسبحُ في البرِّ الَّذي ما بهِ سَبْحُ

They fly without feathers toward every cry,

They fly without feathers to every scream

And swim on dry land, where there is no swimming.

And swim on land in which there is no swimming

عليها منَ الأبطالِ كلُّ مُمارِسٍ

عليها منَ الأبطالِ كلُّ مُمارِسٍ

يرى أن جِدَّ الحربِ من بأسهِ مَزْحُ

يرى أن جِدَّ الحربِ من بأسهِ مَزْحُ

Upon them rides each seasoned champion,

Over them is every hero practitioner

Who, through his valor, sees war's earnestness as a jest.

Who sees the seriousness of war from his strength is jest

يَعدُّونَه الأعداءُ كَرْباً عليهمُ

يَعدُّونَه الأعداءُ كَرْباً عليهمُ

على أنه طَلقٌ لنا وجهُهُ سَمْحُ

على أنه طَلقٌ لنا وجهُهُ سَمْحُ

The enemies count him a torment upon them,

The enemies count it a disaster upon them

Though his face is cheerful and gracious toward us.

While to us its demeanor is easy and forgiving

وكانَ ابنُ حفصونٍ يعدُّ جيادَهُ

وكانَ ابنُ حفصونٍ يعدُّ جيادَهُ

سَراحينَ قبلَ اليومِ فهي لنا سَرْحُ

سَراحينَ قبلَ اليومِ فهي لنا سَرْحُ

And Ibn Hafsun used to count his steeds

And the son of Hafsoun used to count his steeds

As wolves before today; now they are our grazing herd.

As gifts before this day so they are our gift

نَجا مُستَكِنَّاً تحتَ جُنحٍ منَ الدُّجَى

نَجا مُستَكِنَّاً تحتَ جُنحٍ منَ الدُّجَى

وليسَ يؤدِّي شكرَ ما أنعمَ الجُنْحُ

وليسَ يؤدِّي شكرَ ما أنعمَ الجُنْحُ

He escaped, hiding beneath a wing of darkness,

He escaped, feeling protected beneath the wings of night's darkness

Nor does he give thanks for what that wing bestowed.

And the wing does not repay the favor it granted with gratitude

دعَتْهُ مُنىً كانت عليهِ مَنِيَّةً

دعَتْهُ مُنىً كانت عليهِ مَنِيَّةً

فَترْحا لهُ منها وقَلَّ لهُ الترْحُ

فَترْحا لهُ منها وقَلَّ لهُ الترْحُ

Hopes summoned him that proved his doom;

Munya called him, death being intended for him

So woe to him from them—and woe is too little for him!

So scorn from it was little for him

تَسرْبَلَ ثوبَ اللَّيلِ خامسَ خمسةٍ

تَسرْبَلَ ثوبَ اللَّيلِ خامسَ خمسةٍ

فكلُّهم في كلِّ جارحةٍ جُرحُ

فكلُّهم في كلِّ جارحةٍ جُرحُ

He donned the robe of night, the fifth of five,

He wore the garment of the night on the fifth of five

And each of them bore a wound in every limb.

And each of them has a wound in every organ

يودُّونَ أنَّ الصبحَ ليلٌ عليهمُ

يودُّونَ أنَّ الصبحَ ليلٌ عليهمُ

ونحن نودُّ الليلَ لو أَنَّه صُبْحُ

ونحن نودُّ الليلَ لو أَنَّه صُبْحُ

They wish that morning were night over them,

They want the dawn upon them to be night

And we wish the night were morning.

While we want the night if only it were dawn

أقادِحَ نارٍ كانَ طعمَ وقودِها

أقادِحَ نارٍ كانَ طعمَ وقودِها

بعينيكَ فانظرْ ما أضاءَ لكَ القَدْحُ

بعينيكَ فانظرْ ما أضاءَ لكَ القَدْحُ

O kindler of a fire, who became fodder for its blaze,

Sparks of fire whose fuel was your eyes

With your own eyes, then, see what the kindling has lit for you.

So look what the kindling illuminated for you

مَحا السيفُ ما زخرفتَ أوّلَ وَهْلةٍ

مَحا السيفُ ما زخرفتَ أوّلَ وَهْلةٍ

ودونكَ فانظرْ بعد ذلكَ ما يَمْحو

ودونكَ فانظرْ بعد ذلكَ ما يَمْحو

At the first onset, the sword erased what you embellished;

The sword erased what you adorned at first glance

And here before you—see what it erases next.

And below you so look after that what it obliterates

فكم شاربٍ منكمْ صحا بعدَ سُكرهِ

فكم شاربٍ منكمْ صحا بعدَ سُكرهِ

وما كانَ لولا السيفُ من سُكرهِ يَصْحو

وما كانَ لولا السيفُ من سُكرهِ يَصْحو

For how many a drinker among you sobered after his drunkenness,

So how many drinkers among you woke up after their intoxication

And, but for the sword, would not have sobered from his drunkenness.

And were it not for the sword from their drunkenness they would not awaken

كأَنَّ بلايا والخنازيرُ حولها

كأَنَّ بلايا والخنازيرُ حولها

مُقطَّعةُ الأوصالِ أنيابُها كُلحُ

مُقطَّعةُ الأوصالِ أنيابُها كُلحُ

It is as though Balaya—with swine around it,

As if disasters and pigs were around them

Their limbs severed, their tusks bared—

Their tusks severed, the limbs torn apart

ديارُ الَّذينَ كذَّبوا رُسْلَ ربِّهم

ديارُ الَّذينَ كذَّبوا رُسْلَ ربِّهم

فلاقَوا عذاباً كان موعدهُ الصُّبحُ

فلاقَوا عذاباً كان موعدهُ الصُّبحُ

Were the dwellings of those who denied their Lord's messengers,

The abode of those who denied the messengers of their Lord

And met a torment whose appointed time was dawn.

And so met a punishment whose time was morning

فلو نطقَ السَّفحُ الذي قُتلوا بهِ

فلو نطقَ السَّفحُ الذي قُتلوا بهِ

إذنْ لبكَى من نَتْنِ قتلاهُمُ السَّفحُ

إذنْ لبكَى من نَتْنِ قتلاهُمُ السَّفحُ

Had the slope where they were killed spoken,

If the ground on which they were killed were to speak

Then the slope would have wept at the stench of their slain.

Then surely the ground would cry from the stench of their corpses

دماءٌ شَفتْ منها الرماحُ غَليلَها

دماءٌ شَفتْ منها الرماحُ غَليلَها

فودَّ قضيبُ البانِ لو أنَّه رُمحُ

فودَّ قضيبُ البانِ لو أنَّه رُمحُ

Blood from which the spears slaked their thirst,

Blood from which the spears quenched their thirst

So a moringa bough wished it were a spear.

So the penis wished that it were a spear

وللَّهِ ما أَزكى تجارةَ صَفقةٍ

وللَّهِ ما أَزكى تجارةَ صَفقةٍ

يكونُ لهمْ خُسرانُها ولنا الرِّبحُ

يكونُ لهمْ خُسرانُها ولنا الرِّبحُ

And by God, what a profitable bargain,

And by God what blessed merchandise of deal

Whose loss is theirs, and whose profit ours!

Their loss is for them and for us the profit

أقَمنا عليها اللهوَ في يومِ عيدِهمْ

أقَمنا عليها اللهوَ في يومِ عيدِهمْ

فكم لهم فِصحاً بهِ قُطعَ الفصحُ

فكم لهم فِصحاً بهِ قُطعَ الفصحُ

We held our revels there on their feast-day;

We held revelry over it on the day of their feast

How many an Easter of theirs saw Easter cut short by it!

So how many Easters for them the Easter was severed

ألا تَعِستْ تلكَ الوجوهُ وقُبِّحتْ

ألا تَعِستْ تلكَ الوجوهُ وقُبِّحتْ

فما خُلقا إلّا لها التَّعسُ والقُبحُ

فما خُلقا إلّا لها التَّعسُ والقُبحُ

Ah, may those faces be wretched and made ugly!

Oh how miserable those faces became and how ugly

For misery and ugliness were created for them alone.

Created only for misery and ugliness for them

فيا وقعةً أنستْ وقيعةَ راهطٍ

فيا وقعةً أنستْ وقيعةَ راهطٍ

ويا عزمةً من دونِها البطنُ والنَّطحُ

ويا عزمةً من دونِها البطنُ والنَّطحُ

O battle that made the battle of Rahit fade from memory!

So what a calamity that erased the calamity of Rahat

And O resolve beneath which lie al-Batn and al-Nath!

And what resolve without which there is only paunch and goring

ويا ليلةً أبقتْ لنا العزَّ دهرَنا

ويا ليلةً أبقتْ لنا العزَّ دهرَنا

وذُلّاً على الأعداءِ جلَّ بهِ التَّرحُ

وذُلّاً على الأعداءِ جلَّ بهِ التَّرحُ

And O night that left us glory for all our days,

And what a night that left for us honor forever

And humiliation upon the foes, whose sorrow grew great thereby!

And humiliation upon the enemies, abundant with contempt

بدولةِ عبدِ اللَّهِ ذي العزِّ والتُّقَى

بدولةِ عبدِ اللَّهِ ذي العزِّ والتُّقَى

يُحبَّرُ في أدنَى مَقاماتهِ المَدْحُ

يُحبَّرُ في أدنَى مَقاماتهِ المَدْحُ

Under the rule of Abd Allah, possessed of glory and piety,

With the rule of Abdullah, of might and piety

Praise is richly wrought for even his least deeds.

Its praise in his lowest positions is inspired