1. إِنَّما فازَت قِداحُ المَنايا

    يَومَ حازَت خَصلَها بِتَنوفا

    Death's lottery-arrows won only

    on the day they claimed their prize at Tanufa,

  2. يَومَ قالَت لِلرَدى اِستَقصِ حَظّي

    يَومَ لَم تَصطَفِ إِلّا الشَريفا

    the day they said to doom: claim my whole share,

    the day they chose none but the noble.

  3. وَصُنِ التالدَ مَجداً وَعِزّاً

    إِنَّ عَجزاً أَن تَصونَ الطَريفا

    And preserve the inherited in glory and might;

    it is weakness to preserve the newly acquired.

  4. واحِدٌ أَفضَلُ مِن أَلفِ أَلفٍ

    فَخُذِ الواحِدَ وَاِسفِ الأُلوفا

    One is better than a thousand thousand:

    so take the one and scatter the thousands.

  5. إِنَّما اِنهَضَّت هِضابُ المَعالي

    وَاِكتَسَت أَقمارُهُنَّ الخُسوفا

    Only then were the mountains of high honor shattered,

    and their moons clothed in eclipse,

  6. يَومَ سَقى الدَهرُ أَرواحَ قَومي

    تَحتَ ظِلِّ الخافِقاتِ الحُتوفا

    when Time gave my people's souls to drink

    death beneath the shade of fluttering banners.

  7. عَجَباً مِن جرأَةِ المَوتِ إِذ لَم

    يَنقَمِع عَنهُم مَروعاً مَخوفا

    How astonishing Death's boldness, that it did not

    recoil from them, terrified though itself feared!

  8. فَقدُهُم هَدَّ مِنَ المَجدِ رُكناً

    كانَ عَمرُ اللَهِ صَعباً مَنيفا

    Their loss demolished a pillar of glory

    that, by God's life, was impregnable and lofty.

  9. فَقدُهُم غادَرَ ما رَوَّضَتهُ

    هَضَباتُ الجودِ قلّاً قَصيفا

    Their loss left what had been made verdant

    by the hills of generosity meager and shattered.

  10. فَقدُهُم غادَرَ ما شَمِلَتهُ

    نَفَحاتُ العرفِ حُزناً حَليفا

    Their loss left what had been embraced

    by breezes of kindness inseparably bound to grief.

  11. فَقدُهُم غادَرَ مِن بَعدِ لينٍ

    خَفضَ عَيشِ الناسِ فَظّاً عَنيفا

    Their loss, after its gentleness, left

    people's easy living harsh and violent.

  12. إِنَّ بِالرَوضَةِ عِصوادَ حَربٍ

    قَطَّعَت فيهِ السُيوفُ السُيوفا

    Indeed, at al-Rawda there was a tumult of war

    in which swords hacked swords apart.

  13. طَفِقَت تَجدَعُ فيهِ رِجالُ ال

    أزدِ جَهلاً بِالأَكُفِّ الأُنوفا

    There, the men of the Azd began to cut off

    noses with their hands, in folly.

  14. حُكِّمَ المَوتُ فَضَمَّ إِلى الس

    سادَةِ المَحيضِ لَفاءً لَفيفا

    Death was made arbiter, and joined to the

    pure-born chiefs a motley rabble.

  15. يا لَهُ مِن مُستَكَفِّ حِمامٍ

    واجَهَت فيهِ الصُفوفُ الصُفوفا

    What a ring of death it was,

    where ranks confronted ranks!

  16. سَدَلَ النَقعُ عَلَيهِم سُجوفاً

    هَتَكَت فيهِ الرَدايا السُجوفا

    Dust drew curtains over them;

    there, deadly blows tore those curtains apart.

  17. فَتَرى الأَرواحَ تُجتَثُّ سَوقاً

    وَتَرى فيهِ المَنايا وُقوفا

    You would see souls uprooted and driven off,

    and see the fates standing there.

  18. صارَ مِن صَوبِ الدِماءِ رَبيعاً

    صارَ مِن كَيِّ الضِرابِ مَصيفا

    From the downpour of blood it became spring;

    from the searing sword-blows it became summer.

  19. ما اِنجَلى حَتّى اِكتَسَت مِن دُجاهُ

    بَهجَةُ الأَرضِ ظَلاماً كَثيفا

    It did not clear until, from its gloom,

    the earth's splendor had donned thick darkness.

  20. تَرَكَ الدَهرُ وساعَ المَعالي

    بَعدَ شَيخِ الأَزدِ نَصرٍ قطوفا

    Time left the far-striding glories

    slow of step after Nasr, chief of the Azd.

  21. يا سُوَيدَ بنَ سراةٍ تَرَقَّب

    ضَربَةً تَجتَثُّ مِنكَ الصَليفا

    Suwayd ibn Sarat, await

    a blow that tears away the side of your neck.

  22. قَد كَفاكَ النُجحُ يَوماً

    تَتَرُكُ الصاحِيَ مِنهُ نَزيفا

    Success has spared you a day

    that leaves the sober man reeling.

  23. وَاِبنُ مِنهالٍ سَعيدٌ سَيُسقى

    بِظُباةِ البيضِ سُمّاً مَدوفا

    And Sa'id ibn Minhal shall be made to drink

    from bright sword-edges a blended poison,

  24. مِثلَ ما مَدَّت يَداهُ اِختِلاساً

    لِفَتى الشَيخَينِ نَصلاً نَجيفا

    just as his hands stealthily thrust

    a broad blade at the young man of the two elders.

  25. إِن تَكُن أَسلافُ قَومي تَوَلّوا

    فَلَقَد أَبقَوا أُناساً خُلوفا

    If my people's forebears have passed away,

    they have surely left people to succeed them.

  26. سَنُجاري الوِترَ بِالسَفحِ حَتّى

    يَدَعَ الصِنفُ لَدَيهِم صُنوفا

    We shall match the blood-debt with bloodshed until

    one kind leaves them with kinds manifold.

  27. عَكَفَ الدَمعُ عَلى كُلِّ عَينٍ

    رَأَتِ الطَيرَ عَلَيهِم عُكوفا

    Tears lingered in every eye

    that saw birds gathered over them.

  28. كَيفَ لا نَأسى عَلَيهِم لِحَربٍ

    تَتَحَدّى بِالزُحوفِ الزُحوفا

    How could we not mourn them in a war

    that challenges advancing armies with advancing armies?

  29. كَيفَ لا نَأسى عَلَيهِم لِعانٍ

    عَصَّبَ الأَركان مِنهُ الرَصيفا

    How could we not mourn them for a captive

    whose sturdy limbs have been tightly bound?

  30. كَيفَ لا نَأسى عَلَيهِم لِخَطبٍ

    تَجِفُ الأَكبادُ مِنهُ وَجيفا

    How could we not mourn them in a calamity

    that sets livers violently throbbing?

  31. كَيفَ لا نَأسى عَلَيهِم إِذا ما

    أَلجَأَ الخَوفُ المُضافَ اللَهيفا

    How could we not mourn them whenever

    fear drives the hard-pressed, anguished man to seek refuge?

  32. عَجَباً لِلأَرضِ كَيفَ طَوَتهُم

    في الثَرى الغامِضِ طَيّاً لَطيفا

    How strange of the earth—how it folded them

    gently into its deep, hidden soil,

  33. وَهُمُ الهضبُ الشَوامِخُ عِزّاً

    وَهُمُ الأَبحُرُ سَيباً وَريفا

    though they were towering mountains in might,

    and seas of abundant bounty!

  34. أَبلِغا فَهماً وَإِن جَشَّمَتهُ

    حَلَقاتُ النكلِ مَشياً رَسيفا

    Tell Fahm, you two, though he has been forced

    by rings of fetters to walk in short, shackled steps.

  35. لاكَهُ نابُ المُبيرِ المُعادي

    مَرَّةً ضَغماً وَطَوراً صَريفا

    The hostile destroyer's fang has chewed him,

    now biting, now gnashing.

  36. وَهوَ قُطبُ الأَزدِ أَنّى اِستَدارَت

    شاءَ أَن يَعدِلَ أَو أَن يَحيفا

    Yet he is the pivot of the Azd, whichever way they turn,

    whether he chooses justice or oppression.

  37. أَفَلا تَعلَمُ راشِدُ أَن ذا الل

    لبِّ لا يُقدِمُ حَتّى يَطيفا

    Do you not know, Rashid, that a man of

    understanding does not advance until he has circled about?

  38. وَكَذاكَ الصَقر إِمّا تَعالى

    فَهوَ لا يَنحَطُّ حَتّى يَعيفا

    Likewise the falcon, when it rises high,

    does not swoop until it has circled above its prey.

  39. فَوِّقِ السَهمَ وَلا تَرمِ حَتّى

    تَعرِفَ النَزعَ لِكَي لا يَصيفا

    Nock the arrow, and do not shoot until

    you know the draw, so that it does not miss.

  40. إِن يَكُن يَومٌ تَصَدّى بِنَحسٍ

    فَلَعَلَّ السَعدَ يَأتي رَديفا

    If a day confronts you with ill fortune,

    perhaps good fortune will come riding behind it.

  41. أَو يَكُن ما اِنفَكَّ لَدغُ زَمانٍ

    فَعَساهُ أَن يَرُفَّ رَفيفا

    Or if Time's sting has not ceased,

    perhaps it will yet flutter gently.

  42. لا تُهَلِّلَن فَرُبَّت ريحٍ

    قَد قَفا مِنها النَسيمُ الهَيوفا

    Do not falter: many a wind

    has had a gentle breeze follow its scorching blast.

  43. لَيسَ يَومُ الرَوضَةِ الدَهرَ جَميعاً

    إِنَّ لِلأَيّامِ كَرّاً عَطوفا

    The day of al-Rawda is not all of time:

    the days have turns that come around again.

  44. جَرِّدِ العَزمَ وَشَمِّر لِيَومٍ

    يَترُكُ العارَ الثَقيلَ خَفيفا

    Unsheathe your resolve, and gird yourself for a day

    that makes heavy disgrace light.

  45. أَقُعودٌ وَالقُلوبُ تَلَظّى

    فَاِنبُذِ المِغفَرَ وَاِلبَس نَصيفا

    Would you sit idle while hearts blaze?

    Then cast off the helmet and put on a veil!

  46. لَيسَ يَنجو المُشمَئِزُّ بِكودِ الض

    ضالِ أَو يُدني إِلَيهِ الغَريفا

    The shrinking man cannot escape in the mounds of

    wild lote-trees, or by drawing a thicket close about him.