أَمِن طَلَلٍ بِمَدفَعِ ذي طِلالٍ

أَمِن طَلَلٍ بِمَدفَعِ ذي طِلالٍ

أَمَحَّ جَديدَهُ قِدَمُ اللَيالي

أَمَحَّ جَديدَهُ قِدَمُ اللَيالي

Is it for a ruined campsite at the outflow of Dhu Tilal,

From the ruins with echoing cannon

whose freshness the passing nights have effaced,

The nights have erased its features

بَكَيتَ وَما بُكا رَجُلٍ حَزينٍ

بَكَيتَ وَما بُكا رَجُلٍ حَزينٍ

عَلى رَبعَينِ مَسلوبٍ وَبالي

عَلى رَبعَينِ مَسلوبٍ وَبالي

that you wept? And what avails a sorrowful man's weeping

You wept, no sorrowful man wept

over two dwellings, one stripped bare, one worn away?

For two abandoned quarters and misfortune

وَمَوماةٍ يَحارُ الطَّرفُ فيها

وَمَوماةٍ يَحارُ الطَّرفُ فيها

صَموتِ اللَيلِ طامِسَةِ الجِبالِ

صَموتِ اللَيلِ طامِسَةِ الجِبالِ

And in a wilderness where the gaze is bewildered,

And a love that confuses the eyes

silent at night, its mountains indistinct,

The silent night enveloping the mountains

مَنَنّاهُنَّ بِالإِدلاجِ حَتّى

مَنَنّاهُنَّ بِالإِدلاجِ حَتّى

كَأَنَّ مُتونَهُنَّ عِصِيُّ ضالِ

كَأَنَّ مُتونَهُنَّ عِصِيُّ ضالِ

we wore them down with night travel, until

We entertained them with nightfall until

their backs were like staves of wild lote wood.

Their bodies seemed like lost sticks

لَعَمرُكَ ما سُيوفُ بَني عَليٍّ

لَعَمرُكَ ما سُيوفُ بَني عَليٍّ

بِنابِيَةِ الظُباةِ وَلا كِلالِ

بِنابِيَةِ الظُباةِ وَلا كِلالِ

By your life, the swords of Ali's sons

By your life, the swords of the Ali's sons

have no edges that fail to bite, nor are they blunt.

Are not with the zebras nor tiredness

هُمُ القَومُ الأُلى وَرِثوا أَباهُم

هُمُ القَومُ الأُلى وَرِثوا أَباهُم

تُراثَ مُحَمَّدٍ غَيرَ إِنتِحالِ

تُراثَ مُحَمَّدٍ غَيرَ إِنتِحالِ

They are the people who inherited from their father

They are the finest people who inherited their father

Muhammad's legacy, without any false claim.

The inheritance of Muhammad without falsehood

وَهُم تَرَكوا المَقالَ لَنا رَفيعاً

وَهُم تَرَكوا المَقالَ لَنا رَفيعاً

وَما تَرَكوا عَلَيهِم مِن مَقالِ

وَما تَرَكوا عَلَيهِم مِن مَقالِ

And they left us lofty words to speak,

And they left the speech for us high

and left nothing to be said against them.

And they left no speech against them

حَذَوتُم قَومَكُم ما قَد حَذَوتُم

حَذَوتُم قَومَكُم ما قَد حَذَوتُم

كَما يُحذى المِثالُ عَلى المِثالِ

كَما يُحذى المِثالُ عَلى المِثالِ

You have dealt your people what you have dealt,

You have emulated your people as you have emulated

as one pattern is cut to match another.

As the example is emulated by the example

فَرُدّوا في جِراحِكُم أَساكُم

فَرُدّوا في جِراحِكُم أَساكُم

فَقَد أَبلَغتُمُ مُرَّ النَكالِ

فَقَد أَبلَغتُمُ مُرَّ النَكالِ

So direct your healing back to your wounds,

So return your swords in your wounds

for you have dealt out bitter punishment to the full.

For you have reached the peak of agony