لِتَبْكِ العذارى مِن خَفاجَةَ نِسوةٌ

لِتَبْكِ العذارى مِن خَفاجَةَ نِسوةٌ

بماءِ شُؤونِ العَبْرةِ المُتَحدِّرِ

بماءِ شُؤونِ العَبْرةِ المُتَحدِّرِ

Let the maiden women of Khafāja weep

The virgins weep with the wailing of women

With the streaming water of their tear ducts.

With tears of sorrow overflowing

كأنَّ فتى الفتيانِ تَوبَةَ لَمْ يُنِخْ

كأنَّ فتى الفتيانِ تَوبَةَ لَمْ يُنِخْ

قلائصَ يَفْحَصْنَ الحَصى بالكراكرِ

قلائصَ يَفْحَصْنَ الحَصى بالكراكرِ

As though Tawba, the finest of youths, had never made

As if the best of all men, repentance itself

Young she-camels kneel, scraping the pebbles with their chest-pads.

Did not dry their shirts that scrape the pebbles

فإنْ تكُنِ القَتْلى بَواءً فإنَّكُمْ

فإنْ تكُنِ القَتْلى بَواءً فإنَّكُمْ

فتىً ما قَتلُتمْ آلَ عوفِ بنِ عامرِ

فتىً ما قَتلُتمْ آلَ عوفِ بنِ عامرِ

For if the slain are equal in requital, then you

If the slain are a disgrace, then you

Have slain a remarkable youth, O clan of ʿAwf ibn ʿĀmir:

Did not kill the best of Awf ibn Amir’s family

فتىً كان أحيا من فتاةٍ حييةٍ

فتىً كان أحيا من فتاةٍ حييةٍ

وأجرأَ من ليثٍ بخَفّانَ خادِرِ

وأجرأَ من ليثٍ بخَفّانَ خادِرِ

A youth who was more modest than a bashful maiden,

A man who was more alive than any lively girl

And bolder than a lion in its lair at Khaffān.

And bolder than a lion with broken canines