أَقولُ لابراهيمَ لما لَقيتُهُ

أَرى الأَمرَ أَمسى مُنصِباً مُتَشَعِّباً

I say to Ibrahim when I met him,

I see the matter has become complex and multifaceted.

تجهَّز وَأَسرِع وَالحَق الجَيشَ لا أَرى

سِوى الجَيشِ إِلّا في المَهالِكِ مَذهَبا

Prepare and hurry and join the army, I do not see

Salvation except in the army or in ruin.

تَخَيَّر فَأَمّا أَن تَزورَ ابنَ ضابىءٍ

عُمَيراً وَإِمّا أَن تَزورَ المُهَلَّبا

Make your choice, either you visit the son of Dhabi

Umayr or you visit Al-Muhallab.

هما خُطَّتا خَسفٍ نَجاؤُكَ منهما

رُكوبُكَ حَوليّاً مِن الثَلجِ أَشهَبا

Both are the terrain of quicksand, your survival from them

Is your riding around the gray-haired from the ice.

فَما أَن أَرى الحُجَّاجَ يَغمِدُ سَيفَهُ

يَدَ الدَهرِ حَتّى يتركَ الطِفلَ أَشيَبا

I do not see Al-Hajjaj sheathing his sword,

The hand of fate, until he leaves the youngster gray-haired.

فَأَضحى وَلَو كانَت خُراسانُ دونَهُ

رآها مَكانَ السُوقِ أَو هيَ أَقرَبا

He became as if Khorasan were in front of him

Or even closer than the marketplace.

فَكائِن تَرى مِن مُكرِهِ العدوٍ مُسمِنٍ

تَحَمَّمَ حِنوَ السَرجِ حَتّى تَجنَبّا

You will see the enemy's hatred do something hateful,

Bearing the saddle-bags until he avoids.