لَنِعْمَ فَتَى الحَيَّيِنْ عَمْرو بْنِ مُحْصِنِ

إذا صائِحُ الحَيّ المُصْبِّحُ ثَوَّبَا

What a fine young man of the two clans, Amr son of Muhsin,

When the hay-caller of the clan shouts at dawn,

إذا الخَيْل جَالَتْ بَيْنَها قِصَدُ الْقَنَا

يُثِرْنَ عَجَاجاً سَاطِعاً مُتَنَصّبا

When the horses parade between them straight towards the lances,

Stirring up a clatter, towering, bristling.

لَقَدْ فُجِعَ الأنْصَارُ طُرَّا بِسَيِّدِ

أخي ثِقَةٍ في الصَّالحِينَ مُجَرَّبَا

The Helpers were profoundly grieved by the loss of their chief,

My brother, tried and true among the virtuous.

فَيَا رُبَّ خَيْرِ قَدْ أفَدْتَ وَجَفْنَةِ

مَلأْتَ وَقِرْنٍ قَدْ تَرَكْتَ مُخَيَّبَا

So, Lord of what is best, You have granted success,

And filled the empty saddle that You left deprived.

وَيَا رُبَّ خَصْمٍ قَدْ رَدَدْتَ بِغَيْطهِ

فَآبَ ذَلِيلاً بَعْدَ مَا كَانَ مُغْضَبَا

And Lord of an adversary, You have repelled him with his error,

So he turned away humbled, when he had been enraged,

وَرَايَةِ مَجْدٍ قَدْ حَمَلْتَ وَغَزْوَةٍ

شَهِدْتَ إذا النَّكْسُ الْجَبَانُ تَهَيَّبَا

And the banner of glory You carried, and a raid

You witnessed when the coward winced and shuddered with fear.

حَووطاً عَلَى جُلّ الْعَشِيرَةِ مَاجِداً

وَلَمْ يَك في الأنْصَارِ نِكْساً مُؤَنَّبَا

A protector of his noble clan, no base man was he,

No turn-tail among the Helpers reproached and vilified.

طَوِيلَ عَمُود الْمجَدِ رَحْباً فِنَاؤْه

خَصِيباً إذا مَا رَائِدُ الْحَيّ أجْدَبَا

The pillar of glory was tall, its courtyard spacious,

Fertile when the clan's guide went thirsty.

عَظِيمَ رَمَادِ النارِ لَمْ يَك فَاحِشاً

وَلاَ فَشِلاً يَوْمَ الْقِتَالِ مُغَلَّبَا

Mighty sparks from the fire were no disgrace to him,

No weakness on the day of battle, defeated.

وَكُنْتَ رَبيعاً يَنْفَع النَّاسَ سَيْبُه

وَسَيْفاً جُزَاراً بَاتِكَ الحَدّ مُقْصَبَا

You were a spring whose swords brought benefit to people,

And a slaughtering sword whose sharp edge was whetted.

مَتَى يَك مَسْروراً بِقَتْلِ ابنِ مُحْصِنٍ

فَعَاشَ شَقِيَّا ثُمَّ مَاتَ مُعَذَّبَا

When can he be glad at killing Muhsin's son,

So he lives wretched, then dies tormented?

وَغُودِرَ مُنْكَبَّا لِفِيهِ وَوَجْهِهِهِ

يُعَالجُ رُمْحاً ذَا سِنَانٍ وَثَعْلَبَا

His shoulder was stabbed, and his cheek,

As he confronted a spear with sharp point and blade.

فَإِنْ تَقْتُلُوا الحُرَّ الكَرِيمَ ابْنَ مُحْصِنٍ

فَنَحْن قَتَلْنَا ذَا الكُلاَعِ وَحَوْشَبَا

If you kill the free man, the noble son of Muhsin,

Then we killed Dhu'l-Kula and Hawshab too.

وإنْ تَقْتُلُوا ابْنَيْ بَدِيلٍ وهَاشماً

فَنَحْن تَرَكْنَا مِنْكُمْ القَرْنَ أعضَبَا

If you kill the two sons of Badil and Hashim,

Then we left amongst you the fork-horned bull.

وَنَحْنُ تَرَكْنَا حِمْيَراً فِي صفُوفِكُم

لَدَى المْوْتِ صَرْعَى كَالنَّخِيلِ مُشَذَّبَا

And we left donkeys amongst your ranks

As corpses by death, felled like date palms.

وَأفْلَتَنَا تَحْتَ الأسِنَّةِ مَرْثَدٌ

وَكَانَ قَدِيمَاً فِي الفِرَارِ مُجَرِّبَا

And Murthid slipped through beneath the spear-hafts,

A veteran from way back at deserting.

وَنَحْن تَرَكْنَا عِنْدَ مُخْتَلَفِ القَنَا

أَخَاكُمْ عُبَيْدَ اللهِ لَحْماً مُلَحَّبَا

While by the parting of lances we left

Your brother Ubaydullah as shredded meat.

بِصِفِّينَ لَمَّا ارْفَضَّ عَنْه صفُوفُكُمْ

وَوَجْه ابْنِ عَتَّابِ تَرَكْنَاه مُلْعَبَا

With lines of men when your ranks recoiled from him

And Ibn Atta's face we left as a playing field.

وَطَلْحَةَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الزبَيْرِ وَلَمْ نَدَعْ

لِضَبَّةَ فِي الْهَيجَا عَرِيفاً وَمَنْكِبَا

And after Zubayr, Talha, whom we did not spare,

Nor leave for the hyena a sergeant or shoulder.

وَنَحْن أحَطْنا بالبَعِيرِ وَأهْلِهِ

وَنَحْن سَقَيْنَاكُمْ سِمَاماً مُقَشَّبَا

And we surrounded the camel and its rider,

And we gave you poisoned drink, pure and unsullied.