أَلا هَلَ اتاكَ وَالأَنباءُ تُنمى

بِما لاقَت بَجيلَةُ بِالمَذارِ

Has the news reached you, of what Bajila faced,

At the hands of spears, thrust with force at midday?

أُتيحَ لَهُم بِها ضَربٌ طِلَخفٌ

وَطَعنٌ صائِبٌ وَجهَ النَهارِ

It was as if a thundercloud had struck them,

And drenched them thoroughly with heavy rain.

كَأَنَّ سَحابَةً صَعَقَت عَلَيهِم

فَعَمَّتهُم هُنالِكَ بِالمَذارِ

So give glad tidings to the followers of al-Mukhtar,

Whenever you pass by al-Kufa and its youth.

فَبَشِّرِ شيعَةَ المُختارِ إِمّا

مَرَرتَ عَلى الكُوَيفَةِ بِالصَغارِ

It gladdened my eyes, their fallen heroes,

A horde to be slain across the desert sands.

أَقَرَّ العَينَ صَرعاهُم وَفَلٌ

لَهُم جَمٌ يُقَتَّلُ بِالصَحاري

And it is not that their ruin brought me joy,

Though they were your enemies of high renown.

وَما إِن سَرَّني إِهلاكُ قَومي

وَإِن كانوا وَجَدِّكَ في خِيارِ

But I rejoiced at the humiliation Abu Is'haq now suffers,

Total disgrace and shame cast over him.

وَلَكِنّي سُرِرتُ بِما يُلاقي

أَبو إِسحاقَ مِن خِزيٍ وَعارِ

Nor did I grieve for their rich and their poor,

And what befell them in that violent fray.

وَما إِن ساءَني ما كانَ مِنهُم

لَدى الإعسارَ مِنهُم وَاليَسارِ

But I was glad, my sleep was sweet,

As their killing brought peace and comfort to my soul.

وَلَكِنّي فَرِحتُ وَطابَ نَومي

وَقَرَّ لَقَتلِهِم مِنّي قَراري