وَكانَت شِفاءَ النَفسِ مِمَّا أَصابَها

غَدَاتَئِذٍ لَو نِلتُ بِالسَيفِ أَدرَعا

And it was the healing of the soul from what had befallen it

It would have been the soul's cure for its affliction,

Then it would have been, had I obtained armor by the sword

That morning, had I reached Adra'a with my sword.

وأُقسِمُ لَو أَدرَكتُهُ لَكَسَوتُهُ

حُساماً إِذا ما خالَطَ العَظمَ أَسرَعا

And I swear, had I reached him, I would have clothed him

And I swear, had I overtaken him, I would have clad him

With a sword, when it penetrates the bone, most swift

In a sharp blade that hastens when it meets the bone.