إِنَّما بَدرُ بنُ عَمّارٍ سَحابُ

هَطِلٌ فيهِ ثَوابٌ وَعِقابُ

Badr bin Ammar is but clouds

Truly, Badr ibn 'Ammar is but a heavy cloud,

Bearing reward and punishment rain.

Pouring down, bearing both bounty and retribution.

إِنَّما بَدرٌ رَزايا وَعَطايا

وَمَنايا وَطِعانٌ وَضِرابُ

Badr is but grace and gifts,

Badr is naught but calamities and bestowals,

And death, and pierce of lance, and strike of sword.

And fated deaths, and the thrust of spears, and the stroke of swords.

ما يُجيلُ الطَرفَ إِلّا حَمِدَتهُ

جُهدَها الأَيدي وَذَمَّتهُ الرِقابُ

Naught allures the eyes but his praise—

He never casts his glance but that he is praised

Arms exerted themselves in his deeds, necks blamed him.

By hands to their utmost, while severed necks blame him.

ما بِهِ قَتلُ أَعاديهِ وَلَكِن

يَتَّقي إِخلافَ ما تَرجو الذِئابُ

Not thereby he killed his foes, but

His intent is not merely the slaughter of his foes,

He fears breaking what wolves hope.

But he dreads disappointing the hopes of the scavenging wolves.

فَلَهُ هَيبَةُ مَن لا يُتَرَجّى

وَلَهُ جودُ مُرَجّىً لا يُهابُ

So he has the awe of the peerless one,

He commands the awe of one from whom no mercy is sought,

And the generosity of the hoped-for, the fearless one.

Yet offers the generosity of a savior who inspires no fear.

طاعِنُ الفُرسانِ في الأَحداقِ شَزراً

وَعَجاجُ الحَربِ لِلشَمسِ نِقابُ

Piercer of horsemen through the pupils—

He pierces the eyes of horsemen with a sidelong thrust,

Clamor of war to the sun a mask.

When the dust of war hangs as a veil across the sun.

باعِثُ النَفسِ عَلى الهَولِ الَّذي لَيـ

ـسَ لِنَفسٍ وَقَعَت فيهِ إِيابُ

Rouser of the soul to dreadful horrors

He drives the soul into the jaws of such terror,

From which no soul that meets them returns.

That no soul, once cast therein, ever finds return.

بِأَبي ريحُكَ لا نَرجِسُنا ذا

وَأَحاديثُكَ لا هَذا الشَرابُ

By my father, your wind—not our narcissi!

May my father be ransom for your scent, not this narcissus,

And your tales—not this wine!

And for the sweetness of your tales, not this wine.

لَيسَ بِالمُنكَرِ إِن بَرَّزتَ سَبقاً

غَيرُ مَدفوعٍ عَنِ السَبقِ العِرابُ

It is no disgrace if you displayed

It is no strange thing if you outstrip all others,

An uncatchable lead before the swift sand-riders.

For purebred steeds are never barred from taking the lead.