تَأَنَّ وَلا تَعجَل عَلَينا اِبنَ مَعمَرٍ

فَلَستَ وَإِن أَكثَرتَ مِثلَ المُهَلَّبِ

Be patient, do not hurry against us, son of Ma`mar

For you are not, even if you increase, like the confused one

وَلا لَكَ في الحَربِ المُلِحَّةِ خُطَّةٌ

وَلا لَكَ مَن يُفديكَ بِالأُمِّ وَالأَبِ

And you have no war tactic in fierce war

Nor do you have anyone who can save you with a mother or father

كَما كانَت الأَحياءُ طُرّاً تَقولُهُ

لَهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ مُستَحيلٍ عَصَبصَبِ

As the living used to chirp to him

Every impossible day he faces adversity

فَلَو غَيرَنا يَلقى لَقالَ لَنا اِذهَبوا

وَلَو غَيرَهُ نَلقى لَقُلنا لَهُ اِذهَبِ

So if it were other than us who meet, he would say to us, “Go!”

And if it were other than him we meet, we would say to him, “Go!”

وَلكِن مُنينا بِالحَفيظَةِ كُلُّنا

جِلاداً وَطَعناً بِالوَشيجِ المُعَلَّبِ

But we have all been afflicted with chronic misfortune

Lashing and stabbing with a worn out, broken spear

كَذلِكَ كُنّا كُلُّنا يا اِبنَ مَعمَرٍ

وَأَنتَ كَبَيتِ العَنكَبوتِ المُذَبذَبِ

That is how we all were, O son of Ma`mar

While you are like a spider's fragile web

فَإِن رَمُتَها مِنّا وَلَستَ بَفاعِلٍ

رَكِبتَ بِها مِن حَربِنا شَرَّ مَركَبِ

So if you throw it at us, and you will not do it

You will embark with it the worst of our battles

فَلَسنا بِأَنكاسٍ قِصارٍ رِماحُنا

وَلا نَحنُ نَخشى وَثبَةَ المُتَوَثِّبِ

For our spears are not short or blunt

Nor are we afraid of the attack of the attacker

وَلَسنا نَقولُ الدَهرَ عِصمَةُ أَمرِنا

عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ كانَ طاعَةُ مُصعَبِ

And we do not say time is the protection of our matter

In every situation, it was the obedience of Mu`sab

وَلكِن نَقولُ الحُكمُ لِلَّهِ وَحدَهُ

وَبِاللَهِ نَرضى وَالنَبِيِّ المُقَرَّبِ

Rather we say, judgment is for God alone

And in God we are content and the blessed Prophet