لَعَمري لَقَد قامَ الأَصَمُّ بِخُطبَةٍ

لَها في صُدورِ المُسلِمينَ غَليلُ

By my life! The deaf man has given a sermon

That stirs gloom in the hearts of Muslims

لَعَمري لَئِن أَعطَيتُ سُفيانَ بيعَتي

وَفارَقتُ ديني إِنَّني لَجَهولُ

By my life! If I gave allegiance to Sufyan

And forsook my religion, I would be ignorant

إِلى اللَهِ أَشكو ما تَرى بِجِيادِنا

تَساوُكَ هَزلى مُخَّهُنَّ قَليلُ

To God I complain of what you see in our steeds

Weakened by equal rationing, only a few

تَعاوَرَها القُذّافُ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ

بِقَومَسَ حَتّى صَعبُهُنَّ ذَلولُ

Assailed by the archers from every side

Until their vigor turned to frailty

فَإِن يَكُ أَفناها الحِصارُ فَرُبَّما

تَشَحَّطَ فيما بَينَهُنَّ قَتيلُ

If the siege should waste them away, then perhaps

Amidst them a precious martyr may fall

قَتيلٌ عَزيزٌ في العَشيرَةِ فَقدُهُ

يَوَدّونَ لَو يَشرونَهُ بِبَديلُ

A dear loss to the clan, whose absence

They would ransom with any substitute

وَقَد كِدنَ مِمّا أَن يُقَدنَ مِنَ الوَجى

لَهُنَّ بِأَبوابِ القِبابِ صَهيلُ

And they were almost led by fervor

To neigh at the tent flaps with zeal

فَيا نَفسُ صَبراً كُلُّ ما حُمَّ واقِعٌ

وَلَيسَ إِلى ما تَعلَمينَ سَبيلُ

So O soul, patience, all that is destined comes

And there is no way to what you know

وَقَومي إِلى دُروازِقِ الحِصنِ فَاِنظُري

إِلى خَندَقٍ فيهِ الحِصارُ طَويلُ

And rise to the keep's embrasures and look

Upon a trench in which the siege is long