أَبى قَومُنا إِلاّ الفِرارَ وَمَن تَكُن
هَوَازِنُ مَولاهُ مِنَ الناسِ يُظلَمِ
Our people insisted on fleeing, and whoever
Had Hawazin as allies was wronged by men.
أَغارَ عَلَينا جَمعُهُم بَينَ ظالِمٍ
وَبَينَ ابنِ عَمٍّ كاذِبِ الودِّ أَيهَمِ
Their army attacked us, between an unjust man
And a cousin who betrayed his loyalty.
كِلابٌ وَما تَفعَل كِلابٌ فَإِنَّها
وَكَعبٌ سَراةَ البَيتِ ما لَم تَهَدِّمِ
They're dogs, and dogs just behave as dogs do
And Ka'b, who destroyed his house's sanctuary.
فَإِن كانَ هذا صُنعُكُم فَتَجَرَّدوا
لَأَلفَينِ مِنّا حاسِرٍ وَمُلأَمِ
If this is how you act, then strip yourselves
For two thousand embittered, blameworthy foes,
وَحَربٍ إِذا المَرءُ السَمينُ تَمَرَّسَت
بِأَعطافِهِ بِالسَيفِ لَم يَتَرَمرَمِ
And for war, when the fat man is well-armed
With weapons, his sword won't weaken or bend.
وَلَم أَحتَسِب سُفيانَ حَتّى لَقيتُهُ
عَلى مَأقِطٍ إِذ بَينَنا عِطرُ مَنشِمِ
I didn't expect Sufyan until I met him
In Maqit, when the scent of musk was shed.
فَقُلتُ وَقَد صاحَ النِساءُ خِلالَهُم
لِخَيلِيَ شُدِّي إِنَّهُم قَومُ لَهذَمِ
I said, as the women screamed amongst them,
"My horsemen, charge them - they're ripe to be crushed!"
فَما كانَ تَهليلٌ لَدُن أَن رَمَيتُهُم
بِزِرَّةَ رَكضاً حاسِراً غَيرَ مُلجَمِ
From when I shot them with a quiver's arrows
Galloping and routing them, unrestrained,
إِذا هِيَ صَدَّت نَحرَها عَن سَبيلِها
أُقَدِّمُها حَتّى تَنَعَّلَ بِالدَمِ
When it shied from its path, I spurred it on
Until it was shod by their blood.
وَما زالَ مِنهُم رائِغٌ عَن سَبيلِها
وَآخَرُ يَهوي لِليَدَينِ وَلِلفَمِ
One after another veered from their paths
While others dove for hands and mouths.
لَدُن غُدوةً حَتّى اُستُبيحوا عَشِيَّةً
وَذَلُّوا فَكانوا لُحمَةَ المُتَلَحِّمِ
From dawn until they were ravaged by dusk
And humbled, as chunks for the feeder to chew.
فَآبوا بِها عُرفاً وَأَلقَيتُ كَلكَلي
عَلى بَطَلٍ شاكي السِلاحِ مُكَلَّمِ
So they returned, recognizeable by landmarks,
As I tossed my anklets over a weakened warrior.
وَلَن يَمنَعَ الأَقوامَ إِلاّ مُشايِحٌ
يُطارِدُ في الأَرضِ الفَضاءِ وَيَرتَمي
Only intrepid raiders can stop these people,
Pursuing on bare land and hurling themselves.
