أَشِدَّةٌ ما أَراهُ مِنكَ أَم كَرَمُ

تَجودُ بِالنَفسِ وَالأَرواحُ تُصطَلَمُ

Such severity I see from you, or nobility?

You give your soul and lives are ransomed.

يا باذِلَ النَفسِ وَالأَموالِ مُبتَسِماً

أَما يَهولُكَ لامَوتٌ وَلا عَدَمُ

O you who smiles when giving soul and wealth -

Does not death or non-existence frighten you?

لَقَد ظَنَنتُكَ بَينَ الجَحفَلَينِ تَرى

أَنَّ السَلامَةَ مِن وَقعِ القَنا تَصِمُ

I thought you’d see, between the two armies

That safety from the spears cannot be guaranteed.

نَشَدتُكَ اللَهَ لاتَسمَح بِنَفسِ عُلاً

حَياةُ صاحِبِها تَحيا بِها الأُمَمُ

I implore you by God, do not be reckless with your exalted soul

A leader’s life gives life to the nations.

هِيَ الشَجاعَةُ إِلّا أَنَّها سَرَفٌ

وَكُلُّ فَضلِكَ لاقَصدٌ وَلا أَمَمُ

True courage, except going too far

And all your excess has no purpose or resolve.

إِذا لَقيتَ رِقاقَ البيضِ مُنفَرِداً

تَحتَ العَجاجَةِ لَم تُستَكثَرِ الخَدَمُ

If you meet the slender white blades alone

Under the turban, maidens won’t be too many.

تَفدي بِنَفسِكَ أَقواماً صَنَعتَهُمُ

وَكانَ حَقُّهُمُ أَن يَفتَدوكَ هُمُ

You ransom with your soul people you’ve created

When it was their right to give their souls for you.

وَمَن يُقاتِلُ مَن تَلقى القِتالَ بِهِ

وَلَيسَ يَفضُلُ عَنكَ الخَيلُ وَالبُهُمُ

And who fights those you went to fight

Without cavalry or armies excelling over you?

تَضِنُّ بِالحَربِ عَنّا ضَنَّ ذي بُخَلٍ

وَمِنكَ في كُلِّ حالٍ يُعرَفُ الكَرَمُ

You’re stingy with war on our behalf, stingy like a miser

While your nobility is known in every situation.

لاتَبخَلَنَّ عَلى قَومٍ إِذا قُتِلوا

أَثنى عَلَيكَ بَنو الهَيجاءِ دونَهُمُ

Do not be miserly to a people, when they are killed

While the sons of Hayjaa extol you, not them.

أُلبِستَ مالَبِسوا أُركِبتَ مارَكِبوا

عُرِّفتَ ماعَرَفوا عُلِّمتَ ماعَلِموا

You were dressed in what they wore, rode what they rode

Learned what they learned, taught what they were taught

كَما أُريتَ بِبيضٍ أَنتَ واهِبُها

عَلى خُيولِكَ خاضوا البَحرَ وَهوَ دَمُ

As you were shown with whites you granted

Through your horses they rode the bloody sea.

هُمُ الفَوارِسُ في أَيديهِمُ أَسَلٌ

فَإِن رَأَوكَ فَأُسدٌ وَالقَنا أَجَمُ

They're the horsemen, in their hands are blades -

For if they saw you a lion, and the spears a thicket.

قالوا المَسيرُ فَهَزَّ الرِمحُ عامِلَهُ

وَاِرتاحَ في جَفنِهِ الصَمصامَةُ الخَذِمُ

They said, "March!" so the spear shook its implement

And the stubborn eyelid rested in its socket.

وَطالَبَتني بِما ساءَ العُداةَ يَدٌ

عَوَّدتُها ماتَشاءُ الذِئبُ وَالرَخَمُ

And a hand that vexed the enemies asked me

What I've taught it the wolf and wild beasts desire.

حَقّاً لَقَد ساءَني أَمرٌ ذُكِرتُ لَهُ

لَولا فِراقُكَ لَم يوجَد لَهُ أَلَمُ

Indeed, an issue that saddened me was mentioned

If not for parting from you, it would not have pained me.

لا تَشغَلَنّي بِأَمرِ الشامِ أَحرُسُهُ

إِنَّ الشَآمَ عَلى مَن حَلَّهُ حَرَمُ

Do not distract me with the issue of Damascus, I’ll protect it

Indeed, Damascus is forbidden to whoever wrongs it.

فَإِنَّ لِلثَغرِ سوراً مِن مَهابَتِهِ

صُحورُهُ مِن أَعادي أَهلِهِ قِمَمُ

For the land has a wall from its awe

Its strongholds are its people's enemies' skulls.

لا يَحرِمَنِّيَ سَيفُ الدينِ صُحبَتَهُ

فَهيَ الحَياةُ الَّتي تَحيا بِها النَسَمُ

Let not the Sword of the Faith deprive me of his company

It's the life by which breath lives.

وَما اِعتَرَضتُ عَلَيهِ في أَوامِرِهِ

لَكِن سَأَلتُ وَمِن عاداتِهِ نَعَمُ

I did not object to his orders

But asked, and generosity is among his qualities.