أَلَستَ أَمينَ اللَهِ سَيفُكَ نَقمَةٌ

إِذا ماقَ يَوماً في خِلافِكَ مائِقُ

Are you not the avenger of God, your sword wrath

Are you not God's trustee, whose sword is retribution,

If one day it flashes in your disagreement, vanishing

Whenever a fool plays the fool in opposing you?

فَكَيفَ بِإِسماعيلَ يَسلَمُ مِثلُهُ

عَلَيكَ وَلَم يَسلَم عَلَيكَ مُنافِقُ

How then can Ishmael be safe from the like of him

How then does Ismail—one such as he—remain safe

Upon you when the hypocrite was not safe upon you

From your reach, when no hypocrite has ever survived you?

أُعيذُكَ بِالرَحمَنِ مِن شَرِّ كاتِبٍ

لَهُ قَلَمٌ زانٍ وَآخَرُ سارِقُ

I seek refuge for you in the Merciful from the evil of a writer

I seek the Merciful's protection for you from a wicked scribe,

Who has a wanton pen and another a thief

Who wields a pen that commits adultery, and another that thieves.

أُحَيمِرَ عادٍ إِنَّ لِلسَيفِ وِقعَةً

بِرَأسِكَ فَانظُر بَعدَها ما تُوافِقُ

I incite the perishing of Aad, indeed the sword has an impact

O little redhead of 'Ad, indeed the sword has a strike

Upon your head so look after it, what will agree with you

Destined for your head, so look to what fate you shall meet.

تَجَهَّز جِهازَ البَرمَكِيِّنَ وَانتَظِر

بَقِيَّةَ لَيلٍ صُبحُهُ بِكَ لاحِقُ

Prepare the equipment of the Parthians and wait

Prepare your affairs as the Barmakids did, and wait

For the remainder of a night whose morning will overtake you

For the remnant of a night whose dawn is rushing to claim you.