أَبى فَلا شَنَباً يَهوى وَلا فَلَجا
وَلا اِحوِراراً يُراعيهِ وَلا دَعَجا
He refused, no parting of lovers nor separation
No desertion to endure, no loss to bemoan
كَفى فَقَد فَرَّجَت عَنهُ عَزيمَتُهُ
ذاكَ الوَلوعَ وَذاكَ الشَوقَ فَاِنفَرَجا
His determination has relieved him already
Of that anguish and yearning, so they're gone
كانَت حَوادِثُ في موقانَ ما تَرَكَت
لِلخُرَّمِيَّةِ لا رَأساً وَلا ثَبَجا
The events in their settings have left
The poem no beginning, no end to intone
تَهَضَّمَت كُلَّ قَرمٍ كانَ مُهتَضِماً
وَفَتَّحَت كُلَّ بابٍ كانَ مُرتَتِجا
Every fate that seemed sealed has come undone
And every closed door is now open thrown
أَبلِغ مُحَمَّداً المُلقي كَلاكِلَهُ
بِأَرضٍ خُشَّ أَمامَ القَومِ قَد لُبِجا
Inform Muhammad who meets every challenge head on
With a land that lays prostate at his people's feet prone
ما سَرَّ قَومَكَ أَن تَبقى لَهُم أَبَداً
وَأَنَّ غَيرَكَ كانَ اِستَنزَلَ الكَذَجا
It did not please your tribe for you to remain
While another usurped what was yours to condone
لَمّا قَرا الناسُ ذاكَ الفَتحَ قُلتُ لَهُم
وَقائِعٌ حَدِّثوا عَنها وَلا حَرَجا
When people heard of your victory, I said to them
"Speak of it freely, conceal not what is known."
أَضاءَ سَيفُكَ لَمّا اِجتُثَّ أَصلُهُمُ
ما كانَ مِن جانِبَي تِلكَ البِلادِ دَجا
When your sword uprooted them entirely
No trace remained in that region to be shown
مِن بَعدِ ما غودِرَت أُسدُ العَرينِ بِهِ
يَتبَعنَ قَسراً رَعاعَ الفِتنَةِ الهَمَجا
When the lion was felled in his very lair
The rabble of discord were forced to disown
لا تَعدَمَنَّ بَنو نَبهانَ قاطِبَةً
مَشاهِداً لَكَ أَمسَت في العُلى سُرُجا
The tribe of Nubahan will always behold
Sites for you lofty as stars high flown
إِن كانَ يَأرَجُ ذِكرٌ مِن بَراعَتِهِ
فَإِنَّ ذِكرَكَ في الآفاقِ قَد أَرِجا
If mention of another’s skill shines bright
Then yours in the horizon gleams and has grown
وَيَومَ أَرشَقَ وَالآمالُ مُرشِقَةٌ
إِلَيكَ لا تَتَبَغّى عَنكَ مُنعَرَجا
On the day hopes shine radiant upon you
Seek no twisting path, no detour to be shown
أَرضَعتَهُم خِلفَ مَكروهٍ فَطَمتَ بِهِ
مَن كانَ بِالحَربِ مِنهُم قَبلَهُ لَهِجا
You nurtured them after detestable loss
Those among them once vociferous and prone
لِلَّهِ أَيّامُكَ اللاتي أَغَرتَ بِها
ضَفرَ الهُدى وَقَديماً كانَ قَد مَرَجا
By the days you deceived with Godliness
The rightly guided path long twisted and blown
كانَت عَلى الدينِ كَالساعاتِ مِن قِصَرٍ
وَعَدَّها بابَكٌ مِن طولِها حِجَجا
As if abbreviating the faith’s long night
Your gateway has counted its months overblown
أَصبَحتَ تَدلِفُ بِالأَرضِ الفَضاءِ لَهُ
نَصباً وَأَصبَحَ في شِعبَيهِ قَد لَحِجا
You strode into vacant land challenging all
Erect with ravines carved through its very bone
عادَت كَتائِبُهُ لَمّا قَصَدتَ لَها
ضَحاضِحاً وَلَقَد كانَت تُرى لُجَجا
When you approached the murderous hordes
Gleeful, though once only wraiths were known
لَمّا أَبَوا حُجَجَ القُرآنِ واضِحَةً
كانَت سُيوفُكَ في هاماتِهِم حُجُجا
Since they rejected the Quran's proofs so clear
Your swords through their skulls drove the message home
أَقبَلتَهُ فَخمَةً جَأواءَ لَستَ تَرى
في نَظمِ فُرسانِها أَمتاً وَلا عِوَجا
You met them with steeds ne’er seen askance
Nor in the ranks of their horses, defect or lone
إِذا عَلا رَهَجٌ جَلَّت صَوارِمُها
وَالذُبَّلُ الزُرقُ مِنها ذَلِكَ الرَهَجا
When the ostrich took flight, their Indian swords shone
As their feathers fluttered, bright saffron blown
بيضٌ وَسُمرٌ إِذا ما غَمرَةٌ زَخَرَت
لِلمَوتِ خُضتَ بِها الأَرواحَ وَالمُهَجا
White and brown, when a cloud of them swarmed forth
You harvested lives and severed many a groan
نَزّالَةٌ نَفسَ مَن لاقَت وَلا سِيَما
إِن صادَفَت ثُغرَةً أَو صادَفَت وَدَجا
Swords so lethal when found in a breach
Or chanced on a gap could slice flesh to the bone
رَأيُ الحُمَيدَينِ أَلقَحتَ الأُمورَ بِهِ
مَن أَلقَحَ الرَأيَ في يَومِ الوَغى نَتَجا
The two praised your keen and prudent view
Of situations in days of chaos well known
لَو عايَناكَ لَقالا بَهجَةً جَذَلاً
أَبرَحتَ أَيسَرُ ما في العِرقِ أَن يَشِجا
Had they but seen you, exalted they would have cried
"Can the noblest man fail to rise and be grown?"
أَحَطتَ بِالحَزمِ حَيزوماً أَخا هِمَمٍ
كَشّافَ طَخياءَ لا ضَيقاً وَلا حَرَجا
You applied wisdom, stout heart and stiff spine
To reveal the obscure, no ordeal to disown
فَالثَغرُ وَالساكِنوهُ لا يَؤودُهُمُ
ما عِشتَ فيهِم أَطارَ الدَهرُ أَم دَرَجا
The land and its people, while you remain
Shall never fear what the days have yet to hone
سَمَّوا حُسامَكَ وَالهَيجاءُ مُضرَمَةٌ
كَربَ العُداةِ وَسَمَّوا رَأيَكَ الفَرَجا
They titled your sword “the burning flames”
The foemen's bane, and your view “the clear cone”
إِن يَنجُ مِنكَ أَبو نَصرٍ فَعَن قَدَرٍ
تَنجو الرِجالُ وَلَكِن سَلهُ كَيفَ نَجا
If Abu Nasr escapes you, 'twas his fate
Ask him yourself how he managed to flee flown
قَد حَلَّ في صَخرَةٍ صَمّاءَ مُعنِقَةٍ
فَاِنحِت بِرَأيِكَ في أَوعارِها دَرَجا
He took shelter on a rocky crag sheer
Cut steps in its cliffs for an ascent to be shown
وَغادِهِ بِسُيوفٍ طالَما شُهِرَت
فَأَخلَفَت مُترَفاً ما كانَ قَبلُ رَجا
Raid it with seasoned swords long raised before
But left enemy lands undesolate, overthrown
وَشُزَّبٍ مُضمَراتٍ طالَما خَرَقَت
مِنَ القَتامِ الَّذي كانَ الوَغى نَسَجا
And veteran lances that often pierced
The darkness of war, bloody chaos well sown
وَيوسُفِيِّينَ يَومَ الرَوعِ تَحسِبُهُم
هوجاً وَما عَرَفوا أَفناً وَلا هَوَجا
And Yousufi steeds in days of fierce raids
Once thought crazed but knew no havoc to hone
مِن كُلِّ قَرمٍ يَرى الإِقدامَ مَأدُبَةً
إِذا خَدا مُعلِماً بِالسَيفِ أَو وَسَجا
Let loose every clan who sees your advance as a feast
To guide with the sword or trample and groan
تَنعى مُحَمَّداً الثاوي رِماحُهُمُ
وَيَسفَحونَ عَلَيهِ عَبرَةً نَشَجا
They eulogize Muhammad now still in death
Laments stream for him as tears copious blown
قَد كانَ يَعلَمُ إِذ لاقى الحِمامَ ضُحىً
لا طالِباً وَزَراً مِنهُ وَلا وَحَجا
He knew when at dawn he joined the pigeons’ swirl
No glory seeking nor accolades to intone
أَن سَوفَ تُهدى إِلى آثارِهِ بُهُماً
يُمسي الرَدى مُسرِياً فيها وَمُدَّلِجا
That one day their abodes would be sanctuaries
Where pilgrims journey and night fires have glowed
لَو لَم يَكُن هَكَذا هَذا لَدَيهِ إِذاً
ما ماتَ مُستَبشِراً بِالمَوتِ مُبتَهِجا
Else he would not have met his death so thrilled
Nor yearned for demise with joy unrestrained shown
لَو أَنَّ فِعلَكَ أَمسى صورَةً لَثَوى
بَدرُ الدُجى أَبَداً مِن حُسنِها سَمِجا
Had your actions gained form, the moon in its shroud
Would pale before their beauty, dimmed and o'erthrown
