أبا سُفيانَ أيَّ دَمٍ تُرِيدُ

هِيَ العنقاءُ مَطلبُها بَعِيدُ

O Abu Sufyan, what blood do you seek?

The she-camel's desire is far away

بَلِ العنقاءُ أقربُ من مَرَامٍ

هُوَ الأملُ المُخَيَّبُ أو يَزِيدُ

Rather, the she-camel is closer to death

It is the unfulfilled hope that increases or diminishes

أغرَّكَ خِنْجَرٌ بِيَدَيْ شَقيٍّ

وما يُدرِيكَ أيّكما السّعيدُ

The dagger in a wretched hand deceived you

And who knows which of you will be fortunate

رأى جبلاً ترى الشُّمُّ الرَّواسي

جَلالتَهُ فترجف أو تَمِيدُ

It saw a mountain, you can see its firm peaks

Its magnificence makes it shudder and collapse

فلم تنفَعْهُ من فَزَعٍ قُواهُ

ولم ينهضْ به البأسُ الشَّديدُ

Its great power did not benefit it from the horror

Nor did its enormous strength make it rise

وشُدَّ خناقهُ بِيَدَيْ أسَيْدٍ

فلولا الرفقُ لانْقَطَعَ الوريدُ

Its throat was gripped by the hands of a lion

If not for gentleness, the veins would have been severed

تَلقّاهُ بِمخلبِ مُكْفَهرٍّ

يَثورُ فتقشعرُّ له الجُلودُ

It met it with the claws of a fierce, angry one

It rages and its skin shudders in fear

وأظهر َما يُوارِي من سِلاحٍ

يَدُبُّ بمثلِهِ الشَّنِفُ الحَقودُ

It showed the weapons it was hiding

With which the resentful, treacherous one attacks

وأيقنَ أنّ دِينَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ

فما يُجدِي الضّلالُ وما يُفيدُ

And it was certain that Allah's religion is true

Wandering and misguidance are useless and unbeneficial

أصابَ الخيرَ من بَركاتِ رَبٍّ

هَداهُ رسولُه الهادِي الرَّشيدُ

The one blessed with the grace of his Lord attained good

His guiding, rightly-guided Prophet led him

وجاءكَ يا أبا سُفيانَ عمروٌ

فأينَ تَزِيغُ وَيْحَكَ أو تَحِيدُ

And Amr has come to you, O Abu Sufyan

Where do you turn, alas, or deviate?

هو البطلُ الذي عرفتْ قُريشٌ

فلا نُكْرٌ بذاكَ ولا جُحودُ

He is the hero whom Quraysh knew

There is no denial or rejection of him

يُخادِعهم وما تَخْفَى عليهم

مكيدةُ مَن يُخادِعُ أو يَكِيدُ

He deceives them, though their plots are not hidden from him

The scheming of one who deceives and conspires

بدا لهمُ المغيَّبُ فَاسْتَرابوا

وَلَجَّ الذُّعرُ واضطرمَ الوعيدُ

The absent one appeared suddenly so they were disturbed

Fear took hold and threats blazed

وأبْصَرهُ مُعاويةٌ فَجَلَّى

سَرِيرَةَ نفسهِ النَّظرُ الحديدُ

And Mu'awiyah saw him so his

Steely gaze revealed the secret desires of his soul

وقالوا فاتكٌ يرتاد صيداً

وما كنّا فريسةَ مَن يصيدُ

And they said a hunter stalks prey

And we were not the prey of one who hunts

وشَدُّوا خَلفَهُ فإذا سُلَيْكٌ

أُعِيرَ جناحَهُ البطلُ النَّجيدُ

And they followed behind him but it was Sulayk

The valiant hero loaned him his wings

وغَيَّبهُ ببطنِ الأرضِ غارٌ

فما يَدرونَ أين مَضَى الطَّريدُ

And a cave in the belly of the earth hid him

So they do not know where the fugitive went

أُعِينَ بصاحبٍ لا عَيْبَ فيهِ

فَنعمَ الصَّاحبُ الثَّبْتُ الجليدُ

He was helped by a companion without fault

A steadfast, brave companion indeed

وجاءَ لِحَيْنِهِ منهم غَوِيٌّ

له في الشِّعرِ شيطانٌ مَريدُ

And at the right time, one of them approached enticingly

He has a relentless devil in his poetry

يُديرُ الكفرَ في فمهِ نَشيداً

يُردِّدهُ فيعجبُهُ النَّشيدُ

He repeats blasphemy in his mouth as an anthem

Repeating it, pleased with the anthem

أصاخَ له فأوقدَ منه ناراً

لها من كلِّ جارحةٍ وَقودُ

He roared for him, so he lit a fire from him

For which every limb is fuel

تلهَّبَ واسْتطارَ فيا لنفسٍ

طَغَتْ حِيناً فأدركها الخمودُ

It blazed and raged, oh what a soul

Once arrogant but now extinguished

رَمَاها في لهيبِ البأسِ رَبٌّ

لها في نارِهِ الكُبْرى خُلودُ

A Lord cast it into the flames of might

For it, in His great Fire, is eternity

كِلا الرَّجُلَيْن يا عَمروٌ عَدُوٌّ

فَدُونَكَ إنّه صَيْدٌ جَديدُ

The two men, O Amr, are enemies

So for you they are new prey

هُما عَيْنَا الخيانةِ من قُريشٍ

وأنتَ يَدُ النبيِّ بها يَذُودُ

They are the eyes of betrayal among Quraysh

While you are the hand of the Prophet with which he wards off

رَمَيْتَ عنِ النبيِّ فمن صريعٍ

أراقَ حياتَهُ السَّهمُ السَّديدُ

You shot arrows for the sake of the Prophet so one

Struck down poured out his life with a straight arrow

ومن فَزِعٍ مَضيتَ به أسيراً

على جَزَعٍ يَذلُّ ويَسْتَقيدُ

And the other you took captive in fright

Collapsing and seeking succor in dismay

جَلبتَ على أبي سُفيانَ شَرّاً

فأصبحَ وَهْوَ محزونٌ كَمِيدُ

You brought evil upon Abu Sufyan

So he became downcast and crushed

تَجرَّعَ ثُكْلَ من فُقِدا زُعافاً

وأهلكه الأسَى فَهوَ الفقيدُ

He tasted the bitter juice of terrible loss

And grief destroyed him so he is the bereaved one

ستدركُهُ الحياةُ ولا حياةٌ

لغيرِ المُؤمنينَ ولا وُجودُ

Life will not regain him, and there is no life

For any but the believers, nor any existence

رِجالٌ لا تُبِيدُهُم المنايا

وكلٌّ من بني الدُّنيا يَبِيدُ

Men whom death does not annihilate

While all the people of the world perish

هُوَ الإيمانُ لا دُنيا حَلوبٌ

يُعاشُ لها ولا مُلكٌ عَتِيدُ

It is faith, not sweet worldly life

That is lived for, nor lasting kingdom