يا بني سَعْدِ بنِ بكرٍ مرحبا
بادروا القومَ فُرادَى وثُبَى
O sons of Sa'd ibn Bakr, greetings!
Attack the people one by one and with vigor.
غَشِيَتْكُم من يَهودٍ فِتنةٌ
كالحَبِيِّ الجَوْنِ يُرخِي الهيدبا
The sedition of the Jews has overwhelmed you
Like the hot south wind that stirs up the flames.
إنّ في خَيبَر من سُمْرِ القنا
عَدَدَ التمرِ ومن بيضِ الظُّبَى
In Khaybar there is honey from bee hives
And dates in abundance like the eggs of ostriches.
هِيَ للأبطالِ أزكى مطعماً
يا بني سعدٍ وأشهى مَشربا
These are the most delicious foods for warriors,
O sons of Sa'd, and the most pleasing drinks.
هل ترون اليومَ إلا مِقنباً
من حُماةِ الحقِّ يتلو مِقنبا
Do you not see today only lances
Of the defenders of truth reciting poems?
إنّه يومُ عليٍّ فَاصْبِروا
أو فَحيدوا عنه يوماً أشهبا
Today is the day of Ali, so be patient,
Or avoid it as a day of misfortune.
يا بني سعدِ بن بكرٍ إنّه
مارِجُ الهيجاءِ يُزجِي اللَّهبا
O sons of Sa'd ibn Bakr, it is
The kindling of strife, igniting the flames.
احذروها وارْحموا أنفسَكم
لا تكونوا في لَظاها حَطَبا
Beware of it and have mercy on yourselves,
Lest you become fuel for its intense heat.
دَلَّهُ منكم عليكم رَجُلٌ
خَشِيَ القتلَ وخافَ العَطَبا
A man led it against you out of fear of being killed
And dread of mishap.
عَينُكم صيَّرها عيناً لكم
فَاعْجَبوا للأمر كيف انْقلبا
He made his eye your eye,
And you were amazed at how the matter was overturned.
زحَفَ الجيشُ فَذُبْتُم فَرَقاً
وَارْتَمَى البأسُ فَطِرْتُم هَرَبا
The army marched and you scattered into pieces,
And valor collapsed so you fled in panic.
ليس غير النّهبِ ما يمنعه
منكم اليومَ امرؤٌ أن يُنهبَا
Nothing but loot prevents them
From plundering you today, O men ready to be plundered!
نكبةُ التَّمرِ فلولا شؤمُه
لم يَذُقْ آلامَهَا من نُكِبا
The setback of the dates - if not for its ill omen,
None who suffered its sorrows would have tasted them.
أفما جَرّبتُمُ القومَ الأُلى
خُلِقُوا للشّرِّ فيمن جَرَّبا
Have you not already tested the wretched people
Created for evil, whoever has tested them?
هم وباءُ الأرضِ أو طاعونُها
شرعوا السُّحْتَ ودانوا بالربا
They are the plague of the earth or its epidemic -
They legislated usury and followed compound interest.
غَضِبَ اللّهُ عليهم فَرَضُوْا
رَبِّ زِدْهُم كلَّ يومٍ غَضَبَا
God became angry with them, so they have become
An object of God's growing anger day after day.
هالكٌ من ظنّ ممّن يَعتدِي
ويُعادِي اللّهَ أن لن يُغلبَا
Doomed is he who thinks that he who transgresses
And defies God will not be overcome!
وأضلُّ النّاسِ في دنياهُ مَنْ
وَضَح الحقُّ فولَّى وأَبَى
The most astray of people in his worldly life is he who,
When the truth was clear, turned away and refused it.
