سَبيلُك في مَرضاةِ ربِّكَ يا بِشرُ

وفي حقِّهِ فَادْأَبْ وإن فَدَح الأمرُ

O Human your path to pleasing your Lord, so be diligent even if the matter becomes difficult

Give generously to the sons of Ka'b so take their charity

عليكَ بني كعبٍ فَخُذْ صَدقَاتِهم

ولا تَأْلُهم نُصحاً لهم ولك الأجرُ

And do not ask them for advice, for you the reward and for them

They obeyed you in the matter of God and accepted

أطاعوكَ في ذاتِ الإله وأقبلوا

كِراماً يرونَ الدّينَ أن يُبذَلَ البِرُّ

Honorably seeing the religion that good be given

What is wrong with Tameem, how badly did the clan of Tameem act

فما لتميمٍ ساء ما صنعتْ بَنُو

تميمٍ أما للقومِ رأيٌ ولا حِجْرُ

As if the people have no mind or honour

They refused to give the right and their group became enraged

أبَوْا أن يُؤدُّوا الحقَّ واهْتاجَ جَمعُهُم

فَعَبَّ عُبابُ البغيِ وَاحْتَدَمَ الشّرُّ

The gates of mischief opened and evil foamed

The clan of Ka'b say leave us and our religion

يَقولُ بنو كعبٍ دَعونا وَدِينَنا

وهيهاتَ لجَّ الشِّركُ واستكبرَ الكُفْرُ

Alas the idolatry is firmly set and disbelief has become arrogant

For you O Bishr, God suffices so return without sorrow

لك اللَّهُ يا بِشرٌ فَعُدْ غيرَ آسفٍ

لِربّكَ فيهم حُكمُهُ ولكَ العُذْرُ

For your Lord’s judgment on them and for you the excuse

You came to the Messenger of God relating their talk

أتيتَ رسولَ اللَّهِ تَروِي حديثَهم

فهيّجتَ بأساً مثلما يَقِدُ الجَمْرُ

So you stirred up violence like burning embers

Ibn Hisham prepared for the fight and supported him

أعدَّ ابنَ حِصنٍ للوغَى وأمدَّهُ

بكلِّ شديدِ البأسِ مَطعمُهُ مُرُّ

With all the fiercely powerful, their ingestion bitter

If he tastes it in the heat of battle, his spear

إذا ذاقهُ في غمرةِ الحربِ قَرْنُه

تنكَّبَ يلوِي أخْدَعَيْهِ ويزوَرُّ

Turns away twisting his cheeks and writhing

He attacked them and took their lives as plunder

أغارَ عليهم فَاسْتَباحَ نُفوسَهم

وأموالَهم فَلْيَنظروا لِمَن الخُسْرُ

And their wealth, so let them see for whom is the loss

Their female captives and livestock are led together

تُساقُ سبَاياهُم وأنعامُهم معاً

بأعينِهم من كلِّ أوْبٍ وهُمْ كُثْرُ

Before their eyes from every ravine while they are many

They wish they could rescue them but alas panic has taken hold and terror has spread

تَودُّ لو اَنَّ القومَ يَستنقِذُونها

وهيهاتَ لَجَّ الرُّعْبُ واستفحلَ الذُّعْرُ

They remained in anger and Uyaynah returned

With diverse booty and signs of his valour

أقاموا على غَيْظٍ وعادَ عُيينَةٌ

مَغانِمُهُ شتَّى وآثارُهُ غُرُّ

In his conspicuous victory armour is a delight

When its brilliance combines, victory smiles

عليه من النَّصرِ المحجَّلِ بَهجةٌ

إذا ائتلفتْ أوضاحُها ضَحِكَ النَّصْرُ

The enemy captives remain in the house of Ramlah

Suffering from imprisonment and captivity

يظَلُّ أسارَى القومِ في دارِ رَملةٍ

مجازيعَ مما يصنعُ الحبسُ والأسرُ

They saw the evil consequence so their delegation came

And the prisoners cried "Affliction has touched us!"

رأوا سوءَ عُقباهم فأقبلَ وفدُهم

وضَجَّ الأسارى إنّنا مسَّنا الضُرُّ

Their young children cry and their women weep

The agony of sorrow pouring down in torrents

تصِيحُ ذراريهم وتَبكِي نِساؤُهم

وجهدُ الأسى أن تَهطِلَ الأدمعُ الغُزْرُ

They came to the house of the wisest and most determined of men

For a mishap that is common or a sudden disaster

أتوا دارَ أمضَى النّاسِ رأياً وهِمّةً

لنائبةٍ تُعتادُ أو حادثٍ يَعْرُو

They call to him in tumult behind which

Had they patience it would have sufficed them

يُنادونه في ضجَّةٍ من وَرائِها

ولو ملكوا صبراً لأغناهمُ الصَّبْرُ

"Come out to us and look today who of us

Has the highest honour, glory and pride"

ألا اخْرُج إلينا وانظرِ اليومَ أيُّنا

له الشّرفُ العالي الذُّرى وله الفَخْرُ

When they saw him emerge, they clung to him

Neither the call to prayer nor rebuke discouraged them

فلمّا رأوه خارجاً عَلِقوا بهِ

ولم يَثنِهم صَوتُ الأذينِ ولا الزَّجْرُ

He prayed as the soul carries its diffusion

With no vibration to describe its murmur or diffusion

قضاها صلاةً يحملُ الرُّوحُ نَشْرَها

فلا أرَجٌ يحكي شذاها ولا نَشْرُ

He returned dignified, looking at the people around him

With arrogance that does not diminish and pride within them

وعاد حميداً يَنظرُ القومَ حولَه

لهم صَلفٌ ما يَنقَضِي وبهم كِبْرُ

They speak the words of the ignorant, and babble

Rarely benefits the people or is useful

يقولون قولَ الجاهلين وقلّما

يُفيدُ الهُراءُ القومَ أو يَنفعُ الهُجْرُ

He said, "Hold back, and stop your friends, you only

Wanted a position which poetry and prose fall short of

عُطارِدُ مَهْلاً وانْهَ صَحْبَكَ إنّما

أردتُم مقاماً دُونَه الشِّعرُ والنَّثْرُ

Indeed the words of truth are what Thabit spoke

And Hassaan, so witness that only the noble witness"

ألا إنّ قَولَ الصِّدقِ ما قال ثابِتٌ

وحَسّانُ فاشْهَدْ إنّما يشهدُ الحُرُّ

The Messenger of God's orator, no doubt in him

And his poet, none like him, a dutiful poet

خطيبُ رسولِ اللهِ ما فيه مِرْيةٌ

وشاعرُه ما مِثلُهُ شاعِرٌ بَرُّ

You were defeated so you submitted, good tidings of a blessing

You were loved by a Lord, for Him thanks and gratitude

غُلبتم فأسلمتم فَبُشرَى بنعمةٍ

حباكم بها ربٌّ له الحمدُ والشُّكْرُ

Take the captives and prisoners, this is your reward

The generous gift of the Benevolent, unlimited

خُذوا السَّبْيَ والأسرَى وهذا عطاؤكم

عطاءُ كريمٍ ما لآلائِهِ حَصْرُ

Love the Messenger of God, O people, for his

Love is bounty and his pleasure is treasure

أحِبُّوا رسولَ اللهِ يا قومُ إنّه

مَحبَّتُه غُنْمٌ ومَرضاتُه ذُخْرُ

Kind to the weak, giving them his favour

Forgiving forbearing, his breast is not straitened

عَطوفٌ على ذِي الضّعفِ يُؤتيهِ فضله

عفوٌّ حليمٌ ما يضيق له صدرُ

Hold to the Criterion, reciting its verses

For that is the light of God, nothing else covers

أقيموا على الفرقان تتلون آيَهُ

فذلك نورُ اللهِ ما دونه سِتْرُ

A book that illuminates the paths in every rising

For every child of night, from its horizons a dawn

كتابٌ يُضِيءُ السُّبْلَ في كلِّ مطلعٍ

لكلِّ ابن ليلٍ من مطالعهِ فَجْرُ

Take your provision from it, and return to your people

For there is no provision like it, O you who travel

خُذوا زادَكم منهُ وعُودوا لقومِكم

فَما ثَمَّ زادٌ مثله أيّها السَّفْرُ