دَعيني وَقولي بَعدُ ما شِئتِ إِنَّني

سَيُغدَى بِنَعشي مَرَّةً فَأُغَيَّبُ

Leave me be and say what you will after,

For soon my bier will pass one day, and I shall be hidden away.

خَرَجنا فَلَم نَعَهد وَقَلَّت وَصاتُنا

ثَمانِيَة ما بَعَدها مُتَعَتَّبُ

We set out but did not keep our word, and our covenants were few,

Just eight, no more, now forfeit.

سَراحينُ فِتيانٍ كَأَنَّ وُجوهَهُم

مَصابيحُ أَو لَونٌ مِنَ الماءِ مُذهَبُ

Young men with faces like lamps or water colored gold.

We rode by night along the shore, though our provisions were uncertain.

نَمُرُّ بِرَهوِ الماءِ صَفحاً وَقَد طَوَت

ثَمائِلُنا وَالزادُ ظَنٌّ مُغَيَّبُ

For three days on foot until we reached

A hostile tribe’s settlement, looming on the horizon.

ثَلاثاً عَلى الأَقدامِ حَتّى سَما بِنا

عَلى العَوصِ شَعشاعً مِنَ القَومِ مِحرَبُ

They came at us in the darkness, clamoring,

And at dawn their shouting was renewed.

فَثاروا إِلَينا في السَوادِ فَهَجهَجوا

وَصَوَّتَ فينا بِالصَباحِ المُثَوَّبُ

Thābit assaulted them with the Sword’s destruction

And attacked them with the unsheathed blade.

فَشَنَّ عَلَيهِم هَزَّةَ السَيف ثابِتٌ

وَصَمَّمَ فيهِم بِالحُسام المُسَيَّبُ

I remained with some young men, guarding against them,

Though they were few, for a time, then they were routed.

وَظِلتُ بِفِتيانٍ مَعي أَتَّقيهُمُ

بِهِنَّ قَلِيلاً ساعَةً ثُمَّ خُيَّبوا

Two footmen and a horseman fell from among them—

A marsh dweller whom we killed and a captive left naked.

وَقَد خَرَّ مِنهُم رَاجِلانِ وَفارِسٌ

كَمِيٌّ صَرَعناهُ وَخومٌ مُسَلَّبُ

Each hill and fortress set against him

Just eight while the tribe was crippled and docktailed.

يَشُنُّ إِلَيهِ كُلُّ ريعٍ وَقَلعَةٍ

ثَمانِيَةً وَالقَومُ رِجلٌ وَمِقنَبُ

When our people saw us they cried “They are saved!”

But we said “Ask the speaker, he does not lie.”

فَلَمّا رَآنا قَومُنا قيلَ أَفلِحوا

فَقُلنا اِسأَلوا عَن قائِلٍ لا يُكَذَّبُ