عَبَرتُ بِقَومي البَحرَ أَنزِفُ ماءَهُ

وَهَل يَنزِفَنَّ البَحرَ يا قَومُ نازِفُ

I crossed the sea with my people, draining away its waters;

yet can any drainer from among my people drain the sea?

وَيَومَ اِلتَقَينا ظِلَّ يَومٍ عَصَبصَبٍ

وَفيهِ غُبارٌ ثائِرٌ وَعَواصِفُ

And on the day we met, beneath the shadow of a most harrowing day,

dust surged within it, and tempests raged.

وَضَربٌ يَقُدُّ الهامَ بِالبيضِ موجِعٌ

وَفيهِ الجِيادُ السابِحاتُ زَواحِفُ

Ruinous blows cleaved heads with gleaming white blades,

while coursing steeds advanced in massed ranks.

إِذا قيلَ قَد وَلَّت هَزيماً فَإِنَّها

بِقَدرِ لِحاظِ الطَرفِ مِنكَ عَواطِفُ

Whenever it was said, “They have turned away, routed,”

within the span of a glance from you, they wheeled back.

وَظَلَّ لَها يَومٌ يُجَمِّعُ هَبوَةً

بِها يُبتَنى سَقفٌ مِنَ الأُفقِ واقِفُ

All day, rising gusts kept lifting and gathering the dust over them,

and with it a roof was built, standing upon the horizon.

وَدارَت رَحى الحَربِ المُشيبَةِ لِلفَتى

وَهالَت ذَوي الأَلبابِ تِلكَ المواقِفُ

The millstone of war revolved—the gray-maker of youth—

and those encounters appalled men of understanding.

بِها نَغَمُ الأَسيافِ تَنطِقُ بِالطُلى

فَصيحاتُ حَدٍّ ثائِراتٌ خَفائِفُ

There, the music of swords spoke upon necks—

eloquent-edged, raging, and swift.

فَآبَت إلى ما يَستَشيرُ بَني أَبي

وَيُنهِضُها الشُمُّ الكِرامُ الغَطارِفُ

Yet she would not yield, facing whatever sought my father’s sons’ counsel;

and the unyielding, noble, illustrious lords roused the battle.