آلى اِبنُ عَبدٍ حينَ جاءَ مُحارِباً

وَحَلَفتَ فَاِستَمِعوا مِنَ الكَذّابِ

The son of Abd charged into battle

Ibn Abd swore an oath when he came forth to war,

And you swore to listen, you liars

And you swore too—so listen now to see who proves the liar—

أَن لا يَفِرَّ وَلا يَمَلِّلَ فَاِلتَقى

أَسَدانِ يَضطَرِبانِ كُلُّ ضِرابِ

That he would not flee or tire, so two lions clashed

That he would not flee nor tire; and so there met

Both striking out

Two lions, striking one another with every manner of blow.

اليَومَ يَمنَعُني الفَرارُ حَفيظَتي

وَمُصَمِّمٌ في الرَأسِ لَيسَ بِنابِ

Today my vigilance prevents my flight

Today, my honor holds me back from flight,

Resolute, with no weakness of mind

And a determined blade strikes the head, one that does not recoil.

أَعليَّ تَقتَحِمُ الفَوارِسَ هَكَذا

عَنّي وَعَنهُم خَبِّروا أَصحابي

Shall I charge the horsemen like this?

Is it against me that the horsemen charge in such a way?

Tell my comrades about me and them

Bear news of me and of them to my companions.

فَغَدَوتُ أَلتَمِسُ القِراعَ بِمُرهَفٍ

عَضبٍ مَعَ البَتراءِ في أَقرابِ

So I went seeking combat with angry flashing swords

So I went forth seeking the duel with a honed blade,

Along with the short swords in the scabbards

Sharp-edged, alongside al-Batra, ready at the flank.

وَغَدَوتُ اَلتَمِسُ القِراعَ وَصارِمٌ

عَضبٌ كَلَونِ المِلحِ في اَقرابِ

I went seeking combat, swords bared,

I went forth seeking the clash, carrying a resolute sword,

Angry like the color of salt in scabbards

A cutting blade, white as salt, drawn from the scabbard.

عَرَفَ اِبنُ عَبدٍ حينَ أَبصَرَ صارِماً

يَهتَزُّ أَنَّ الأَمرَ غَيرُ لِعابِ

The son of Abd realized when he saw the bare blades

Ibn Abd realized, the moment he beheld the sharp edge

That this was no joking matter

Quivering in the air, that this matter was no game.

أَدّى عُمَيرٌ حينَ أَخلَصَ صَقلَهُ

صافي الحَديدَةِ يَستَفيضُ ثَوابي

Umair proved when he drew his polished sword

Umair fulfilled his task when he polished it to perfection,

Its steel gleaming and rewarding my thrusts

Pure in its iron; may my reward be abundant.

أَردَيتُ عَمراً إِذ طَغى بِمُهَنَّدٍ

صافي الحَديدِ مُجَرَّبٍ قَصّابِ

I wanted Omar when he raged with his Indian blade

I brought down 'Amr when he transgressed, with a fine Indian blade,

Polished steel, tested and slaughtering

Of pure steel, battle-tested, a cleaver of flesh.

فَصَدَدتُ حينَ تَرَكتُهُ مُتَجَدِّلاً

كَالجِذعِ بَينَ دَكادِكٍ وَرَوابي

So I repelled him when I left him lying prone

Then I turned away once I had left him sprawling,

Like a log between blows and millstones

Like a fallen trunk amidst the hollows and the hills.

وَعَفَفتُ عَن اَثوابِهِ وَلَوَ اَنَّني

كُنتُ المُقَطَّرَ بَزَّني أَثوابي

And I refused his clothes though had I

I withheld my hand from his raiment; though had I

Been dripping with sweat, I'd have wanted clothes

Been the one felled, he surely would have stripped me of mine.

عَبدَ الحِجارَةَ مِن سَفاهَةِ رَأيِهِ

وَعَبَدتُ رَبَّ مُحَمَّدٍ بِصَوابي

Abd worshipped rocks in his foolishness

He worshipped stones out of the folly of his mind,

While I worshipped the Lord of Muhammad rightly

While I worshipped the Lord of Muhammad with rectitude.

لا تَحسَبَنَّ اللَهَ خاذِلُ دينِهِ

وَنَبِيَّهُ يا مَعشَرَ الأَحزابِ

Think not that God would abandon His religion

Do not think that God will ever forsake His religion,

And His prophet, O all you factions

Nor His Prophet, O assembly of the Confederates!