أَحَلَّ هُرَيمٌ يَومَ بابِلَ بِالقَنا

نُذورَ نِساءٍ مِن تَميمٍ فَحَلَّتِ

Huraym breached the walls of Babylon with his spear

To free the votive offerings of Tameem's women taken captive

فَأَصبَحنَ لا يَشرينَ نَفساً بِنَفسِهِ

مِنَ الناسِ إِن عَنهُ المَنِيَّةُ زَلَّتِ

So they awoke no longer valuing their own souls

If death should take others while they remained alive

يَكونُ أَمامَ الخَيلِ أَوَّلَ طاعِنٍ

وَيَضرِبُ أُخراها إِذا هِيَ وَلَّتِ

Ever first to thrust his lance before the cavalry

And last to turn away when the ranks retreated

عَشِيَّةَ لا يَدري يَزيدُ أَيَنتَحي

عَلى السَيفِ أَم يُعطي يَداً حينَ شَلَّتِ

At dusk not knowing whether to advance his sword

Or yield his hand when paralyzed by fear

وَأَصبَحَ كَالشَقراءَ تُنحَرُ إِن مَضَت

وَتُضرَبُ ساقاها إِذا ما تَوَلَّتِ

And dawn found him slaughtering like a yellow camel

Her legs struck if she strayed or turned away

لَعَمري لَقَد جَلّى هُرَيمٌ بِسَيفِهِ

وُجوهاً عَلَتها غَبرَةٌ فَتَجَلَّتِ

By my life Huraym made plain with his sword

Faces masked in dust now laid bare

وَقائِلَةٍ كَيفَ القِتالُ وَلَو رَأَت

هُرَيماً لَدارَت عَينَها وَاِسمَدَرَّتِ

"How can there be battle?" said one woman

Had she but seen Huraym her eyes would have rolled in fear

وَما كَرَّ إِلّا كانَ أَوَّلَ طاعِنٍ

وَلا عايَنَتهُ الخَيلُ إِلّا اِشمَأَزَّتِ

He charged ever foremost, never holding back

Horses shied at the sight of him in full retreat

أَتاكَ اِبنُ مَروانُ يَقودُ جُنودَهُ

ثَمانينَ أَلفاً خَيلَها قَد أَظَلَّتِ

Son of Marwan, leading his troops has come against you

Eighty thousand horses, their tents spread dark beneath them

فَلَم يُغنِ ما خَندَقتَ حَولَكَ نَقرَةً

مِنَ البيضِ مِن أَغمادِها حينَ سُلَّتِ

Of no avail the moat you dug around you

When their blades leapt clear of scabbards like flashes of light

كَأَنَّ رُؤوسَ الأَزدِ خُبطانُ حَنظَلٍ

تَخِرُّ عَلى أَكتافِهِم حينَ وَلَّتِ

As though the skulls of Azd were the white domes of Hanthal

Scattering over their shoulders when put to flight

أَتَتكَ جُنودُ الشامِ تَخفِقُ فَوقَها

لَها خِرَقٌ كَالطَيرِ حينَ اِستَقَلَّتِ

The Syrian troops swooped down on you in multitudes

With breastplates clattering like birds taking wing in haste

تُخَبِّرَكَ الكُهّانُ أَنَّكَ ناقِضٌ

دِمَشقَ الَّتي كانَت إِذا الحَربُ حَرَّتِ

Soothsayers warn that you have broken faith

With Damascus, rallying point when war was stirred

صُخورُ الشَظا مِن فَرعِ ذي الشَريِ فَاِنتَمَت

فَطالَت عَلى رَغمِ العِدا فَاِشمَخَرَّتِ

Rocks of ash scattered from the peak of Sharaa

Pelting the foe in spite of them wrought long in vain