وَإِذا الرِجالُ رَأَوا يَزيدَ رَأَيتَهُم
خُضُعَ الرِقابِ نَواكِسَ الأَبصارِ
When men saw Yazid, you saw them
Bend their necks, downcast their eyes.
لَأَغَرَّ يَنجابُ الظَلامُ لِوَجهِهِ
وَبِهِ النُفوسَ يَقَعنَ كُلَّ قَرارِ
Darkness itself would blush before his face,
Souls fall down at his every decree.
أَيَزيدُ إِنَّكَ لِلمَهَلَّبِ أَدرَكَت
كَفّاكَ خَيرَ خَلائِقِ الأَخيارِ
O Yazid, you attained leadership at its zenith,
You suffice, best of the noble elites.
ما مِن يَدَي رَجُلٍ أَحَقُّ بِما أَتى
مِن مَكرُماتِ عَظايِمِ الأَخطارِ
No man’s hand is more deserving than yours
Of the greatest, most perilous enterprises.
مِن ساعِدَينِ يَزيدَ يَقدَحُ زِندَهُ
كَفّاهُما وَأَشَدُّ عَقدِ جِوارِ
The two arms of Yazid wield his sword
Sufficing him, tightly clasped at his side.
وَلَوَ أَنَّها وُزِنَت شَمامِ بِحِلمِهِ
لَأَمالَ كُلَّ مُقيمَةٍ حَضجارِ
If his tolerance was weighed against her audacity
It would outweigh all the most unruly of mountains.
وَلَقَد رَجَعتَ وَإِنَّ فارِسَ كُلَّها
مِن كُردِها لَخَوائِفُ المُرّارِ
You returned, though the steeds of Persia
Quaked in dread at the bitter thought.
فَتَرَكتَ أَخوَفَها وَإِنَّ طَريقَها
لِيَجوزَهُ النَبَطِيُّ بِالقِنطارِ
You left their most fearful route undefended
For the Nabataeans to traverse with their caravans.
أَمّا العِراقُ فَلَم يَكُن يُرجى بِهِ
حَتّى رَجَعتَ عَواقِبُ الأَطهارِ
As for Iraq, no hope was anticipated
Until you restored the lofty pillars.
فَجَمَعتَ بَعدَ تَفَرُّقٍ أَجنادَهُ
وَأَقَمتَ مَيلَ بِنائِهِ المُنهارِ
You reunited its scattered armies
And rebuilt its crumbling edifice.
وَلِيُنزِلَنَّ بِجيلِ جَيلانَ الَّذي
تَرَكَ البُحَيرَةَ مُحصَدَ الأَمرارِ
May it dispatch against the brood of Julian, who
Abandoned Buḥayrah, harvested bitterness,
جَيشٌ يَسيرُ إِلَيهِ مُلتَمِسَ القِرى
غَصباً بِكُلِّ مُسَوَّمٍ جَرّارِ
An army marching against them, demanding the homes
By force, with every giant, growling warrior,
لَجِبٍ يَضيقُ بِهِ الفَضاءُ إِذا غَدَوا
وَأَرى السَماءَ بِغابَةٍ وَغُبارِ
A swelling host that fills the horizon when they march
And I see the sky dark with their multitude and dust.
فيهِ قَبائِلُ مِن ذَوي يَمَنٍ لَهُ
وَقُضاعَةَ بنِ مَعَدَّها وَنِزارِ
Among them the tribes of Yemen’s stock,
And Quḍāʿah—the sons of Maʿadd and Nizār—
وَلَئِن سَلِمتَ لِتَعطِفَنَّ صُدورَها
لِلتُركِ عِطفَةَ حازِمٍ مِغوارِ
And though you pardon them, they will incline their hearts
To the Turks with the inclining of resolute warriors,
حَتّى يَرى رَتبيلُ مِنها غارَةً
شَعواءَ غَيرَ تَرَجُّمِ الأَخبارِ
Until Ratbīl sees from them a daring raid
That needs no interpreting of news.
