رَأَيتُ سَماءَ اللَهِ وَالأَرضِ أَلقَتا

بِأَيديهِما لِاِبنِ المُلوكِ القَماقِمِ

I saw the heavens and earth cast down

Into the hands of the son of kings, the august

وَكُنتَ لَنا غَيثَ السَماءِ الَّذي بِهِ

حَيِينا وَأَحيا الناسَ بَعدَ البَهائِمِ

You were rain from the sky which revived us

And gave life to man after beast

وَما لَكَ أَلّا تَملَءُ الأَرضَ رَحمَةً

وَأَنتَ اِبنُ مَروانَ الهُمامِ وَهاشِمِ

Why would you not fill the earth with mercy

You, son of Marwan the magnanimous and Hashim

فَما قُمتَ حَتّى هَمَّ مَن كانَ مُسلِماً

لِيَلبِسَ مُسوَدّاً ثِيابَ الأَعاجِمِ

You had not risen before those who were Muslim thought

To don the black robes of the non-Arabs

لَقَد ضاقَ ذَرعي بِالحَياةِ وَقَطَّعَت

حَوامِلُهُ عَضَّ الحَديدِ الأَوازِمِ

My patience is exhausted with life, and it cut

The straps with the bite of disciplined iron

رَأَيتُ بَني مَروانَ إِذ شَمَّرَت بِهِم

مِنَ الحَربِ حَدباءُ القَرا غَيرُ رائِمِ

I saw the Marwanids when the war

Wrapped them with its bare, unbridled hump

لَهُم حَجَرٌ لِلدينِ يَرمونَ مَن رَمَوا

بِهِ دَمَغَت أَيديهِمُ كُلَّ ظالِمِ

They have a rock for the faith they pelt

Those their hands pulp, every oppressor

هِشامٌ أَمينُ اللَهِ في الأَرضِ وَالَّذي

بِهِ تَمنَعُ الأَيّامُ ذاتَ المَحارِمِ

Hisham, God's trustee in the earth by whom

Forbidden days are kept at bay

بِهِ عَمَدُ الدينِ اِستَقَلَّت وَأَثبَتَت

عَلى كُلِّ ذي طَودَينِ لِلدينِ قائِمِ

By him the pillars of faith stood firm and fixed

For every towering figure, a pillar for the upright faith

وَسُلَّت سُيوفُ الحَربِ وَاِنشَقَّتِ العَصا

وَهَزَّ القَنا وُردُ الأُسودِ القَشاعِمِ

And swords of war were drawn and staffs cracked

And the black lances' flowers shook

وَقَد جَعَلَت لِلدينِ في المَرجِ بِالقَنا

لِمَروانَ أَيّامٌ عِظامُ المَلاحِمِ

And for the faith in Marj you made

For Marwan days of great battles

وَما الناسُ لَولا آلُ مَروانَ مِنهُمُ

إِمامُ الهُدى وَالضارِباتُ الجَماجِمِ

And were it not for Marwan’s family

The imam of guidance and the skull-smashers

وَما بَينَ أَيدي آلِ مَروانَ بِالقَنا

وَبَينَ المَوالي ناكِثاً مِن تَزاحُمِ

And between the Marwanid’s hands in Qana

And the clients no deserter from the crush

رَأَيتُ بَني مَروانَ سُلَّت سُيوفُهُم

عَشاً كانَ في الأَبصارِ تَحتَ العَمائِمِ

I saw the drawn swords of the Marwanids

A nest that in sights beneath the turbans

رَأَيتُ بَني مَروانَ عَنهُ تَوارَثوا

رَواسِيَ مُلكٍ راسِياتِ الدَعائِمِ

I saw the Marwanids whom inherited

The foundations of established kingdom

عَصا الدينِ وَالعودَينِ وَالخاتَمَ الَّذي

بِهِ اللَهُ يُعطي مُلكَهُ كُلَّ قائِمِ

The staff of faith, the two rods, and the ring by which

God gives His kingdom to every ruler

وَكُنتَ لِأَمرِ المُسلِمينَ وَدينِهُم

لَدُن حَيثُ تَمشي عَن حُجورِ الفَواطِمِ

You had been for the Muslims and their faith

An intimate since you walked from Fatimah’s chambers

يَقولُ ذَوُو العِلمِ الَّذينَ تَكَلَّموا

بِهِ عَن رَسولِ اللَهِ مِن كُلِّ عالَمِ

Those endowed with knowledge say

Of the Messenger of God from every scholar

وَلَو أُرسِلَ الروحُ الأَمينُ إِلى اِمرِئٍ

سِوى الأَنبِياءِ المُصطَفَينَ الأَكارِمِ

If the Trustworthy Spirit were sent to a man

Other than the chosen, honored prophets

إِذاً لَأَتَت كَفَّي هِشامٍ رِسالَةٌ

مِنَ اللَهِ فيها مُنزَلاتُ العَواصِمِ

Then a missive would come to Hisham’s palms

From God in it the decisive verses

وَلَو كانَ حَيٌّ خالِداً أَو مُمَلَّكٌ

لَكانَ هِشامَ اِبنَ المُلوكِ الخَضارِمِ

If Khalid were alive or a king instated

Hisham would be son of magnificent kings

إِلَيكَ تَعَرَّقنا الذُرى بِرِحالِنا

وَأَفنَت مَناقيها بُطونُ المَناسِمِ

For you we traveled the roads on our legs

And wasted their passes, the breasts of the elevated

فَأَصبَحنَ كَالهِندِيِّ شَقَّ جُفونَهُ

دَوالِقَ أَعناقِ السُيوفِ الصَوارِمِ

We were by dawn like the Indian whose lids

Were split by the sharp, cutting swords

وَما تَرَكَ الصُوّانُ وَالحَبسُ وَالسُرى

لَها مِن نِعالِ الجِلدِ غَيرَ الشَراذِمِ

Neither prison nor confinement nor captivity left them

Anything but fragments of leather sandals

لَهُنَّ تَثَنٍّ في الأَزِمَّةِ وَالبُرى

إِذا وَلَجَ اليَعفورُ حامي السَمائِمِ

They have bending in crisis and affliction

When calamity enters like the burning wind

تَرى العيسَ يَكرَهنَ الحَصى أَن يَطَأنَهُ

إِذا الجَمرُ مِن حامٍ مِنَ الشَمسِ جاهِمِ

You see them disdainful of pebbles to tread

When embers from a glowing sun are burning

يُرِدنَ الَّذي لا تُبتَغى مِن وَرائِهِ

وَلا دونَهُ الحاجاتُ ذاتُ الصَرائِمِ

They want that which cannot be sought beyond

Nor below it, vested interests

وَلَيسَ إِلَيهِ المُنتَهى في نَجاحِها

وَفي طَرَفَيها لِلقِلاصِ الرَواسِمِ

And to it there is no bound in success

Nor room at its edges for the unruly rebel