يا مَيُّ قومي فَاِندُبِنَّ بِسُحرَةٍ شَجوَ النَوائِح

كَالحامِلاتِ الوَقرَ بِالثَقلِ المُلِحَّتِ الدَوالِح

O Mayy, arise and mourn with me at dawn, with lamenting like that of grieving camel drivers,

Bearing heavy burdens that weigh upon beasts long driven on,

المُعوَلاتِ الخامِشاتِ وُجوهَ حُرّاتٍ صَحائِح

وَكأَنَّ سَيلَ دُموعِها الأَنصابِ تُخضَبُ بِالذَبائِح

Wailing women, their faces glowing like live coals,

As if their tears were a torrent dyeing their plaits with blood.

يَنفُضنَ أَشعاراً لَهُنَّ هُناكَ بادِيَةِ المَسائِح

وَكَأَنَّها أَذنابُ خَيلٍ بِالضُحى شُمسٍ رَوامِح

They shake their loose hair in that open country of anguish

As if it were the tails of mares at dawn tossed by the rising sun,

مِن بَينِ مَشرورٍ وَمَجزورٍ يُذَعذَعُ بِالبَوارِح

يَبكينَ شَجوَ مُسَلَّباتٍ كَدَّحَتهُنَّ الكَوادِحّ

Amidst slain and mutilated bodies mangled by claws,

They weep with the lament of women stripped bare, worn out by toil,

وَلَقَد أَصابَ قُلوبَها مَجَلٌ لَهُ جُلَبٌ قَوارِح

إِذ أَقصَدَ الحَدَثانُ مَن كُنّا نُرَجّي إِذ نُشائِح

And sorrow has struck their hearts with an affliction that rends,

When the two Yemeni lads whom we used to wish well were destroyed.

أَصحابَ أُحدٍ غالَهُم دَهرٌ أَلَمَّ لَهُ جَوارِح

مَن كانَ فارِسَنا وَحامينا إِذا بُعِثَ المَسالِح

The comrades of Uhud - time has treated them harshly and torn them with sorrows -

He who was our horseman and protector when the weapons were wielded.

يا حَمزَ لا وَاللَهِ لا أَنساكَ ما صُرَّ اللَقائِح

لِمُناخِ أَيتامِ وَأَضيافٍ وَأَرمَلَةٍ تُلامِح

O Hamzah, no, by God I shall not forget you as long as the white camels travel!

As a refuge for orphans, guests, and a widow who makes signs with her eye;

وَلِما يَنوبُ الدَهرُ في حَربٍ لِحَربٍ وَهيَ لاقِح

يا فارِساً يا مِدرَهاً يا حَمزَ قَد كُنتَ المُصامِح

And for what befalls in time of war following war in long sequence.

O horseman, O archer, O Hamzah, you were the desperate fighter

عَنّا شَديداتِ الخُطوبِ إِذا يَنوبُ لَهُنَّ فادِح

ذَكَّرتَني أَسَدَ الرَسولِ وَكانَ مِدرَهَنا المُنافِح

To guard us women when disaster came suddenly upon us.

You remind me of the Apostle's lion who was our desperate defender

عَنّا وَكانَ يُعَدُّ إِذ عُدَّ الشَريفونَ الجَحاجِح

يَعلو القَماقِمَ جَهرَةً سَبطَ اليَدَينِ أَغَرَّ واضِح

Protecting us, and he was counted when the noble heroes were numbered,

Raising the banners openly, descendent of two generous hands, no waverer

لا طائِشٌ رَعِشٌ وَلا ذو عِلَّةٍ بِالحَملِ آنِح

بَحرٌ فَلَيسَ يُغِبُّ جاراً مِنهُ سَيبٌ أَو مَنادِح

Or trembler or one disabled from bearing arms in the heat of battle;

A sea - no neighbour on its shore complains of ebb or current or shore.

أَودى شَبابُ أُولي الحَفائِظِ وَالثَقيلونَ المَراجِح

المُطعِمونَ إِذا المَشاتي ما يُصَفِّقُهُنَّ ناضِح

The prime of those careful of their honour is lost, and those firm in the saddle;

Those who offer food when the evening fires blaze and it crackles as it burns;

لَحمَ الجِلادِ وَفَوقَهُ مِن شَحمِهِ شُطَبٌ شَرايح

ليُدافِعوا عَن جارِهِم ما رامَ ذو الضِغنَ المُكاشِح

Flesh of the polished sword above which is fat in strips;

To defend their neighbour from whoever would wrong him.

لَهفي لِشُبّانٍ رُزَيناهُم كَأَنَّهُمُ المَصابيح

شُمٌّ بَطارِقَةٌ غَطارِفَةٌ خَضارِمَةٌ مَسامِح

I yearn for youths we brought up as if they were lanterns,

Pure Badriyan, Ghatfanian, Khadrami, warriors;

المُشتَرونَ الحَمدَ بِالأَموالِ إِنَّ الحَمدَ رابِح

وَالجامِزونَ بِلُجمِهِم يَوماً إِذا ما صاحَ صائِح

Who purchase glory with their wealth - glory is profitable merchandise!

And press onward with their companies some day when the shouter shouts;

مَن كانَ يُرمى بِالنَواقِرِ مِن زَمانٍ غَيرِ صالِح

ما إِن تَزالُ رِكابُهُ يَرسِمنَ في غُبرٍ صَحاصِح

He against whom curses used to be thrown in days not worthy.

Still his travelling companions race each other tracing figures in the dusty earth,

راحَت تَبارى وَهوَ في رَكبٍ صُدورُهُم رَواشِح

حَتّى تَؤُوبَ لَهُ المَعالي لَيسَ مِن فَوزِ السَفائِح

Till the high fortunes answer to him - success is not for outlaws.

O Hamzah, you have left me alone like a stick scrubbed by a polisher -

يا حَمزَ قَد أَوحَدتَني كَالعودِ شَذَّبَهُ الكَوافِح

أَشكو إِلَيكَ وَفَوقَكَ التُربُ المُكَوَّرُ وَالصَفائِح

I complain to you - and above you is heaped-up soil and gravel

Poured out over you from a hollow they have dug, levelled by the roller.

مِن جَندَلٍ نُلقيهِ فَوقَكَ إِذ أَجادَ الضَرحَ ضارِح

في وَسِعٍ يَحشونَهُ بِالتُربِ سَوَّتهُ المَماسِح

Our consolation is merely that we say - and what we say has wandering utterance -

"Let him come to us and weep whose eyes have been spared today's disaster,

فَعَزاؤُنا أَنّا نَقولُ وَقَولُنا بَرحٌ بَوارِح

مَن كانَ أَمسى وَهوَ عَمّا أَوقَعَ الحَدَثانُ جانِح

The speakers, the doers, generous and praiseworthy men

Whose hands still cloud the bright sky, whose liberality pours continually."

فَليَأتِنا فَلتَبكِ عَيناهُ لهَلكانا النَوافِح

القائِلينَ الفاعِلينَ ذَوي السَماحَةِ وَالمَمادِح

مَن لا يَزالُ نَدى يَدَيهِ لَهُ طَوالَ الدَهرِ مائِح