كم أَلحَمَ السَّيفُ في أبناءِ مَلْحَمَةٍ

ما مِنْهُمُ فَوقَ ظهْرِ الأَرْض دَيَّارُ

How the sword has feasted among the sons of feast!

None of them remain above the earth's face as dwellers

وأوْرَدَ النَّارَ مِنْ أَرواحِ مارِقَةٍ

كادَتْ تَمَيّزُ مِنْ غَيْظٍ لَها النّارُ

And it has brought down fire from departing souls

The fire almost burst out of rage

كأَنَّما صَالَ في ثِنْيَي مُفاضَتِهِ

مُسْتَأْسِدٌ حَنِقُ الأَحْشاءِ هَرَّارُ

As if a raging lion with burning entrails

Was raging amid its folds

لمَّا رأَى الفِتْنَةَ العَمْياءَ قَدْ رَحُبَتْ

مِنْها على النَّاسِ آفاقٌ وأَقْطارُ

When he saw the blind strife had grown vast

With horizons and lands over people from it

وَأطبَقَتْ ظُلمٌ مِنْ فَوْقِها ظُلمٌ

مَا يُسْتَضاءُ بِها نُورٌ ولا نارُ

And darkness from over it was layered with darkness

With which no light or fire can be illuminated

قادَ الجِيادَ إِلى الأعْداءِ سارِيَةً

قُبَّاً طَواها كطَيِّ العَصْبِ إِضْمَارُ

He drove the steeds against the enemies loftily

Covered with coats of mail like plaited hair twists

مَلْمُومَةً تَتَبارى في مُلَمْلَمَةٍ

كأَنَّها لاعْتِدالِ الخَلْقِ أَفْهارُ

Blamed, vying in a confused vying

As if for the uprightness of creation they were displays

تَزْوَرُّ عِنْدَ احْتماسِ الطَّعْنِ أَعْيُنُها

وَهُنَّ مِنْ فُرُجاتِ النَّقْعِ نُظَّارُ

Their eyes dance during the clashing of spears

And they are spyglasses for the interstices of wounds

تَفُوتُ بِالثأرِ أَقْواماً وَتُدْرِكُهُ

مِنْ آخَرينَ إذَا لم يُدْرَكِ الثّارُ

They take vengeance on some tribes and attain it

From others when revenge cannot be attained

فَانسابَ ناصِرُ دينِ اللَّهِ يَقْدُمُهُمْ

وحَوْلَه مِنْ جُنُودِ اللَّهِ أَنصارُ

So the aider of Allah's religion set forth leading them

And around him were Allah's soldier helpers

كتائِبٌ تَتَبارى حَوْلَ رايَتهِ

وجَحْفَلٌ كسَوادِ اللَّيْلِ جَرَّارُ

Battalions vying around his banner

And a horde black as the night's darkness

قَوْمٌ لَهُمْ في مَكَرِّ اللَّيْلِ غَمْغَمَةٌ

تَحْتَ الْعَجاجِ وَإقْبالٌ وَإدْبارُ

A folk having in the night's scheming a growling

Beneath armor and advance and retreat

يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ كرادِيساً مُكَرْدَسَةً

كما تَدَفَّعَ بِالتَّيَّارِ تَيَّارُ

They surge forward like torrents set in motion

As if driven by the current is a current

مِنْ كلِّ أَرْوَعَ لا يَرْعَى لِهاجِسَةٍ

كأَنَّهُ مُخْدِرٌ في الغِيلِ هَصَّارُ

Without any heed to alarm as if drugged amid yelling

A screaming warrior amid the battle's clamor

في قَسطَلٍ مِنْ عَجاج الحَرْبِ مُدَّ لَهُ

بَينَ السَّماءِ وبَيْنَ الأَرْضِ أَسْتارُ

For him between the sky and earth banners are erected

How many in their plain are corpses thrown down

فَكمْ بِساحَتِهمْ مِنْ شِلْوِ مُطَّرَحٍ

كأنَّهُ فَوْقَ ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ إجَّارُ

As if above the earth's back are boulders

As if his head is a cloven rock

كأنَّما رَأسُهُ أَفْلاقُ حَنْظَلَةٍ

وساعِداهُ إلَى الزَّنْدينِ جُمَّارُ

And his arms to the armor are rigid

And how many on the river are severed limbs

وكم على النَّهْرِ أَوْصالاً مُقَسَّمَةً

تَقَسَّمَتْها المَنايا فَهْيَ أَشْطارُ

Severed by death, so they are fragments

Their skulls were cleft by Indian scimitars

قَدْ فُلِّقَتْ بِصَفيحِ الهِندِ هَامُهُمُ

فَهُنَّ بَينَ حَوَامي الخَيْلِ أَعْشارُ

So they are among the horses' anklets tenths