كادَ مُجيبُ الخُبثِ تَلقى يَمينُهُ
طَبَرزينَ بَينٍ مِقضَباً لِلمَفاصِلِ
Mujib the vile—his right hand nearly met
The mischievous answerer nearly met his demise,
a severing battle-axe, a cleaver of joints.
With hands like the joints of a leopard ready to pounce.
تَدارَكَهُ عَفوُ المُهاجِرِ بَعدَما
دَعا دَعوَةً يا لَهفَهُ عِندَ نائِلِ
Al-Muhajir's pardon rescued him after
But the Emigrant's pardon saved him after
he cried out—alas for him!—before Na'il.
He had uttered a plea, such longing in his voice.
فَإِن غَفَلَ الراعي الَّذي نامَ بِالحِمى
فَإِنَّ بِحَجرٍ راعِياً غَيرَ غافِلِ
So if al-Ra‘i, who slept in the protected pasture, was heedless,
For if the guardian who slept at the sanctuary dozed,
then in Hajr there is indeed a shepherd who is not heedless.
Then the steadfast stone would be guardian enough.
وَقَعتَ بِأَيدي المُحرِزِيِّينَ وَقعَةً
نَهَت باسِلاً عَنّا وَأَصحابَ باسِلِ
You fell into the Muhrizis' hands—a fall
You had a fierce skirmish with the Reserved Ones,
that kept Basil and Basil's companions away from us.
Which drove Basil away from us and Basil’s comrades.
Sol 6.1