قَد غَلَّبَتني رُواةُ الناسِ كُلِّهِمُ
إِلّا حَنيفَةَ تَفسوا في مَناحيها
The tribesmen have conquered me, all of them
Except Hanifa; interpret her territories
قَومٌ هُمُ زَمَعُ الأَظلافِ غَيرُهُمُ
أَدنى لِبَكرٍ إِذا عُدَّت نَواصيها
A people; they are the refuge of nobles; none but them
Closer to Bakr when genealogies are recounted
تُخزي حَنيفَةَ أَيّامٌ كَسَت حُمَماً
مِنها الوُجوهَ فَما شَيءٌ بِماحيها
Days will humiliate Hanifa; they wore her out
Stripping faces of all their territories
أَيّامَ تُسبى وَلا تَسبي وَيَقتُلُها
ما لَم تُؤَدِّ خَراجاً مَن يُعاديها
Days she is taken captive without taking others captive
And killed by whoever rivals her
أَبناءُ نَخلٍ وَحيطانٍ وَمَزرَعَةٍ
سُيوفُهُم خَشَبٌ فيها مَساحيها
Sons of palms, walls and a farm
Their swords are wood with its territories
قَطعُ الدِبارِ وَأَبرُ النَخلِ عادَتُهُم
قِدماً فَما جاوَزَت هاذا مَساعيها
Cutting off the enemy’s retreat and palms’ fruit is their wont
Yet their endeavor goes no further than this
رَأَت حَنيفَةُ إِذ عُدَّت مَساعيها
أَن بِئسَما كانَ يَبني المَجدَ بانيها
When Hanifa surveyed her endeavor
She saw how miserable was the foundation of her glory
لَو قُلتَ أَينَ هَوادي الخَيلَ ما عَرَفوا
قالوا لِأَذنابِها هَذي هَوادِيَها
If you said “Where are the battle steeds” they would not know
They said: “These are their tails” and their territories
أَو قُلتَ إِنَّ حِمامَ المَوتِ آخِذُكُم
أَو تُلجِموا فَرَساً قامَت بَواكيها
Or if you said: “The pigeons of death have taken you”
Or: “Restrain a mare” and her tears flowed
لَمّا رَأَت خالِداً بِالعِرضِ أَهلَكَها
قَتلاً وَأَسلَمَها ما قالَ طاغيها
When she saw Khaled in battle formation, he destroyed her
Killing and subjugating without her tyrant speaking
دانَت وَأَعطَت يَداً لِلسِلمِ صاغِرَةً
مِن بَعدِ ما كادَ سَيفُ اللَهِ يُفنيها
She surrendered and gave her hand to peace humbly
After God’s sword almost annihilated her
صارَت حَنيفَةُ أَثلاثاً فَثُلثُهُمُ
مِنَ العَبيدِ وَثُلثٌ مِن مَواليها
Hanifa became a third; a third of them
Are slaves, a third are her confederates
قَد زَوَّجوهُم فَهُم فيهِم وَناسِبُهُم
إِلى حَنيفَةَ يَدعو ثُلثَ باقيها
They married them so they are among them and related to them
While a third of what remains calls Hanifa home
