أَلا كُلُّ أَرماحٍ قِصارٍ أَذِلَّةٍ

فِداءٌ لِأَرماحٍ رُكِزنَ عَلى الغَمرِ

Alas! All short spears are humiliated

In sacrifice for spears erected in the battle

فَإِنَّ الَّذي أَعطَيتُمُ أَو مَنَعتُمُ

لَكَالتَمرِ أَو أَحلى لِخَلفِ بَني فَهرِ

Whether you give or withhold

It is like dates or sweeter for the progeny of the noble Fahr

فَباسَت بَني عَبسٍ وَأَفناءِ طَيِّئٍ

وَباسَت بَني دودانَ حاشا بَني نَصرِ

It destroyed the Bani Abs and the valiant Ta'i

And destroyed the Bani Dudan except the Bani Nasr

فِدىً لِبَني ذُبيانَ أُمّي وَخالَتي

عَشِيَّةَ يُحدى بِالرِماحِ أَبو بَكرِ

In sacrifice for my maternal uncles, the Bani Dhubyan

On an evening when spears challenge Abu Bakr

أَطَعنا رَسولَ اللَهِ إِذ كانَ صادِقاً

فَيا عَجَباً ما بالُ دينِ أَبي بَكرِ

We obeyed the Messenger of Allah since he was truthful

So strange what the religion of Abu Bakr has become

لِيورِثَها بَكراً إِذا ماتَ بَعدَهُ

فَتِلكَ وَبَيتِ اللَهِ قاصِمَةُ الظَهرِ

To inherit it when he dies after him

That is the back-breaking blow against God's House

أَبَوا غَيرَ ضَربٍ يَجثُمُ الهامُ وَسطَهُ

وَطَعنٍ كَأَفواهِ المُزَقَّقَةِ الحُمرِ

They refused nothing but a blow that crushes the skull

And a stab like the mouths of red camels

فَقوموا وَلا تُعطوا اللِئامَ مَقادَةً

وَقوموا وَإِن كانَ القِيامُ عَلى الجَمرِ

So stand and do not give the wicked a chance for treason

Stand even if standing is on embers