نَفى أَهلَ الحَبَلَّقِ يَومَ وَجٍّ

مُزَينَةُ جَهرَةً وَبَنو خُفافِ

The tribe of Hablaaq were driven away one fateful morning

While Muzainah and the sons of Khufaf were adorned

ضَرَبناهُم بِمَكَّةَ يَومَ فَتحِ النَ

بِيِّ الخَيرِ بِالبيضِ الخِفافِ

We struck them in Mecca on the day of the Opening

With the excellent Prophet and the white swords

صَبَحناهُم بِأَلفٍ مِن سُلَيمٍ

وَأَلفٍ مِن بَني عُثمانَ وافِ

We took them by surprise at dawn with a thousand of Sulaym

And a thousand of the sons of Uthman who had arrived

حَدَوا أَكتافُهُم ضَرباً وَطَعناً

وَرَمياً بالمُرَيَّشَةِ اللِطافِ

Their shoulders were cut by striking, stabbing,

And shooting with elegant arrows

رَمَيناهُم بِشُبّانٍ وَشيبٍ

تُكَفكِفُ كُلَّ مُمتَنِعِ العِطافِ

We shot them with young and old alike

Each one subduing the obstinate fugitive

تَرى بَينَ الصُفوفِ لَهُنَّ رَشقاً

كَما اِنصاعَ الفَواقُ عنِ الرِصافِ

You could see between the ranks their skulls broken

As though they were bottles cast down by a wine-pourer

تَرى الجُردَ الجِيادَ تَلوحُ فيهِم

بِأَرماحٍ مُقَوَّمَةِ الثِقافِ

You could see the polished swords flashing among them

With straightened spears of high quality

وَرُحنا غانِمين بِما أَرَدنا

وَراحوا نادِمينِ عَلى الخِلافِ

And we went away as victors with what we wanted

While they went away regretting their opposition

وَقَد سَمِعوا مَقالَتَنا فَهَمّوا

غَداةَ الرَوعِ مِنا بِاِنصِرافِ

And they had heard our speech so they understood

The morning after being startled by our withdrawal

وَأَعطَينا رَسولَ اللَهِ مِنّا

مَواثيقاً عَلى حُسنِ التَصافيِ

And we gave the Messenger of God from us

Pledges of good fellowship

فَجُزنا بَطنَ مَكَة وَاِمتَنَعنا

بِتَقوى اللَهِ وَالبيضِ الخِفافِ

So we split the belly of Mecca and held fast

By the piety of God and the white swords

وَحَلَّ عمودُنا حَجَراتِ نَجدٍ

فَأَليَةَ فَالقُدوسَ إِلى شَرافِ

And our pillars settled in the dwellings of Najd

From Aleeya to Al-Qudus to Sharaf

أَرادوا اللّاتَ وَالعُزّى إِلَهاً

كَفى بِاللَهِ دَونَ اللّاتِ كافِ

They wanted al-Lat and al-Uzza as gods

God alone suffices, without the need for al-Lat

أَمِن نَوارَ عَرَفتَ المَنزِلَ الخَلَقا

إِذ لا تُفارِقُ بَطنَ الجَوِّ فَالبُرَقا

Have you seen from the light of the dawning the abode’s creation

As lightning never leaves the belly of the clouds then flashes

وَقَفتُ فيها قَليلاً رَيثَ أَسأَلُه

فَاِنهَلَّ دَمعي عَلى الخَدَّينِ مُنسَحِقا

I stood in it a little while, so I would ask about it

My tears poured down my cheeks, crushed

كادَت تُبَيِّنُ وَحياً بَعضَ حاجَتِنا

لَو أَنَّ مَنزِلَ حَيٍ دارِساً نَطَقا

It almost made clear some of our needs

If the abode of the living had spoken

لازَالتِ الريحُ تُزجي كُلَّ ذي لَجَبٍ

غَيثاً إِذا ما وَنَتهُ ديمةٌ دَفَقا

The winds continued to bring every heavy cloudburst

Rain when its folds dripped

فَأَنبَتَ الفَغوَ وَالريحانَ وابِلُهُ

وَالأَيهُقانَ مَعَ المُكنانِ وَالذُرَقا

So it brought forth greensward, basil, its rain

Yahuqan with muknán and dhuraq

فَلمَ تَزَل كُلُّ غَنّاءِ البُغامِ بِهِ

مِنَ الظِباءِ تُراعي عاقِداً خَرِقا

So every singing oryx among the dunes with it

Never ceased, binding the placket

تَقرو بِهِ مَنزِلَ الحَسناءِ إِذ رَحَلَت

فَاِستَقبَلَت رُجَبَ الجَوفَين فَالعُمَقا

They came near the abode of the beautiful one when she departed

The interior of the two months, Rajab and Umqa, received her

حَلَّت نَوارُ بِأَرضٍ لا يُبَلِّغُها

إِلّا صُموتُ السُرى لا تَسأَمُ العَنَقا

Nuwar arrived at a land only reached

By the silence of distance, tireless walking

خَطّارَةٌ بَعدَ غِبِّ الجَهدِ ناجِيَةٌ

لا تَشتَكي لِلحَفا مِن خُفِّها رَقَقا

Khattara, after the absence of effort, complaining

Does not complain to Fate about her shoes' thinness

تَرى المَريءَ كَنَصلِ السَيفِ إِذ ضَمِنَت

أَو النَضِيَّ الفَضا بَطَّنتَهُ العُنُقا

You see the throat like the blade of a sword when she sang

Or the flute that the neck hollowed

تَنفي اللُغامَ بِمِثلِ السَبتِ خَصَّرَهُ

حاذٍ يَمانٍ إِذا ما أَرقَلَت خَفَقا

She shakes off sluggishness like the Sabbath has belted it

A Yamanite leatherworker when she swayed

تَنجو نَجاءَ قَطاةِ الجَوِّ أَفزَعَها

بِذي العِضاهِ أَحَسَّت بازِياً طَرَقا

She escapes the cry of the wild cats of the air that alarmed her

With him of sharp claws she sensed a knocking

شَهمٌ يَكُبُّ القَطا الكُدري مُختَضِبُ ال

أظفارِ حُرٌّ تَرى في عَينهِ زَرَقا

A brave lion overthrowing the muddy wild cat with claws dyed

Free whom you see blueness in his eyes

باتَت لَهُ لَيلَةٌ جَمٌّ أَهاضِبُها

وَباتَ يَنفُضُ عَنهُ الطَلَّ وَاللَثَقا

He spent a night of abundant adversity

And he spent it shaking off the vines and twines

حَتّى إِذا ما اِنجَلَت ظَلماءُ لَيلَتِهِ

وَاِنجابَ عَنهُ بَياضُ الصُبحِ فَاِنفَلَقا

Until when the darkness of his night receded

And the whiteness of dawn relieved him, cleaving open

غَدا عَلى قَدَرٍ يَهوي فَفاجَأَها

فَاِنقَضَّ وَهُوَ بِوَشكِ الصَيدِ قَد وَثِقا

He went in the morning to a pot he coveted, and surprised her

He pounced while on the verge of catching his prey

لا شَيءَ أَجوَدُ مِنها وَهِيَ طَيِّبَةٌ

نَفساً بِما سَوفَ يُنجيها وَإِن لَحِقا

There is nothing better than her, and she is good-souled

With what will save her, even if it meets her

نَفَّرَها عَن حِياضِ المَوتِ فَاِنتَجَعَت

بِبَطنِ لينَةَ ماءً لَم يَكُن رَنِقا

It scared her away from the court of death, so she took refuge

In the soft belly of water that was not murky

يا لَيتَ شِعري وَلَيتَ الطَيرَ تُخبِرُني

أَمِثلَ عِشقي يُلاقي كُلُّ مِن عَشِقا

Oh, if only I knew, and if only the birds would tell me

If my passion meets all who feel passion

إِذا سَمِعتُ بِذكرِ الحُبِّ ذَكَّرَني

هِنداً فَقَد عَلِقَ الأَحشاءَ ما عَلِقا

Whenever I hear mention of love, it reminds me

Of Hind, for she has clung to my entrails, what clinging!

كَم دونَها مِن عَدُوٍّ ذي مُكاشَحَةٍ

بادِيَ الشَوارَةِ يُبدي وَجهُهُ حَنَقا

How many enemies below her have I contended with

Whose cheeks show their rancor

ذي نَيرَبٍ نَزِعٍ لَو قَد نَصَبتُ لَهُ

وَجهي لَقَد قالَ كُنتَ الحائِنَ الحَمِقا

A despicable, quarrelsome one, if I had set

My face against him, he would have said you were wronging, foolish

كَالكَلبِ لا يَسأَمُ الكَلبُ الهَريرَ وَلَو

لاقَيتَ بِالكَلبِ لَيثاً مُخدِراً ذَرَقا

Like the dog who never tires of barking even if

You meet the dog with a growling lion

وَمُرهَقٍ قَد دَعاني فَاِستجَبتُ لَهُ

أَجَزتُ غُصَّتُهُ مِن بَعدَ ما شَرِقا

And a weary one called me, so I answered him

I relieved his hatred after it overflowed