وَمَن صُنعِهِ يَومَ فَيلِ الحَبوش

وَمَن صُنعِهِ يَومَ فَيلِ الحَبوش

إِذ كُلُّ ما بَعَثوه رَزَم

إِذ كُلُّ ما بَعَثوه رَزَم

And among His deeds was the day of the Abyssinians' elephant,

He who did his work on the day of Fil al-Habash

when, whenever they urged it onward, it sank to the ground.

When all they sent out were corpses

مَحاجنُهم تَحتَ أَقرابهِ

مَحاجنُهم تَحتَ أَقرابهِ

وقَد شَرَموا أَنفَهُ فانخَرم

وقَد شَرَموا أَنفَهُ فانخَرم

Their hooked goads were beneath its flanks,

Their sacs beneath their necks

and they had slit its trunk, tearing it open.

With their noses split and broken

وقَد جَعلوا سوطَهُ مِغولاً

وقَد جَعلوا سوطَهُ مِغولاً

إِذا يَمَّموهُ فَفاهَ كلم

إِذا يَمَّموهُ فَفاهَ كلم

And they had turned its whip into a dagger;

They had made his whip into storms

whenever they aimed it, it wounded the elephant's mouth.

Whenever he turned it, mouths were silenced

فَوَّلى وأَدبَر أَدراجَهُ

فَوَّلى وأَدبَر أَدراجَهُ

وقَد باءَ بالظُلمِ مَن كانَ ثم

وقَد باءَ بالظُلمِ مَن كانَ ثم

So it turned away and retraced its steps,

So he turned away, retreating

while those who were there bore the burden of wrongdoing.

And he who was there was smitten with injustice

فاَرسل مِن فَوقَهُم حاصِباً

فاَرسل مِن فَوقَهُم حاصِباً

فَلفَّهمُ مِثلَ لفِّ القَزَم

فَلفَّهمُ مِثلَ لفِّ القَزَم

So He sent upon them from above a shower of stones,

Then from above them he sent down a punishment

which swept them together as small sheep are herded.

Which gathered them up like a shepherd gathering sheep

تَحضُّ عَلى الصَبرِ أَحبارَهُم

تَحضُّ عَلى الصَبرِ أَحبارَهُم

وقَد ثأَجوا كثُؤاجِ الغَنَم

وقَد ثأَجوا كثُؤاجِ الغَنَم

Their clerics urged them to endure,

Their priests recommend patience

while they bleated like sheep.

Though they bleat like thirsty sheep