تَهُزُّ بك الْخُطوبُ من الْخِطابِ

تَهُزُّ بك الْخُطوبُ من الْخِطابِ

وتَنْهَزِمُ الكتائِبُ بالكتابِ

وتَنْهَزِمُ الكتائِبُ بالكتابِ

Calamities tremble at a word from you,

The speeches shake you with tribulations,

And battalions are routed by a letter.

And the battalions are defeated by the book.

وتخشى نارَ حربِكَ وَهْيَ تَخْبُو

وتخشى نارَ حربِكَ وَهْيَ تَخْبُو

فكيف إِذا ارْتَمَتْ شَرَرُ الحِرابِ

فكيف إِذا ارْتَمَتْ شَرَرُ الحِرابِ

And they fear the fire of your war even as it dies down—

They fear the fire of your war when it is ablaze,

How, then, when the sparks of spears fly?

So what will happen when the sparks of war fly?

ومذ جَرَّدْتَ عَزْمَكَ وَهْوَ سَيْفٌ

ومذ جَرَّدْتَ عَزْمَكَ وَهْوَ سَيْفٌ

رَقَبْنَا ما يكونُ من الرقابِ

رَقَبْنَا ما يكونُ من الرقابِ

And since you unsheathed your resolve—a sword—

Since you girded your resolve, which is a sword,

We watched to see what would become of necks.

We awaited whatever would come to pass.

فما وَجَّهْتَهُ حتى حَكَمْنَا

فما وَجَّهْتَهُ حتى حَكَمْنَا

هُنَالك بالغنيمةِ والإِيابِ

هُنَالك بالغنيمةِ والإِيابِ

No sooner had you aimed it than we predicted

You did not even face it before we judged

Spoils and homecoming there.

To be there with the spoils and the returning.

وَكَزْتَ حَشَا اللَّعِينِ بمُنْكِصَاتٍ

وَكَزْتَ حَشَا اللَّعِينِ بمُنْكِصَاتٍ

على الأَعقابِ من جِهَةِ العُقَاب

على الأَعقابِ من جِهَةِ العُقَاب

You struck the accursed one's vitals with those that drive men

You thrust the vile mob with setbacks

Back on their heels, from the eagle's quarter:

Upon their heels from the side of punishment,

قطائِعُ تستهلُّ بها المنايا

قطائِعُ تستهلُّ بها المنايا

فتحسَبُ أَنها قِطَعُ السَّحابِ

فتحسَبُ أَنها قِطَعُ السَّحابِ

Warships from which death rains down,

Cutting blades that death inaugurates with them,

So you imagine they are fragments of cloud.

You'd think they were pieces of clouds.

يصارِعُها العُبابُ فيعتليهِ

يصارِعُها العُبابُ فيعتليهِ

بأَهْوَلَ في العُبابِ من العُبابِ

بأَهْوَلَ في العُبابِ من العُبابِ

The surge wrestles with them, yet they surmount it

The dust storms battle them and climb upon them

With something more fearsome amid the surge than the surge itself.

With the most terrifying of dust storms within dust storms,

إِذا انْعَطَفَتْ عليه أَو اسْتَقَامَتْ

إِذا انْعَطَفَتْ عليه أَو اسْتَقَامَتْ

فقُلْ لَعِبَ الحُبابُ على الحُبابِ

فقُلْ لَعِبَ الحُبابُ على الحُبابِ

When they turn upon it or hold a straight course,

Whether they twist upon it or move straight,

Then say: serpents play upon the foam.

Say the clouds sported upon the clouds.

وعُرْبٌ ماجَ منها البَرُّ بحراً

وعُرْبٌ ماجَ منها البَرُّ بحراً

أَليس البحرُ من صِفَةِ العِرابِ

أَليس البحرُ من صِفَةِ العِرابِ

And Arab steeds, whose surge made dry land a sea—

And a people whose land the wilderness flowed into a sea,

Is not 'a sea' a description of purebred Arab steeds?

Is not the sea of the attributes of nomads?

إِذا أُهَبُ القتال تناقَلُوها

إِذا أُهَبُ القتال تناقَلُوها

أَقَلُّوها أَخَفَّ من الإِهابِ

أَقَلُّوها أَخَفَّ من الإِهابِ

When they pass the battle gear among themselves,

When the battle flares up they pass it between them,

They bear it as though lighter than a hide.

Making it lighter than feathers.

أَغِرْبَانَ الشّآمِ حَذَارِ شُؤْمًا

أَغِرْبَانَ الشّآمِ حَذَارِ شُؤْمًا

لكم مُسْتَوْطَنًا في الاغْتِرابِ

لكم مُسْتَوْطَنًا في الاغْتِرابِ

O ravens of Syria, beware ill fortune

Beware of ill omens, estranged Syrians,

That makes its home with you abroad.

For you have dwelt too long in estrangement.

هَفَتْ بكمُ المُنَى فأَطَعْتُمُوهَا

هَفَتْ بكمُ المُنَى فأَطَعْتُمُوهَا

على الأَمْواهِ من عَدَدِ التُّرابِ

على الأَمْواهِ من عَدَدِ التُّرابِ

Hopes carried you away, and you obeyed them,

Death beckoned you, and you obeyed it

Upon the waters, as numerous as grains of dust.

Over the waterholes, to the number of specks of dust.

فكان لكُمْ من التَّضْعِيفِ فَأْلٌ

فكان لكُمْ من التَّضْعِيفِ فَأْلٌ

على مقدارِ تضعيفِ الحِسابِ

على مقدارِ تضعيفِ الحِسابِ

So weakening became an omen for you,

So for you the doubling was a disaster

In proportion to the doubling of the reckoning.

To the extent of doubling the account.

وعند الطَّيْرِ في الرّاياتِ رأْيٌ

وعند الطَّيْرِ في الرّاياتِ رأْيٌ

فما يخلو عُقابٌ من عِقابِ

فما يخلو عُقابٌ من عِقابِ

And the birds upon the banners have a judgment:

And in the view of the birds in the flags, there is an opinion,

For no eagle is without punishment.

No falcon is devoid of claws.