Sol 6.1

  1. أَتَزعَمُ ياضَخمَ اللَغاديدِ أَنَّنا

    وَنَحنُ أُسودُ الحَربِ لانَعرِفُ الحَربا

    Do you claim, O great-jowled man, that we,

    Though we are lions of war, do not know war?

  2. فَوَيلَكَ مَن لِلحَربِ إِن لَم نَكُن لَها

    وَمَن ذا الَّذي يُمسي وَيُضحي لَها تِربا

    So woe to you! Who is for war if we are not?

    And who is its companion, evening and morning?

  3. وَمَن ذا يَلُفُّ الجَيشَ مِن جَنَباتِهِ

    وَمَن ذا يَقودُ الشُمَّ أَو يَصدُمُ القَلبا

    And who envelops the army from its flanks?

    And who leads the proud warriors or charges the center?

  4. وَوَيلَكَ مَن أَدى أَخاكَ بِمَرعَشٍ

    وَجَلَّلَ ضَرباً وَجهَ والِدِكَ العَضبا

    And woe to you! Who felled your brother at Marash

    And covered your father's face with blows of the keen blade?

  5. وَوَيلَكَ مَن خَلّى اِبنَ أُختِكَ موثِقاً

    وَخَلّاكَ بِاللَقّانِ تَبتَدِرُ الشَعبا

    And woe to you! Who left your sister's son bound,

    And left you at al-Laqqan racing for the mountain pass?

  6. أَتوعِدُنا بِالحَربِ حَتّى كَأَنَّنا

    وَإِيّاكَ لَم يُعصَب بِها قَلبُنا عَصبا

    Do you threaten us with war, as though we

    And you had never had our hearts bound fast by it?

  7. لَقَد جَمَعَتنا الحَربُ مِن قَبلِ هَذِهِ

    فَكُنّا بِها أُسداً وَكُنتَ بِها كَلبا

    War has indeed brought us together before this:

    Then we were lions in it, while you were a dog.

  8. فَسَل بَردَساً عَنّا أَخاكَ وَصِهرَهُ

    وَسَل آلَ بَرداليسَ أَعظَمُكُم خَطبا

    So ask Bardas, your brother, and his kinsman by marriage about us;

    And ask the house of Bardalis, the most formidable among you.

  9. وَسَل قُقُواساً وَالشَميشَقَ صِهرَهُ

    وَسَل سِبطَهُ البَطريقَ أَثبَتُكُم قَلبا

    And ask Ququwas and al-Shamishaq, his kinsman by marriage;

    And ask his daughter's son, the patrician, the stoutest-hearted of you.

  10. وَسَل صيدَكُم آلَ المَلايِنِ إِنَّنا

    نَهَبنا بِبيضِ الهِندِ عِزَّهُمُ نَهبا

    And ask your proud chiefs, the house of al-Malayin: we

    Utterly plundered their glory with the bright blades of India.

  11. وَسَل آلَ بَهرامٍ وَآلَ بَلَنطَسٍ

    وَسَل آلَ مَنوالَ الجَحاجِحَةَ الغُلبا

    And ask the house of Bahram and the house of Balantas;

    And ask the house of Manwal, those mighty, thick-necked chiefs.

  12. وَسَل بِالبُرُطسيسِ العَساكِرَ كُلَّها

    وَسَل بِالمُنَسطَرياطِسِ الرومَ وَالعُربا

    And ask all the armies about al-Burutsis;

    And ask the Romans and the Arabs about al-Munastaryatis.

  13. أَلَم تُفنِهِم قَتلاً وَأَسراً سُيوفُنا

    وَأُسدَ الشَرى المَلأى وَإِن جَمُدَت رُعبا

    Did our swords not annihilate them, killing and taking captive,

    And the sated lions of al-Shara, though they froze in terror?

  14. بِأَقلامِنا أُجحِرتَ أَم بِسُيوفِنا

    وَأُسدَ الشَرى قُدنا إِلَيكَ أَمِ الكُتبا

    Were you driven to your burrow by our pens, or by our swords?

    And did we lead lions of al-Shara against you, or books?

  15. تَرَكناكَ في بَطنِ الفَلاةِ تَجوبُها

    كَما اِنتَفَقَ اليَربوعُ يَلتَثِمُ التُربا

    We left you roaming the heart of the wilderness,

    Like a jerboa entering its burrow, veiling its face with dust.

  16. تُفاخِرُنا بِالطَعنِ وَالضَربِ في الوَغى

    لَقَد أَوسَعَتكَ النَفسُ يا اِبنُ اِستِها كِذبا

    You boast against us of spear-thrusts and sword-blows in battle;

    Your soul has fed you lies aplenty, you son of her arse!

  17. رَعى اللَهُ أَوفانا إِذا قالَ ذِمَّةً

    وَأَنفَذَنا طَعناً وَأَثبَتَنا قَلبا

    May God guard the one of us truest to a pledge when he gives it,

    And most piercing in his thrusts, and firmest of heart.

  18. وَجَدتُ أَباكَ العِلجَ لَمّا خَبَرتُهُ

    أَقَلُّكُمُ خَيراً وَأَكثَرَكُم عُجبا

    I found your father, that barbarian, when I put him to the test,

    The least of you in goodness, and the greatest in conceit.