أَيُّwhich القُلوبِhearts عَلَيكُمin grief for you لَيسَnot يَنصَدِعُbreaks
أَيُّ القُلوبِ عَلَيكُم لَيسَ يَنصَدِعُ
وَأَيُّand what نَومٍsleep عَلَيكُمin grief for you لَيسَnot يَمتَنِعُis withheld
وَأَيُّ نَومٍ عَلَيكُم لَيسَ يَمتَنِعُ
What heart does not break in grief for you?
What hearts upon you are not torn asunder,
And what sleep is not banished by grief for you?
What sleep upon you is not denied slumber?
ماnot غابَwas absent عَنكُمfrom you مِنَof الإِقدامِcourage أَكرَمُهُits noblest
ما غابَ عَنكُم مِنَ الإِقدامِ أَكرَمُهُ
فيin الرَوعِterror إِذwhen غابَتِwere absent الأَنصارُthe allies وَالشِيَعُand followers
في الرَوعِ إِذ غابَتِ الأَنصارُ وَالشِيَعُ
The noblest courage never deserted you
Your valor's loss I hold in highest honor,
amid terror, when allies and followers were absent.
When allies and kin in fear took cover.
بَنيO sons of حُمَيدٍHumayd بِنَفسيwith my life as ransom أَعظُمٌbones لَكُمُof yours
بَني حُمَيدٍ بِنَفسي أَعظُمٌ لَكُمُ
مَهجورَةٌabandoned وَدِماءٌand blood مِنكُمُfrom you دُفَعُsurges
مَهجورَةٌ وَدِماءٌ مِنكُمُ دُفَعُ
Sons of Humayd, may my life ransom your bones,
O tribe of Humayd, my soul holds you greater,
abandoned, and your blood pouring out in torrents.
Though abandoned, lifeblood shed in fervor.
يَنتَجِعونَseek out المَناياdeaths فيin مَنابِتِهاtheir growing places
يَنتَجِعونَ المَنايا في مَنابِتِها
وَلَمand not تَكُنwas قَبلَهُمbefore them فيin الدَهرِall time تُنتَجَعُsought out
وَلَم تَكُن قَبلَهُم في الدَهرِ تُنتَجَعُ
They seek out death in the places where it grows,
You welcome death where it is seeded,
though before them it had never been sought in all the ages.
No others did so in times before or after.
كَأَنَّماas though بِهِمُin them مِنfrom حُبِّهاlove of them شَرَهٌravenous craving
كَأَنَّما بِهِمُ مِن حُبِّها شَرَهٌ
إِذاwhen هُمُthey اِنغَمَسواplunged فيinto الرَوعِterror أَوor جَشَعُgreed
إِذا هُمُ اِنغَمَسوا في الرَوعِ أَو جَشَعُ
As though their love of death gives them a ravenous hunger
As if with love for it you are obsessed,
when they plunge into terror—or an insatiable greed.
Headlong into fray or greed progress.
لَوif خَرَّfell سَيفٌa sword مِنَfrom العَيّوقِCapella مُنصَلِتاًunsheathed
لَو خَرَّ سَيفٌ مِنَ العَيّوقِ مُنصَلِتاً
ماnot كانَwould be إِلّاexcept عَلىupon هاماتِهِمtheir heads يَقَعُfalling
ما كانَ إِلّا عَلى هاماتِهِم يَقَعُ
If a sword fell unsheathed from Capella,
If swords from sheaths were loosened, flourishing,
it would fall only upon their heads.
Only upon your heads would they egress.
إِذاwhen هُمthey شَهِدواtook part in الهَيجاءَbattle هاجَsurged بِهِمwithin them
إِذا هُم شَهِدوا الهَيجاءَ هاجَ بِهِم
تَغَطرُفٌlordly pride فيin وُجوهِthe faces of المَوتِdeath يَطَّلِعُrises
تَغَطرُفٌ في وُجوهِ المَوتِ يَطَّلِعُ
When they enter battle, there surges within them
When turmoil swelled you swelled to match its measure,
a lordly pride rising before the faces of death.
Death's countenance upon your faces pleasure.
وَأَنفُسٌand souls تَسَعُencompass الأَرضَthe earth الفَضاءَspacious وَلاand not
وَأَنفُسٌ تَسَعُ الأَرضَ الفَضاءَ وَلا
يَرضَونَthey are content أَوuntil يُجشِموهاthey burden them فَوقَbeyond ماwhat تَسَعُthey can bear
يَرضَونَ أَو يُجشِموها فَوقَ ما تَسَعُ
And souls that encompass the spacious earth—yet
Souls so vast they'd encompass earth entire
they are not content until they burden them beyond what they can bear.
Yet earth can't contain you however it may treasure.
بِوُدِّin the desire of أَعدائِهِمtheir enemies لَوif only أَنَّهُمthat they قُتِلواwere slain
بِوُدِّ أَعدائِهِم لَو أَنَّهُم قُتِلوا
وَأَنَّهُمand that they صَنَعواthey did بَعضَsome of الَّذيwhat صَنَعواthey did
وَأَنَّهُم صَنَعوا بَعضَ الَّذي صَنَعوا
Their enemies wish that they themselves had been slain,
Your foes wished that you died, and that
and had done some of what these men did.
You'd done a fraction of deeds you in fact...
عَهديmy recollection بِهِمof them تَستَنيرُshines الأَرضُthe earth إِنif نَزَلواthey settled
عَهدي بِهِم تَستَنيرُ الأَرضُ إِن نَزَلوا
فيهاin it وَتَجتَمِعُand gathers الدُنياthe world إِذاwhen اِجتَمَعواthey gathered
فيها وَتَجتَمِعُ الدُنيا إِذا اِجتَمَعوا
I remember them: the earth would shine when they settled
My oath - you tread, the land glows underfoot,
upon it, and the world would gather whenever they gathered.
You gather, and all is embraced in your pact.
وَيَضحَكُand smiles الدَهرُTime مِنهُمfrom them عَنrevealing غَطارِفَةٍnoble lords
وَيَضحَكُ الدَهرُ مِنهُم عَن غَطارِفَةٍ
كَأَنَّas though أَيّامَهُمtheir days مِنbecause of أُنسِهاtheir cheer جُمَعُFridays
كَأَنَّ أَيّامَهُم مِن أُنسِها جُمَعُ
And Time would smile, revealing in them noble lords,
Time itself smiles at your ferocity,
as though their days, so full of cheer, were Fridays.
As if your days are its sole source of glee.
يَومَO day of النَباجِal-Nabaj لَقَدindeed أَبقَيتَyou left behind نابِجَةًa calamity
يَومَ النَباجِ لَقَد أَبقَيتَ نابِجَةً
أَحشاؤُناour entrails أَبَداًforever مِنfrom ذِكرِهاremembering it قِطَعُpieces
أَحشاؤُنا أَبَداً مِن ذِكرِها قِطَعُ
O day of al-Nabaj, you have indeed left a calamity:
On the day of al-Nabaj you left ever baying
our entrails are forever torn to pieces by its memory.
Our hearts, reminiscing, torn for eternity.
مَنwhoever لَمdid not يُعايِنbehold أَباAbu نَصرٍNasr وَقاتِلَهُand his killer
مَن لَم يُعايِن أَبا نَصرٍ وَقاتِلَهُ
فَماthen not رَأىsaw ضَبُعاًa hyena فيin شِدقِهاthe corner of its mouth سَبُعُa lion
فَما رَأى ضَبُعاً في شِدقِها سَبُعُ
Whoever did not behold Abu Nasr and his killer
He who saw not Abu Nasr and his slayer
has never seen a hyena with a lion in its jaws.
Saw no lion whose jaws a lynx invade.
فيمَwhy الشَماتَةُgloating إِعلاناًopenly بِأُسدِover lions of وَغىbattle
فيمَ الشَماتَةُ إِعلاناً بِأُسدِ وَغى
أَفناهُمُdestroyed them الصَبرُsteadfastness إِذwhile أَبقاكُمُkept you alive الجَزَعُpanic
أَفناهُمُ الصَبرُ إِذ أَبقاكُمُ الجَزَعُ
Why openly gloat over lions of battle,
Why gloat over lions felled defending their pride?
whom steadfastness slew, while panic kept you alive?
Did your patience fail you, that grief was displayed?
لاno غَروَwonder إِنif قُتِلواthey were slain صَبراًsteadfastly وَلاand no عَجَبٌsurprise
لا غَروَ إِن قُتِلوا صَبراً وَلا عَجَبٌ
فَالقَتلُfor killing لِلصَبرِof steadfastness فيin حُكمِthe judgment of القَناthe spears تَبَعُa consequence
فَالقَتلُ لِلصَبرِ في حُكمِ القَنا تَبَعُ
No wonder if they were slain standing firm, no surprise:
No surprise that they died patient and stoic,
for under the law of spears, death follows steadfastness.
For in patience, like arrows, death finds its foretoken.