أَيا راكِباً إِمّا عَرَضتَ فَبَلِّغَن

أَيا راكِباً إِمّا عَرَضتَ فَبَلِّغَن

هُديتَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ رَسائِلي

هُديتَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ رَسائِلي

O rider, if you pass that way, be sure to convey—

O rider, if you meet

may you be guided!—my messages to the Commander of the Faithful.

Deliver my messages to the Commander of the Faithful

وَقُل لأَبي حَفصٍ إِذا ما لَقيتَهُ

وَقُل لأَبي حَفصٍ إِذا ما لَقيتَهُ

لَقَد كُنتَ نَفّاعاً قَليلَ الغَوائِلِ

لَقَد كُنتَ نَفّاعاً قَليلَ الغَوائِلِ

And say to Abu Hafs, when you meet him:

And say to Abu Hafs when you see him

You were indeed most helpful, rarely doing harm.

You were unprofitable, with few virtues

أَفي اللَهِ أَن تُدنوا ابنَ حَزمٍ وَتَقطَعوا

أَفي اللَهِ أَن تُدنوا ابنَ حَزمٍ وَتَقطَعوا

قُوى حُرُماتٍ بَينَنا وَوَصائِلِ

قُوى حُرُماتٍ بَينَنا وَوَصائِلِ

Is it right before God to draw Ibn Hazm close and sever

Is it Godly to advance on Ibn Hazm and sever

the cords of sacred ties between us and bonds of kinship?

The ties of kinship between us and the channels of communication?

فَكَيفَ تَرى لِلعَيشِ طِيباً وَلذَّةً

فَكَيفَ تَرى لِلعَيشِ طِيباً وَلذَّةً

وَخالُكَ أَمسى مُوثَقاً في الحَبائِلِ

وَخالُكَ أَمسى مُوثَقاً في الحَبائِلِ

So how can you find sweetness and pleasure in life,

How then can life be sweet and pleasurable

while your maternal uncle now lies bound in snares?

While your uncle is bound in shackles?

وَما طَمِعَ الحَزميُّ في الجاهِ قَبلَها

وَما طَمِعَ الحَزميُّ في الجاهِ قَبلَها

إِلى أَحَدٍ مِن آلِ مَروانَ عادِلِ

إِلى أَحَدٍ مِن آلِ مَروانَ عادِلِ

And before this, al-Hazmi had never aspired to standing

Never before did the Hazmis covet status

with any just member of Marwan's house.

From any of the Marwanites, even the just ones

وَشَى وَأَطاعُوهُ بِنا وَأَعانَهُ

وَشَى وَأَطاعُوهُ بِنا وَأَعانَهُ

عَلى أَمرِنا مَن لَيسَ عَنّا بِغافِلِ

عَلى أَمرِنا مَن لَيسَ عَنّا بِغافِلِ

He denounced us, and they heeded him; he was aided

But they slandered us and aided our enemy against us

in our affair by one who is not heedless of us.

Those who were not oblivious to our plight

وَكُنتُ أَرى أَنَّ القَرابَةَ لَم تَدَع

وَكُنتُ أَرى أَنَّ القَرابَةَ لَم تَدَع

وَلا الحُرُماتِ في العُصورِ الأَوائِلِ

وَلا الحُرُماتِ في العُصورِ الأَوائِلِ

And I had thought that kinship left no opening—

I thought kinship would not forsake

nor the sacred ties of bygone ages—

Its sanctities in eras past

إِلى أَحَدٍ مِن آلِ مَروانَ ذي حِجىً

إِلى أَحَدٍ مِن آلِ مَروانَ ذي حِجىً

بِأَمرٍ كَرِهناهُ مَقالاً لِقائِلِ

بِأَمرٍ كَرِهناهُ مَقالاً لِقائِلِ

before any wise member of Marwan's house,

To anyone of repute among the Marwanites

for a speaker to raise a matter we disliked.

When we opposed his word, however eloquent

يُسَرُّ بِما أَنهى العَدوُّ وَإِنَّهُ

يُسَرُّ بِما أَنهى العَدوُّ وَإِنَّهُ

كَنافِلَةٍ لي مِن خِيارِ النَوافِلِ

كَنافِلَةٍ لي مِن خِيارِ النَوافِلِ

He is pleased by what the enemy reported, yet it

He is gladdened by what the enemy concluded though it is

is like a bounty to me, among the choicest bounties.

Superfluous to me, despite being among the noblest supererogations

فَهَل يَنقُصَنّي القَومُ أَن كُنتُ مُسلِماً

فَهَل يَنقُصَنّي القَومُ أَن كُنتُ مُسلِماً

بَريئاً بَلائي في لَيالٍ قَلائِلِ

بَريئاً بَلائي في لَيالٍ قَلائِلِ

So can these people diminish me for being a Muslim,

Do these people diminish me for being a Muslim

innocent, my ordeal lasting only a few nights?

Undeserving of my affliction in those few nights?

أَلا رُبَّ مَسرورٍ بِنا سَيَغيظُهُ

أَلا رُبَّ مَسرورٍ بِنا سَيَغيظُهُ

لَدى غِبِّ أَمرٍ عَضُّهُ بِالأَنامِلِ

لَدى غِبِّ أَمرٍ عَضُّهُ بِالأَنامِلِ

Mark this: many a man rejoicing over us will be vexed

Alas, many who rejoiced in us will rage

at the affair's outcome, biting his fingertips.

When the matter concludes bitterly, gnawing fingers

رَجا الصُلحَ مِنّي آلُ حَزمِ بنِ فَرتَنى

رَجا الصُلحَ مِنّي آلُ حَزمِ بنِ فَرتَنى

عَلى دينِهِم جَهلاً وَلَستُ بِفاعِلِ

عَلى دينِهِم جَهلاً وَلَستُ بِفاعِلِ

The family of Hazm ibn Fartana hoped for peace with me,

The family of Hazm sought peace from me, but I disdained

according to their creed, in ignorance—but I will not do so.

To be ignorant of their religion, and I will not be a party to it

أَلا قَد يُرَجُّونَ الهَوانَ فَإِنَّهُم

أَلا قَد يُرَجُّونَ الهَوانَ فَإِنَّهُم

بَنو حَبِق ناءٍ عَنِ الخَيرِ فائِلِ

بَنو حَبِق ناءٍ عَنِ الخَيرِ فائِلِ

Mark this: they may expect humiliation, for they

They desire humiliation, for they are

are sons of a farter, far from goodness and weak in judgment.

The children of sinners, recoiling from good

عَلى حين حَلَّ القَولُ بي وَتَنَظَّرَت

عَلى حين حَلَّ القَولُ بي وَتَنَظَّرَت

عُقُوبَتَهُم مِنّي رُؤوسُ القَبائِلِ

عُقُوبَتَهُم مِنّي رُؤوسُ القَبائِلِ

At a time when the sentence fell upon me, and awaiting

Just as the matter turned against me, the heads of tribes waited

their punishment at my hands were the chiefs of the tribes.

For my punishment of them