1. في عارِضٍ ضاقَت الأَرضُ الفَسيحَةُ عَن

    سُراهُ إِذ سالَ فيها سَيلُهُ العِرَمُ

    In a cloudlike host that the spacious earth could not contain

    on its night march, as its raging torrent swept across it.

  2. كَأَنَّهُ اللَيلُ لا قُربٌ وَلا بُعدُ

    يَخفي عَلَيهِ وَلا فَجُّ وَلا علمُ

    It is like night: nothing near or far

    is hidden from it, neither mountain pass nor peak.

  3. يَهدي الغُبارُ إِلَيهِ الشَمسَ كاسِفَةً

    كَأَنَّها فيهِ سِرٌّ لَيسَ يَنكَتِمُ

    The dust guides the eclipsed sun toward it,

    as though the sun within it were a secret that cannot be concealed.

  4. شَقَّ الغَضَنفَرُ آجامَ الرِماحِ بِهِ

    وَالمَوتُ يُسفِرُ أَحياناً وَيَلتَثِمُ

    With it the lion cleaved the thickets of spears,

    while Death now unveiled his face, now veiled it.

  5. فَراسَلَ الدَهرَ في الأَعداءِ عَزمَتهُ

    وَكاتَب النَصرَ عَنهُ السَيفَ لا القَلَمُ

    So his resolve corresponded with Time concerning his enemies,

    and the sword, not the pen, wrote to Victory on his behalf.

  6. وَما سَمِعنا بِلَيثٍ قَبلَ رُؤيَتِهِ

    إِذا سَرى صاحبته في السَرى الأَجَمُ

    And before seeing him, we had never heard of a lion

    who, when he traveled by night, had thickets for company on his night march.

  7. الباذِل المَعروف وَالأَنواءُ باخِلَةٌ

    وَالمانِعُ الجارَ وَالأَعمارُ تَختَرِمُ

    The giver of kindness while the rains are miserly,

    and the protector of his neighbor while lives are cut short,

  8. حَيثُ الدُجى النَقعُ وَالفَجرُ الصَوارِمُ وَال

    أُسدُ الفَوارِسُ وَالخَطِيَّةُ الأَجمُ

    where darkness is battle-dust, dawn is keen swords, and the

    lions are the horsemen, and the Khatt spears are thickets.