ما بالُ حُزنٍ في الفُؤادَ مُوَلِّجِ

ما بالُ حُزنٍ في الفُؤادَ مُوَلِّجِ

وَلِدَمعِكَ المُتَحَدِّرِ المُتَزَلِّجِ

وَلِدَمعِكَ المُتَحَدِّرِ المُتَزَلِّجِ

Why this sorrow lodged within the heart,

What is this sorrow churning in my heart,

and these tears of yours, streaming and sliding down?

And your flowing, trickling tears?

أَسَمِعتَ بِالجَيشِ الَّذينَ تَفَرَّقوا

أَسَمِعتَ بِالجَيشِ الَّذينَ تَفَرَّقوا

وَأَصابَهُم رَيبُ الزَمانِ الأَعوَجِ

وَأَصابَهُم رَيبُ الزَمانِ الأَعوَجِ

Have you heard of the army whose men scattered,

Have you heard of the army that scattered,

and were struck by the misfortunes of crooked time?

Struck by the crookedness of time?

حُبِسوا بِكابُلَ يَأكُلونَ جِيادَهُم

حُبِسوا بِكابُلَ يَأكُلونَ جِيادَهُم

بِأَضَرِّ مَنزِلَةٍ وَشَرِّ مُعَوَّجِ

بِأَضَرِّ مَنزِلَةٍ وَشَرِّ مُعَوَّجِ

Trapped in Kabul, they ate their fine horses,

Imprisoned in Kabul, eating their horses

in the harshest station and the worst halting-place.

In the most wretched resting place and crookedest valley.

لَم يَلقَ جَيشٌ في البِلادِ كَما لَقوا

لَم يَلقَ جَيشٌ في البِلادِ كَما لَقوا

فَلِمِثلِهِم قُل لِلنَوائِحِ تَنشِجِ

فَلِمِثلِهِم قُل لِلنَوائِحِ تَنشِجِ

No army in the lands met what they met;

No army in the lands met what they met,

so bid the mourning women sob for men like them.

So for the likes of them, tell the keeners to wail.

وَاِسأَل عُبَيدَ اللَهِ كَيفَ رَأَيتَهُم

وَاِسأَل عُبَيدَ اللَهِ كَيفَ رَأَيتَهُم

عِشرينَ أَلفَ مُجَفِّفٍ وَمُدَجَّجِ

عِشرينَ أَلفَ مُجَفِّفٍ وَمُدَجَّجِ

And ask Ubayd Allah: how did you find them—

And ask Ubaydallah, how did you see them?

twenty thousand, riders on armored mounts and warriors fully armed?

Twenty thousand armed and equipped.

بَعثاً تَخَيَّرَهُ الأَميرُ جَلادَةً

بَعثاً تَخَيَّرَهُ الأَميرُ جَلادَةً

بَعثاً مِنَ المِصرَينِ غَيرَ مُزَلَّجِ

بَعثاً مِنَ المِصرَينِ غَيرَ مُزَلَّجِ

A force the commander chose for its hardiness,

An elite force the Emir cherry-picked

a force from the two garrison towns, no inferior levy.

An army from the Egyptians, unhesitating.

وُلّيتَ شَأنَهُمُ وَكُنتَ أَميرَهُم

وُلّيتَ شَأنَهُمُ وَكُنتَ أَميرَهُم

فَأَضَعتَهُم وَالحَربُ ذاتُ تَوَهُّجِ

فَأَضَعتَهُم وَالحَربُ ذاتُ تَوَهُّجِ

You were entrusted with their affairs and were their commander;

You were made their commander, and their prince,

so you squandered them while war blazed.

Yet you failed them, while war burned hot.

ما زِلتَ نازِلَهُم كَما زَعَموا أَباً

ما زِلتَ نازِلَهُم كَما زَعَموا أَباً

وَتَفُلُّهُم وَتَسيرُ سَيرَ الأَهوَجِ

وَتَفُلُّهُم وَتَسيرُ سَيرَ الأَهوَجِ

You remained among them, a father as they claimed,

You did not cease exploiting them, as they claimed,

and sapped their strength and marched like a reckless fool.

Spitting on them, behaving like the unjust.

وَتَبيعُهُم فيها القَفيزَ بِدِرهَمٍ

وَتَبيعُهُم فيها القَفيزَ بِدِرهَمٍ

فَيَظَلُّ جَيشُكَ بِالمَلامَةِ يَنتَجي

فَيَظَلُّ جَيشُكَ بِالمَلامَةِ يَنتَجي

And there you sold them a qafiz for a dirham,

Selling their rations for a dirham,

so your army spent its days whispering reproaches.

While your army still faces blame.

وَمَنَعَتهُم أَلبانَهُم وَشَعيرَهُم

وَمَنَعَتهُم أَلبانَهُم وَشَعيرَهُم

وَتَجَرتَ بِالعِنَبِ الَّذي لَم يَنضُجِ

وَتَجَرتَ بِالعِنَبِ الَّذي لَم يَنضُجِ

And you denied them their milk and their barley,

You denied them their milk and barley,

and traded in grapes that had not ripened.

And traded in grapes before they ripened.

وَنَهَكتَ ضَرباً بِالسِياطِ جُلودَهُم

وَنَهَكتَ ضَرباً بِالسِياطِ جُلودَهُم

ظُلماً وَعُدواناً وَلَم تَتَحَرَّجِ

ظُلماً وَعُدواناً وَلَم تَتَحَرَّجِ

And you ravaged their skins with blows of the whip,

You lashed their skin violently and unjustly

in injustice and aggression, without a scruple.

Without flinching, with whips that seared.

وَالأَرضُ كافِرَةٌ تُضَرِّمُ حَولَكُم

وَالأَرضُ كافِرَةٌ تُضَرِّمُ حَولَكُم

حَرباءَها بُعِجَت وَلَمّا تَنتِجِ

حَرباءَها بُعِجَت وَلَمّا تَنتِجِ

And the unbelieving land kindled around you

While the land around you flamed in enmity

its chameleon; the land's belly was split, and it had not yet given birth.

Refusing to yield, yet you would not be deterred.

فَتَساقَطوا جوعاً وَأَنتَ ضُفَندَدٌ

فَتَساقَطوا جوعاً وَأَنتَ ضُفَندَدٌ

شَبعانُ تُصبِحُ كَالأَبَدِّ الأَفجَجِ

شَبعانُ تُصبِحُ كَالأَبَدِّ الأَفجَجِ

So they fell one after another from hunger, while you, a hulking oaf,

They perished from hunger while you lounged,

sated, met the morning like a broad-thighed, splay-legged man,

Gorged, becoming like solid rock.

زَخوُ النَسا وَالحالِبَينِ مُلَثَّماً

زَخوُ النَسا وَالحالِبَينِ مُلَثَّماً

في مِثلِ جَحفَلَةِ الحِمارِ الدَيزَجِ

في مِثلِ جَحفَلَةِ الحِمارِ الدَيزَجِ

slack in sciatic sinew and both groins, your face veiled

Covered in the milk of sheep and cows,

in something like the lip of a dusky donkey.

Like a donkey rolling in muck.

وَظَنَنتَ أَنَّكَ لَن تُعاقَبَ فيهُمُ

وَظَنَنتَ أَنَّكَ لَن تُعاقَبَ فيهُمُ

وَاللَهُ يُصبِحُ مِن أَمامِ المُدلِجِ

وَاللَهُ يُصبِحُ مِن أَمامِ المُدلِجِ

And you thought you would not be punished for them,

You thought you'd never be punished for them,

but God is there at dawn, ahead of the night-traveler.

But Allah's justice comes at dawn.

حَتّى إِذا هَلَكوا وَبادَ كُراعُهُم

حَتّى إِذا هَلَكوا وَبادَ كُراعُهُم

رُمتَ الخُروجَ وَأَيُّ ساعَةِ مَخرَجِ

رُمتَ الخُروجَ وَأَيُّ ساعَةِ مَخرَجِ

Until, when they perished and their horses were gone,

When they died and their legions vanished,

you sought escape—but what a time for escape!

You tried to flee - but what escape?

وَأَبى شُرَيحٌ أَن يُسامَ دَنِيَّةً

وَأَبى شُرَيحٌ أَن يُسامَ دَنِيَّةً

حَرَجاً وَصُحفُ كِتابِهِم لَم تُدرَجِ

حَرَجاً وَصُحفُ كِتابِهِم لَم تُدرَجِ

And Shurayh refused to be subjected to an indignity,

Shuraih refused to be dishonored,

out of scruple, while the sheets of their document had not been rolled up.

And their scriptures had yet to be compiled.

وَبَقِيتَ في عَدَدٍ يَسيرٍ بَعدَهُم

وَبَقِيتَ في عَدَدٍ يَسيرٍ بَعدَهُم

لَو سارَ وَسطَ مَراغَةٍ لَم يُرهِجِ

لَو سارَ وَسطَ مَراغَةٍ لَم يُرهِجِ

And you remained after them with a scant company;

Only a few remained after them,

if it marched through a dust-wallow, it would raise no dust.

Had you marched amidst Maragha, none would have survived.

لا تُخبِرِ الأَقوامَ شَأَنَكَ كُلَّهُ

لا تُخبِرِ الأَقوامَ شَأَنَكَ كُلَّهُ

وَإِذا سُئِلتَ عَن الحَديثِ فَلَجلِجِ

وَإِذا سُئِلتَ عَن الحَديثِ فَلَجلِجِ

Do not tell the people your whole story;

Do not tell people of your situation,

and when asked about the affair, hem and haw.

And if asked, equivocate and hedge.