1. جُنوداً دَعا الحَجّاجُ حينَ أَعانَهُ

    بِهِم إِذ دَعا رَبَّ العِبادِ لِيَنصُرا

    Al-Hajjaj summoned troops when God aided him

    Through them, when he called on the Lord of mankind to grant victory:

  2. بِشَهباءَ لَم تُشرَب نِفاقاً قُلوبُهُم

    شَآمِيَّةٍ تَتلو الكِتابَ المُنَشَّرا

    With a gray host whose hearts had not been steeped in hypocrisy,

    Syrian, reciting the Book spread open;

  3. بِسُفيانَ وَالمُستَبصِرينَ كَأَنَّهُم

    جِمالٌ طَلاها بِالكُحَيلِ وَقَيَّرا

    With Sufyan and the clear-sighted, as though they were

    Camels he had smeared with tar and coated with pitch.

  4. لَو أَنَّهُم إِذ نافَقوا كانَ مِنهُمُ

    يَهودِيُّهُم كانوا بِذَلِكَ أَعذَرا

    If, when they turned hypocrites, there had been among them

    Their own Jew, they would have had more excuse for that.

  5. وَلَكِنَّما اِقتادوا بِحَوّاكِ قَريَةٍ

    لَئيمٍ كَهامٍ أَنفُهُ قَد تَقَشَّرا

    But they only took their lead from a village weaver,

    Base and dull, his nose already peeled.

  6. مُحَرَّقَةٌ لِلغَزلِ أَظفارُ كَفِّهِ

    لِتَدقيقِهِ ذا الطُرَّتَينِ المُحَبَّرا

    His fingernails are scorched from spinning,

    From his fine weaving of the patterned cloth with twin borders.

  7. عَشِيَّةَ يُلقونَ الدُروعَ كَأَنَّهُم

    جَرادٌ أَطارَتهُ الدَبورُ فَطَيَّرا

    That evening they cast off their mail, as though they were

    Locusts lifted and scattered by the west wind.

  8. وَهُم قَد يَرَونَ المَوتَ مِن بَينِ مُقعَصٍ

    وَمِن وائِبٍ في حَومَةِ المَوتِ أَكدَرا

    While they saw death between one slain outright

    And one rushing, dark, in the thick of death.

  9. رَأَوا أَنَّهُ مَن فَرَّ مِن زَحفِ مِثلِهِم

    يَكُن حَطَباً لِلنارِ فيمَن تَكَبَّرا

    They saw that whoever fled the advance of their equals

    Would be firewood for the Fire, among those who grew arrogant.