أَيَعجَبُ الناسُ أَن أَضحَكتُ خَيرَهُمُ

أَيَعجَبُ الناسُ أَن أَضحَكتُ خَيرَهُمُ

خَليفَةَ اللَهِ يُستَسقى بِهِ المَطرُ

خَليفَةَ اللَهِ يُستَسقى بِهِ المَطرُ

Do people marvel that I made the best of them laugh—

Do people wonder that I laughed at their best man,

God’s caliph, through whom rain is sought?

The vicegerent of God, with whom rain is sought?

وَما نَبا السَيفُ مِن جُبنٍ وَلا دَهَشٍ

وَما نَبا السَيفُ مِن جُبنٍ وَلا دَهَشٍ

عِندَ الإِمامِ وَلَكِن أُخِّرَ القَدَرُ

عِندَ الإِمامِ وَلَكِن أُخِّرَ القَدَرُ

And the sword did not fail through cowardice or bewilderment

The sword quailed not from cowardice or awe,

before the imam; rather, fate was deferred.

In the Imam's presence, but fate was deferred.

وَلَو ضَرَبتُ عَلى عَمدٍ مُقَلَّدَةٍ

وَلَو ضَرَبتُ عَلى عَمدٍ مُقَلَّدَةٍ

لَخَرَّ جُثمانَهُ ما فَوقَهُ شَعَرُ

لَخَرَّ جُثمانَهُ ما فَوقَهُ شَعَرُ

And had I deliberately struck the collar-bearing neck,

Had I struck deliberately with a flaunted sword,

his body would have fallen, with no hair above it.

His corpse would have fallen, shorn of hair.

إِذاً تَدَهدَأَ عَنهُ حينَ أَضرِبُهُ

إِذاً تَدَهدَأَ عَنهُ حينَ أَضرِبُهُ

كَما تَدَهدى عَنِ الزُحلوفَةِ الحَجَرِ

كَما تَدَهدى عَنِ الزُحلوفَةِ الحَجَرِ

Then his head would have tumbled off him when I struck him,

Then it would have shuddered away from him, when I struck him,

as a stone tumbles off a slippery rock.

As granite shudders away from the pickaxe.

ما يُعجِلُ السَيفُ نَفساً قَبلَ ميتَتِها

ما يُعجِلُ السَيفُ نَفساً قَبلَ ميتَتِها

جَمعُ اليَدَينِ وَلا الصِمصامَةُ الذَكَرُ

جَمعُ اليَدَينِ وَلا الصِمصامَةُ الذَكَرُ

No sword can hasten a soul before its allotted death;

The sword hastens no soul before its death.

neither a two-handed grip nor the hard-steeled Ṣimṣāmah can.

Neither clasping the hands, nor invoking fate.