لِرَأْيِكَ كانَتِ الأَزْمَان تُصغِي

لِرَأْيِكَ كانَتِ الأَزْمَان تُصغِي

وَإِيَّاها غَدَا الإيمَانُ يَبْغِي

وَإِيَّاها غَدَا الإيمَانُ يَبْغِي

The ages used to listen to your counsel,

For your opinion, time used to be attentive,

And faith came to seek those very ages.

And for it, faith used to seek in the morning.

لكَ الأقْدَارُ أنْصارٌ وَجُنْدٌ

لكَ الأقْدَارُ أنْصارٌ وَجُنْدٌ

عَلَى إِمضاء ما تَبْغِي وتُلْغِي

عَلَى إِمضاء ما تَبْغِي وتُلْغِي

The fates are your allies and troops,

For you, fate was an ally and soldiers

To enforce what you desire and what you annul.

To fulfill and erase what you want and cancel.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ دَعْوَة كُلِّ داع

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ دَعْوَة كُلِّ داع

لِنَسْخٍ لَيْسَ يُنْسِئُها وَنَسْغِ

لِنَسْخٍ لَيْسَ يُنْسِئُها وَنَسْغِ

Have you not seen that every caller's summons

Don't you see that every supplicant's prayer

Is destined for prompt annulment and assault,

Is to erase what does not delay it or divert it?

وَأَنَّ الحَقَّ يَدْمَغُ ما سِوَاهُ

وَأَنَّ الحَقَّ يَدْمَغُ ما سِوَاهُ

فَيُودِي رَهْنَ إِدْغَامٍ وَدَمْغِ

فَيُودِي رَهْنَ إِدْغَامٍ وَدَمْغِ

And that truth crushes everything else,

And that the truth damnifies all else,

So it perishes, captive to engulfment and crushing?

So it fulfills the mortgage of incorporation and damnification.

عِدَاكَ مِنَ اللَّيالِي بَيْنَ ضَغْمٍ

عِدَاكَ مِنَ اللَّيالِي بَيْنَ ضَغْمٍ

بنَابِ النَّائِباتِ وبَيْنَ مَضْغِ

بنَابِ النَّائِباتِ وبَيْنَ مَضْغِ

Your foes lie between the nights' biting

Your enemies, among nights of oppression

With calamities' fang, and their chewing.

And the gluttony of adversaries and gluttony.

وَإن أَطْغَاهُمُ الإغْضَاءُ عَنْهُمْ

وَإن أَطْغَاهُمُ الإغْضَاءُ عَنْهُمْ

وَفِي الإغْضَاءِ لِلسُفَهاءِ مُطْغِي

وَفِي الإغْضَاءِ لِلسُفَهاءِ مُطْغِي

And though forbearance toward them made them insolent—

And if ignoring them has gone astray from them

For forbearance emboldens fools—

And ignoring is seductive to fools.

فَقَدْ ردَّ الملائِكُ في رَدَاهُمْ

فَقَدْ ردَّ الملائِكُ في رَدَاهُمْ

شَياطِيناً لنَزْوٍ أوْ لنَزْغِ

شَياطِيناً لنَزْوٍ أوْ لنَزْغِ

The angels have indeed driven to their doom

So angels have pushed back their rejection

Devils bent on leaping or sowing discord.

As devils for marriage or divorce.

وأَضْحَتْ في دِمَائِهم العَوالِي

وأَضْحَتْ في دِمَائِهم العَوالِي

لهَا وَلَعٌ بوَلْغٍ بَعْدَ وَلْغِ

لهَا وَلَعٌ بوَلْغٍ بَعْدَ وَلْغِ

And amid their blood, the tall lances have grown

And the heights have become in their blood

Fond of lapping, then lapping again.

Passionate for a flood after a flood.

أسَاوِدُ بَيْدَ أنَّ الأُسْدَ مِنْها

أسَاوِدُ بَيْدَ أنَّ الأُسْدَ مِنْها

مُجَدَّلَة بِطَعْنٍ دُونَ لَدْغِ

مُجَدَّلَة بِطَعْنٍ دُونَ لَدْغِ

Black serpents—yet the lions struck by them

Lions with the lions, though the lions among them

Lie felled by thrusts, not bites.

Are lacerated with a stab without a bite.

لَئِنْ كفَرُوا مِن الجَدْوى برَغْد

لَئِنْ كفَرُوا مِن الجَدْوى برَغْد

لَقَدْ نَشَبوا مِنَ البَلْوى برَدْغِ

لَقَدْ نَشَبوا مِنَ البَلْوى برَدْغِ

Though they were ungrateful in the ease of bounty,

If they disbelieved in fortune out of satisfaction

They are surely caught in the mire of affliction.

They were firmly attached to misery by piercing.

كُبُودُهُمُ لنَفْرٍ أوْ لبَعْجٍ

كُبُودُهُمُ لنَفْرٍ أوْ لبَعْجٍ

وَهامُهُمُ لِفَلقٍ أو لِفَلْغِ

وَهامُهُمُ لِفَلقٍ أو لِفَلْغِ

Their livers are for tearing out or ripping open,

Their sulking is for alienation or boredom,

And their skulls for cleaving or splitting.

And their perplexity is for splitting or splitting.

ولَوْ علِقُوا بِيَحْيَى دُونَ غَمْصٍ

ولَوْ علِقُوا بِيَحْيَى دُونَ غَمْصٍ

لَما قُلِعُوا جَميعاً قَلْع صَمْغِ

لَما قُلِعُوا جَميعاً قَلْع صَمْغِ

And had they held fast to Yahya without disdain,

Had they clung to John without diving,

They would not all have been torn away like gum.

They would not have been uprooted altogether like gum extraction.

فَأَقْصَرَ مُسْتَطيلٌ بَاتَ يَهْذِي

فَأَقْصَرَ مُسْتَطيلٌ بَاتَ يَهْذِي

وأَقْهَرَ مُشْرَئِبّ ظَلَّ يَبْغِي

وأَقْهَرَ مُشْرَئِبّ ظَلَّ يَبْغِي

So the overbearing one who raved all night desisted,

So the arrogant persisted babbling,

And the neck-craning one who kept transgressing was subdued.

And the grim persisted seeking.

لخَيْلِ اللَّهِ إذْ أقْبَلْنَ وَلَّى

لخَيْلِ اللَّهِ إذْ أقْبَلْنَ وَلَّى

خَضيبَ الدَّمعِ عَنْ دَمها بصَبْغِ

خَضيبَ الدَّمعِ عَنْ دَمها بصَبْغِ

Before God's cavalry, when they advanced, he fled,

When God's horses approached, they fled

His tears stained with a dye from their blood.

Wiping their bloody tears with dye.

وفِي أَرْساغِها أرَنٌ إلَى مَنْ

وفِي أَرْساغِها أرَنٌ إلَى مَنْ

طَلَبْتَ بِها ولَوْ يَأْوِي لِسَرْغِ

طَلَبْتَ بِها ولَوْ يَأْوِي لِسَرْغِ

And in their fetlocks is eagerness for whomever

And in their sheaths a bellowing to whoever

You pursued with them, even if he shelters in Sargh.

You wanted even if he takes refuge in a crevice.

هَنِيئاً مَطلَعٌ لِلنَّصْرِ وافَى

هَنِيئاً مَطلَعٌ لِلنَّصْرِ وافَى

بِرَفعٍ لا كَفاءَ لَهُ وَرَفْغِ

بِرَفعٍ لا كَفاءَ لَهُ وَرَفْغِ

Joy to you: a dawn of victory has arrived,

A greeting, a sunrise of victory has arrived

With exaltation beyond compare, and abundance.

With an incomparable raising and lifting.

فَرَغتَ لكلِّ جَبَّار عَنِيد

فَرَغتَ لكلِّ جَبَّار عَنِيد

فَمِنْ هَدرٍ نَجِيعُهُم وفَرْغِ

فَمِنْ هَدرٍ نَجِيعُهُم وفَرْغِ

You have turned to deal with every obstinate tyrant,

So you have relented for every stubborn tyrant.

So their gore is wasted and poured out.

We shall retaliate against them all and drain them.

وَبُلِّغْتَ الأَمَانِي في الأَعادِي

وَبُلِّغْتَ الأَمَانِي في الأَعادِي

فَمَا يَغْدو سَبيلُكَ غَيْرَ بَلغِ

فَمَا يَغْدو سَبيلُكَ غَيْرَ بَلغِ

And you have been granted your wishes against your enemies;

You have achieved wishes in the enemies.

So your course is nothing but attainment.

So your path is nothing but communication.

أَغَبَّ الفَتْحُ كَيْ يَزْدَادَ حُبّاً

أَغَبَّ الفَتْحُ كَيْ يَزْدَادَ حُبّاً

وَهَبَّ مُبَشِّراً والدَّهْرُ مُصغِي

وَهَبَّ مُبَشِّراً والدَّهْرُ مُصغِي

Victory visited sparingly, to be loved the more,

Victory was absent so love would increase

And rose bearing glad tidings, while time listened.

And it gave good tidings while time was listening

كَإمْساكِ السَّحابِ لطُول سَحٍّ

كَإمْساكِ السَّحابِ لطُول سَحٍّ

وَإِجْبَالِ البَليغِ لِفَرْطِ نَبْغِ

وَإِجْبَالِ البَليغِ لِفَرْطِ نَبْغِ

Like clouds pausing after prolonged downpour,

Like holding back rain for long pouring,

And an eloquent speaker's faltering from excess of genius.

And flooding the eloquent for excessive talent.

وَدُونَكه مَديحاً لا لِعِطْفٍ

وَدُونَكه مَديحاً لا لِعِطْفٍ

تَعَرَّضَ بالنَّسيبِ وَلا لِصَدْغِ

تَعَرَّضَ بالنَّسيبِ وَلا لِصَدْغِ

And take this praise: it has not dwelt on a flank

And without you, praise not for kindness,

In love-verse, nor on a temple.

That fondles with lineage or cheek.

سُقِيتَ حَيَا المَنَازِلِ مُسْتَهِلاً

سُقِيتَ حَيَا المَنَازِلِ مُسْتَهِلاً

كَطَعْنَتِكَ المُنازِل ذَاتَ فَرْغِ

كَطَعْنَتِكَ المُنازِل ذَاتَ فَرْغِ

May you be watered with the dwellings' life-giving rain, streaming down,

You were given the first homes being initiated

Like your thrust against the opponent, with its gushing flow.

As your conquests, those with leisure.