ثُمَّ أَقْدَمْتَهُنَّ شُعْثَ النَّوَاصِي

ثُمَّ أَقْدَمْتَهُنَّ شُعْثَ النَّوَاصِي

يَتَهادَيْنَ فِي فُضُولِ الدِّلاصِ

يَتَهادَيْنَ فِي فُضُولِ الدِّلاصِ

Then you urged them forward, their forelocks disheveled,

Then you brought them with disheveled forelocks,

Swaying in the trailing lengths of polished mail,

Swaying with the excess jewelry.

تَحْتَ بِيضٍ كَأَنَّما صَقَلُوها

تَحْتَ بِيضٍ كَأَنَّما صَقَلُوها

بالَّذِي أَضْمَرُوا منَ الإِخلاصِ

بالَّذِي أَضْمَرُوا منَ الإِخلاصِ

Beneath bright helmets, as though they had polished them

Under white dresses as if they had polished them,

With the sincerity they harbored within,

With what they had concealed of sincerity.

وظباءٍ خاضَتْ بِهِنَّ المَذَاكِي

وظباءٍ خاضَتْ بِهِنَّ المَذَاكِي

فِي تِلاعٍ من الدِّماءِ غِصاصِ

فِي تِلاعٍ من الدِّماءِ غِصاصِ

And sword-edges borne by full-grown steeds as they waded

And gazelles who waded through the waterholes,

Through gullies choked with blood.

In a flock of blood covered in mud.

يَنْتَعِلْنَ الخدودَ من تَحْتِ حُجْنٍ

يَنْتَعِلْنَ الخدودَ من تَحْتِ حُجْنٍ

قَدْ تَلَفَّفْنَ فِي شُعورِ النَّواصِي

قَدْ تَلَفَّفْنَ فِي شُعورِ النَّواصِي

They shoe themselves with cheeks beneath curved hooks

They wore rouge on their cheeks from under the veils,

Entwined in the hair of forelocks,

Wrapped in the hair of their hanging forelocks.

بعدَ ضَرْبٍ مَا قَتْلُهُ لِمُقيدٍ

بعدَ ضَرْبٍ مَا قَتْلُهُ لِمُقيدٍ

وطِعانٍ مَا جُرْحُها لِقصاصِ

وطِعانٍ مَا جُرْحُها لِقصاصِ

After blows whose killing no avenger can requite,

After a beating, whose murder is not for a prisoner,

And spear-thrusts whose wounds admit no retaliation,

And stabbing, whose wounds are not for retaliation.

وابْتِدارِ النَّجاءِ وَهْوَ غَلاءٌ

وابْتِدارِ النَّجاءِ وَهْوَ غَلاءٌ

بنفوسٍ عَلَى الحتوفِ رِخَاصِ

بنفوسٍ عَلَى الحتوفِ رِخَاصِ

And a rush for escape, dearly bought

And the crying of the rescued, while it is expensive,

With lives held cheap by death.

With souls over wispy bodies.

تَنْطِقُ البِيضُ فِي الطُّلى والعَوَالي

تَنْطِقُ البِيضُ فِي الطُّلى والعَوَالي

فِي الكُلى أَبْشِرِي بِفَوْتِ الخَلاصِ

فِي الكُلى أَبْشِرِي بِفَوْتِ الخَلاصِ

The bright swords speak in necks, and the tall lances

The white dresses speak in the mounds and highlands,

In kidneys: “Rejoice—deliverance is beyond reach!

In the kidneys, give glad tidings of the loss of salvation.

لَوْ رَكِبْتُمْ مِنَّا الرِّياحَ فِراراً

لَوْ رَكِبْتُمْ مِنَّا الرِّياحَ فِراراً

لَتَرَدَّى بكُمْ رُكوبُ المَعاصِي

لَتَرَدَّى بكُمْ رُكوبُ المَعاصِي

Even if you rode the winds to flee from us,

If you rode the winds in escape,

Riding sins would plunge you into ruin.

The riding of disobedience would cast you down.

كمْ دُعيتُمْ أَن لاتَ حِينَ شِقاقٍ

كمْ دُعيتُمْ أَن لاتَ حِينَ شِقاقٍ

فأَبَيْتُمْ فلاتَ حِينَ مَناصِ

فأَبَيْتُمْ فلاتَ حِينَ مَناصِ

How often you were summoned: ‘This is no time for discord!’

How often you were called when there was conflict,

But you refused; now there is no time for escape.”

But you refused, so do not call when in distress.