لَقَد أَوطَأتَ دينَ اللَّهِ عِزّاً

لَقَد أَوطَأتَ دينَ اللَّهِ عِزّاً

أَديمُ الشِّعريَيْنِ له رغامُ

أَديمُ الشِّعريَيْنِ له رغامُ

You have indeed set God's faith upon such glory,

You have trodden on the religion of God with might,

that the surface of the two Dog Stars is dust beneath it.

The everlasting poet's robes for Him are rags.

دَعاكَ وَقَد تَناوَشتِ الرّزايا

دَعاكَ وَقَد تَناوَشتِ الرّزايا

له أُهباً يوزّعها العذامُ

له أُهباً يوزّعها العذامُ

It called to you while calamities were tearing at

He called you when hardships pulled and tore,

its hides, which the gnawers were dividing.

For Him misfortunes are gifts the fates dispense.

فَقُمْتَ بِنَصرِهِ وَالنّاسُ فَوضى

فَقُمْتَ بِنَصرِهِ وَالنّاسُ فَوضى

قِيامٌ ذَمَّ ما اِقتَرَفَت فِئامُ

قِيامٌ ذَمَّ ما اِقتَرَفَت فِئامُ

So you rose to defend it while the people were in disorder—

So you rose up defending Him while men were lost,

a stand condemning what multitudes had committed.

A rising that blamed what evil bands had wrought.

جَذَبتَ بِضَبْعِهِ مِن قَعْرِ يَمٍّ

جَذَبتَ بِضَبْعِهِ مِن قَعْرِ يَمٍّ

لَهُ مِن فَوقِ مقسمِهِ اِلْتِطامُ

لَهُ مِن فَوقِ مقسمِهِ اِلْتِطامُ

You pulled it by the upper arm from the bottom of a sea,

You dragged its glory from the pit of oblivion,

with waves colliding above its face.

Above the span of time its banners glory sought.

صَبَبتَ عَلى الصّليبِ صَليبَ بَأسٍ

صَبَبتَ عَلى الصّليبِ صَليبَ بَأسٍ

قُواهُ تَحتَ كَلْكَلِهِ خطامُ

قُواهُ تَحتَ كَلْكَلِهِ خطامُ

You poured against the Cross an unyielding might,

Upon the cross you poured crosses of disaster,

the Cross's forces a halter beneath that might's breast.

Beneath its swaying its destiny conquest brought.

وَمِلْتَ عَلى مَعاقِلِهم فَخَرَّت

وَمِلْتَ عَلى مَعاقِلِهم فَخَرَّت

ولاءً مِثلَ ما اِنتقَضَ النّظامُ

ولاءً مِثلَ ما اِنتقَضَ النّظامُ

And you fell upon their strongholds, and they collapsed

You turned against their fortresses and down they came,

one after another, like beads when their string comes undone.

As systems topple when their rules are turned to naught.

بِصَرخَد والخَطيمِ وفي عِزازٍ

بِصَرخَد والخَطيمِ وفي عِزازٍ

وَقائعَ هَزَّ مَشهَدها الأنامُ

وَقائعَ هَزَّ مَشهَدها الأنامُ

At Ṣarkhad and al-Khaṭīm, and in ʿAzāz,

At Sarchad and Khataym, and at Azaz too,

were battles whose spectacle shook humankind.

Events which stunned the throngs who watched them fought,

وَلَو لَم تَعتَرِق وَتشم لَأَمسى

وَلَو لَم تَعتَرِق وَتشم لَأَمسى

وأَصبَحَ لا عِراقَ ولا شَآمُ

وأَصبَحَ لا عِراقَ ولا شَآمُ

And had you not entered Iraq and gone to Syria, by evening

Were you not to free Raqqa and take Damascus,

and by morning there would have been neither Iraq nor Syria.

No Iraq or Levant would see the morrow's dawn.

وَيَومٌ بِالعُرَيْمَةِ كانَ حتْفاً

وَيَومٌ بِالعُرَيْمَةِ كانَ حتْفاً

عَلى الإِشراكِ أَمقَرهُ العرامُ

عَلى الإِشراكِ أَمقَرهُ العرامُ

And a day at al-ʿUraymah brought death

A day at Urayma that spelt doom for pagans,

upon polytheism, made bitter by ferocity.

Where rebels were served death as their ordered lot.

لَقُوك كأنّ ما سَلّوهُ سَيحٌ

لَقُوك كأنّ ما سَلّوهُ سَيحٌ

وَما اِعتَقلوهُ مِن خورٍ ثمامُ

وَما اِعتَقلوهُ مِن خورٍ ثمامُ

They met you as though the blades they drew were flowing water,

They found you like poured steel no fire could soften,

and the lances they couched, through weakness, were thumām grass.

No prince of Khor could ever weaken or besot.

وَهاب وقُورس وبِكفرِلاثا

وَهاب وقُورس وبِكفرِلاثا

ذَممتَ وَأَنت لِلجليّ ذمامُ

ذَممتَ وَأَنت لِلجليّ ذمامُ

And at Hāb and Qūrus, and at Kafr Lāthā,

Tabuk, Dhat Atlah, Hunayn you condemned,

you granted protection, and you are a safeguard in grave affairs.

Though you are gentle with believers without fault.

صَدمتَهمُ بِأرعَنَ مُرجحِنٍّ

صَدمتَهمُ بِأرعَنَ مُرجحِنٍّ

كَأنَّ مَطارَ أنْسُره غمامُ

كَأنَّ مَطارَ أنْسُره غمامُ

You struck them with a mountain-like, ponderous army,

You smashed them with the swinging of joined ranks,

as though its eagles' flight were a cloudbank.

As though your cavalry's neighs were storm clouds brought.

وَأيَّةُ لَيلَةٍ لَم تلفَ فيها

وَأيَّةُ لَيلَةٍ لَم تلفَ فيها

لَهم طَيفاً يَروعُ بِهِ مَنامُ

لَهم طَيفاً يَروعُ بِهِ مَنامُ

And on what night were you not found

And what a night when you did not bestow on them

a phantom to them, bringing terror to their sleep?

An apparition to haunt their dreams with thoughts!

بِنورِ الدينِ أنشر كلُّ عَدلٍ

بِنورِ الدينِ أنشر كلُّ عَدلٍ

تَعَفَّت في الثّرى مِنهُ الرمامُ

تَعَفَّت في الثّرى مِنهُ الرمامُ

Through Nūr al-Dīn, all justice was restored to life,

With the light of faith you lit each torch of justice,

its decayed remains once effaced in the earth.

Corruption in the dust by you was caught.

وَعادَ الحَقُّ بَعدَ كَلالِ حدٍّ

وَعادَ الحَقُّ بَعدَ كَلالِ حدٍّ

حمىً مِن أَن تُراعَ لَهُ سُوامُ

حمىً مِن أَن تُراعَ لَهُ سُوامُ

And right returned, after its edge had dulled,

Right returned after the darkness of wrongs,

a protected pasture, its grazing herds safe from alarm.

Safe from the errors of stumblers without thought.

تَألَّقَ عَدلُهُ وذَكت سُطاهُ

تَألَّقَ عَدلُهُ وذَكت سُطاهُ

فَلا حَيفٌ يخافُ وَلا اِهتِضامُ

فَلا حَيفٌ يخافُ وَلا اِهتِضامُ

His justice shone, and his might blazed,

Your justice shone, your authority blazed,

so no injustice is feared, nor any violation of rights.

No fear of tyranny or misrule was wrought.

بَقاؤُكَ خَيرُ ما يَرجوهُ راجٍ

بَقاؤُكَ خَيرُ ما يَرجوهُ راجٍ

وَأَنفَعُ ما يُبَلّ بِهِ أُوامُ

وَأَنفَعُ ما يُبَلّ بِهِ أُوامُ

Your continued life is the best that anyone can hope for,

Your continuance is the best hope of hopes,

and the most beneficial means of quenching burning thirst.

The greatest gift that time to men has brought.