لَقَد فازَ بِالمُلكِ العَقيمِ خَليفَةٌ

لَقَد فازَ بِالمُلكِ العَقيمِ خَليفَةٌ

لَهُ شيرِكوهُ العاضِدِيُّ وَزيرُ

لَهُ شيرِكوهُ العاضِدِيُّ وَزيرُ

A caliph has indeed won barren sovereignty,

The barren one has won the kingdom,

With Shirkuh al-Adidi as his vizier.

His vizier is Sherikuh the supporter,

كَأَنَّ اِبنَ شاذي وَالصَلاحَ وَسَيفَهُ

كَأَنَّ اِبنَ شاذي وَالصَلاحَ وَسَيفَهُ

عَلِيٌّ لَدَيهِ شَبَّرُ وَشَبيرُ

عَلِيٌّ لَدَيهِ شَبَّرُ وَشَبيرُ

As though Ibn Shadhi, al-Salah, and his Sayf

It is as if Ibn Shaddi, Salah and his sword,

Were Ali, with Shabbar and Shabir beside him.

Ali is with him, the bold and the brave,

هُوَ الأَسَدُ الضاري الَّذي جَلَّ خَطبُهُ

هُوَ الأَسَدُ الضاري الَّذي جَلَّ خَطبُهُ

وَشاوَرُ كَلبٌ لِلرِجالِ عَقورُ

وَشاوَرُ كَلبٌ لِلرِجالِ عَقورُ

He is the ferocious lion, whose stature is great,

He is the fierce lion with lofty discourse,

While Shawar is a dog that savages men.

And the advisor is a dog, unfaithful to men,

بَغى وَطَغى حَتّى لَقَد قالَ قائِلٌ

بَغى وَطَغى حَتّى لَقَد قالَ قائِلٌ

عَلى مِثلِها كانَ اللَعينُ يَدورُ

عَلى مِثلِها كانَ اللَعينُ يَدورُ

He transgressed and tyrannized, until someone did indeed say:

He transgressed and oppressed until it was said,

“Such a fate was what the accursed one had been seeking.”

Upon the likes of it the accursed used to go round,

فَلا رَحِمَ الرَحمَنُ تُربَةَ قَبرِهِ

فَلا رَحِمَ الرَحمَنُ تُربَةَ قَبرِهِ

وَلازالَ فيها مُنكَرٌ وَنَكيرُ

وَلازالَ فيها مُنكَرٌ وَنَكيرُ

So may the All-Merciful show no mercy to the soil of his grave,

May the Merciful not have mercy on his grave’s soil,

And may Munkar and Nakir remain there forever.

In it Munkar and Nakir still abide.