وَلَمَّا تَدَاعَى الْقَوْمُ واشْتَبَكَ الْقَنَا

وَلَمَّا تَدَاعَى الْقَوْمُ واشْتَبَكَ الْقَنَا

ودَارَتْ كَمَا تَهْوَى عَلَى قُطْبِها الْحَرْبُ

ودَارَتْ كَمَا تَهْوَى عَلَى قُطْبِها الْحَرْبُ

And when the men rallied and the spears interlocked,

When the people came together and the spears intertwined,

And war whirled on its axis as it willed,

And the war spun as it desired around its axis,

وَزُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ الْفِرارُ مِنَ الرَّدَى

وَزُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ الْفِرارُ مِنَ الرَّدَى

وَمَاجَتْ صُدُورُ الْخَيْلِ والْتَهَبَ الضَّرْبُ

وَمَاجَتْ صُدُورُ الْخَيْلِ والْتَهَبَ الضَّرْبُ

And flight from death was made alluring to the people,

And fleeing the calamity was made pleasing to the people,

And the horses’ breasts surged, and the blows blazed,

And the chests of the horses were set ablaze and the strokes intensified,

ودَارَتْ بِنَا الأَرْضُ الْفَضَاءُ كَأَنَّنا

ودَارَتْ بِنَا الأَرْضُ الْفَضَاءُ كَأَنَّنا

سُقِينَا بِكَأْسٍ لا يُفِيقُ لَهَا شَرْبُ

سُقِينَا بِكَأْسٍ لا يُفِيقُ لَهَا شَرْبُ

And the open ground spun with us, as though we

And the vast earth spun around us as if

Had been given drink from a cup whose drinkers never sober,

We had been given a cup rendering the drinker unconscious,

صَبَرْتُ لَها حَتَّى تَجَلَّتْ سَماؤُها

صَبَرْتُ لَها حَتَّى تَجَلَّتْ سَماؤُها

وإِنِّي صَبُورٌ إِنْ أَلَمَّ بِيَ الْخَطْبُ

وإِنِّي صَبُورٌ إِنْ أَلَمَّ بِيَ الْخَطْبُ

I stood firm against it until its sky cleared,

I endured it until its sky cleared,

And indeed I am steadfast if calamity befalls me.

And I am patient if disaster befalls me.