Sol 6.1

  1. عَلَيكَ بِحُسنِ الحَربِ تُثْني القَواضِبُ

    وَسُمرُ القَنا مِنها تضيءُ الغَياهِبُ

    The keen blades praise you for your skill in war,

    As do the brown spears, whose gleam lights the deepest gloom.

  2. تَقولُ بِحُسنِ المَدحِ إِنَّكَ ضَيغَمٌ

    لَديهِ لُيوثُ الحَربِ فيها أكالبُ

    They say in fine praise that you are a lion,

    Beside whom war's lions are mere dogs in battle.

  3. وَفيكَ هِجانُ الخَيلِ قامَت رُؤوسها

    وَفيها لَقَد كادَت تَطيرُ السباسِبُ

    And for you the purebred steeds have raised their heads;

    And with them the open plains have all but taken flight.

  4. فَمِن أَشهَبٍ مَعروقِ وجهٍ وَأَجْردٍ

    وَمِن أَشقَرٍ في وَجهِهِ اليُمنُ لازِبُ

    Among them, a gray steed, lean-faced and sleek-coated,

    And a chestnut with good fortune fixed upon its face,

  5. وَمِن أَحمَرٍ وردٍ أَغرَّ محجَّلٍ

    وَغرَّتُه كَالنَّجمِ وَالنَّجمُ ثاقِبُ

    And a rose-red steed, white-blazed and white-stockinged,

    Its forehead blaze like a star—a star of piercing brilliance.

  6. تَجولُ بِمَيدانِ الحروبِ وَإِنَّها

    شَوامِخُ لا تَعلو عَلَيها السّحائِبُ

    They wheel in the arena of war; indeed, they are

    So lofty that no clouds can rise above them.

  7. وَلَم يَعلُها إِلّا شَبيهُك ضَيغَماً

    ضَواري أُسودِ الغابِ مِنهُ هَوارِبُ

    And none has mounted them but a lion like you,

    From whom the ravening lions of the forest flee.

  8. إِذا صَهَلت في الحَربِ خِلْتَ صَهيلَها

    رُعوداً بِها يُغشى عَلَيهِ المحارِبُ

    When they neigh in war, you would think their neighing

    Thunderclaps that make the warrior swoon.

  9. وَإِن شَمَّتِ الأَعداءُ أَنفاسَها خَلَوا

    فَمَيْتٌ جَمادٌ ثُمّ آخرُ ذائبُ

    And if the foes smell their breath, they are gone—

    One dead and inert, then another melting away.

  10. ضَرَبتَ بِها أَرضَ العداةِ صَوائِلاً

    بِجَيشٍ خَميسٍ مِنهُ تَبدو العَجائِبُ

    You assailed the foes' land on those charging steeds,

    With an army of five divisions, from which wonders unfold.

  11. يَحِلُّ عَلى الأَعداءِ مِنه مَصائِبٌ

    وَمِنهُ بِلا حَربٍ تَفِرُّ الكتائِبُ

    From it calamities descend upon the foes,

    And battalions flee from it without a fight.

  12. حَلَلتَ بِهِ دُورَ الطّغاةِ وَهم بَنو

    نصيرٍ فَحَلَّت في الدّيارِ المَعاطِبُ

    With it you descended upon the tyrants' homes—they were the sons of

    Nusayr—and destruction descended upon their dwellings.

  13. حَلَلتَ بِسَعدٍ وَالنّحوسُ طَوالعٌ

    عَلَيهِم وَعَنهم طالِعُ السّعدِ غارِبُ

    You arrived in good fortune, while baleful stars rose

    Over them, while the star of good fortune sank away from them.

  14. فَظَنّوا عَلى جَهلٍ غُروراً بِأَنَّهم

    لِحَربِكَ كفؤٌ وَالظّنونُ كَواذِبُ

    In ignorance and delusion, they imagined themselves

    A match for you in war—but their suppositions were false.

  15. وَغَرَّهُم حِصنٌ لَهم وَسِلاحُهم

    وَكَثرتُهم عَدّاً فَقَاموا وَحارَبوا

    Their fortress and their weapons deluded them,

    And their strength in numbers; so they rose and fought.

  16. وَقَد بارَزوا وَالحربُ قامَت بِساقِها

    وَقيلَ نَزال اليوم يا مَنْ يحارِبُ

    They came forth to duel, with war now in full stride,

    And the cry went up: 'To combat today, O you who fight!'

  17. تَلاقَت أُسودُ الحَربِ في مَعركِ الوَغى

    وَدَامَ اِصطِدامُ القَومِ حَتّى تَجاذَبوا

    War's lions met upon the field of battle,

    And the hosts kept clashing until they grappled.

  18. وَقامَ مُثارُ النّقعِ فَوقَ رُؤوسِهم

    وَقَد لَمَعَت سُمرُ القَنا وَالقَواضِبُ

    And the stirred-up dust rose above their heads,

    While the brown spears and keen blades flashed.

  19. تَرى النَّقعَ وَالأَسيافُ تَهوي وَتَعتلي

    كَلَيلٍ بِهِ تَهوي وَتَعلو الكَواكِبُ

    You see the dust, as swords fall and rise,

    Like a night in which the stars fall and rise.

  20. وَدارَت عَلى الأَعداءِ دائِرَةُ الرّدى

    وَخابوا وَخابَ الظنّ وَالظنّ خايِبُ

    The wheel of death turned against the foes,

    And they failed; their hopes failed, and their hopes were vain.

  21. أَجدتَ بِخطِّ السّمرِ فَوقَ صُدورِهم

    قَواعِدَ خطٍّ لا يُضاهيهِ كاتِبُ

    You perfected, in brown-spear script upon their breasts,

    The rules of a script no scribe could rival.

  22. وَأَقلامُك الأَعناقُ مِنهُم تَقطُّها

    بِعَضبٍ غَدَت مِنهُ تَذوبُ العَواضِبُ

    And their necks were your pens, which you trimmed

    With a keen sword before which sharp blades melted.

  23. وَأَبكيتَ بِالأَسيافِ أَجسامَهم دَماً

    فَطابَت لِتربِ الأَرضِ مِنهُ المَشارِبُ

    And with swords you made their bodies weep blood,

    So the earth's dust savored draughts of it.

  24. وَمُذ أَيقَنوا أَنْ لا مَحيصَ مِنَ الرّدى

    تَولَّوْا وَكلٌّ لِلسّلامَةِ طالِبُ

    And once they knew there was no escape from death,

    They turned away, each seeking safety.

  25. وَفَرّوا سَكارى هائِمينَ إِلى الفَلا

    وَحَلَّهمُ التشتيتُ وَالعَقلُ ذاهبُ

    And they fled, drunken and wandering, into the wilderness,

    And dispersal broke them apart, their reason gone.

  26. وَضَلّوا حَيارى في الفَيافي وَكلّهم

    وَقَد جُنَّ جُنحُ اللَّيلِ في اللَّيلِ حاطِبُ

    And they strayed bewildered through the wastes, every one of them

    A wood-gatherer in the dark, as night's gloom closed in.

  27. وَضاقَ بِهم رَحْبُ الفَضاءِ مَذاهباً

    وَيا تعسَ مَن ضاقَت عَليهِ المَذاهِبُ

    And the wide expanse grew narrow for their passage,

    And woe to one for whom all paths grow narrow!

  28. فَلا كَهفَ يَحميهِم وَلا حصنَ حافظٌ

    وَلا خِدنَ يؤويهم ولا خِلَّ صاحِبُ

    So no cave sheltered them, no fortress guarded them,

    And no intimate gave them refuge, no close friend kept them company.

  29. قَضى اللَّه فيهِم أَن يَكونَ دَمارُهم

    عَلى يَدِكَ اليُمنى وَذا الأمرُ واجِبُ

    God decreed that their destruction should be

    By your right hand—and this decree must be fulfilled.

  30. كَما قَد قَضى في نَصرِ رايَتِك الّتي

    بِها النَّصرُ مَعقودٌ لَهُ الفتحُ عاقِبُ

    Just as He decreed victory for your banner, to which

    Triumph is bound, with conquest following in its wake.

  31. فَللّهِ ربّي الحمدُ شُكراً لِفَضلِهِ

    بِنُصرَته إِذ أَنتَ في النَّصرِ راغِبُ

    So praise be to God, my Lord, in gratitude for His grace,

    For His aid, since you are eager for victory,

  32. وَردكَ مَجبوراً لما أَنتَ ساكن

    بِمَوكبِ عزٍّ فيهِ تَسمو المَواكِبُ

    And for returning you restored to where you dwell,

    In a procession of glory, where processions rise high.

  33. وَدُم في أَمانِ اللَّهِ ما شَمْألٌ سَرَتْ

    وَما الوَبْلُ يَهمي وَهوَ سَحٌّ وساكبُ

    And remain in God's safekeeping as long as a north wind blows,

    And as long as heavy rain falls, pouring and streaming,

  34. وَما كَوكَبٌ يَبدو مِنَ الشَّرقِ طالِعاً

    وَما غابَ في غَربٍ مِنَ النَّجمِ غاربُ

    And as long as a star appears, rising from the east,

    And as long as a setting star vanishes in the west,

  35. وَما قالَ ذو حَمدٍ لِفِعلكَ حامدٌ

    عَليكَ بِحُسنِ الحرب تثني القواضبُ

    And as long as a praiser says, praising your deed:

    The keen blades praise you for your skill in war.