أَعدَدتُ لِلغادِرينَ أَسيافا

أَعدَدتُ لِلغادِرينَ أَسيافا

أَجدَعُ مِنهُم بِهِنَّ آنافا

أَجدَعُ مِنهُم بِهِنَّ آنافا

I have prepared swords for the treacherous,

I have prepared swords for the deserters

I have prepared for the treacherous, sharp swords,

with which I lop off their noses.

With which I will sever their soft necks

With which to shear the noses from their face.

لا يَرحَمُ اللَهُ أَرؤُساً لَهُم

لا يَرحَمُ اللَهُ أَرؤُساً لَهُم

أَطَرنَ عَن هامِهِنَّ أَقحافا

أَطَرنَ عَن هامِهِنَّ أَقحافا

May God have no mercy on their heads,

May God show no mercy to their heads

May God grant no mercy to such heads as theirs,

from whose crowns the swords sent skullcaps flying.

Which have turned away from their beliefs

From which the skull-bones have been made to fly.

ما يَنقِمُ السَيفُ غَيرَ قِلَّتِهِم

ما يَنقِمُ السَيفُ غَيرَ قِلَّتِهِم

وَأَن تَكونَ المِئُونَ آلافا

وَأَن تَكونَ المِئُونَ آلافا

The sword resents nothing but their small number,

The sword cares not except for their fewness

The sword finds no fault but that their numbers are few,

and wishes their hundreds were thousands.

And that provisions be by the thousands

And wishes that the hundreds were thousands strong.

يا شَرَّ لَحمٍ فَجَعتُهُ بِدَمٍ

يا شَرَّ لَحمٍ فَجَعتُهُ بِدَمٍ

وَزارَ لِلخامِعاتِ أَجوافا

وَزارَ لِلخامِعاتِ أَجوافا

O vilest flesh, which I robbed of blood

Oh flesh of evil that I soaked in blood

O vilest flesh that I have marred with blood,

and which visited the bellies of limping hyenas!

And it ran into the guts of the submissive

And sent to visit the bellies of the hyenas.

قَد كُنتَ أُغنيتَ عَن سُؤالِكَ بي

قَد كُنتَ أُغنيتَ عَن سُؤالِكَ بي

مَن زَجَرَ الطَيرَ لي وَمَن عافا

مَن زَجَرَ الطَيرَ لي وَمَن عافا

You had already been spared the need to inquire about me

You had been spared from asking me

You were spared the need to ask regarding me,

of those who roused birds for me and those who read their omens.

Who warded off birds from me and who healed

From he who scolds the birds or reads the omens.

وَعَدتُ ذا النَصلِ مَن تَعَرَّضَهُ

وَعَدتُ ذا النَصلِ مَن تَعَرَّضَهُ

وَخِفتُ لَمّا اِعتَرَضتَ إِخلافا

وَخِفتُ لَمّا اِعتَرَضتَ إِخلافا

I promised this blade whoever crossed its path,

And I promised this blade to whoever confronted me

I pledged this blade to whoever stands before it,

and when you stood in its way, I feared breaking my promise.

And I feared when you objected treacherously

And when you barred my way, I feared to break my vow.

لا يُذكَرُ الخَيرُ إِن ذُكِرتَ وَلا

لا يُذكَرُ الخَيرُ إِن ذُكِرتَ وَلا

تُتبِعُكَ المُقلَتانِ تَوكافا

تُتبِعُكَ المُقلَتانِ تَوكافا

No good is spoken of when you are mentioned, nor

Goodness is not mentioned if you are mentioned

Goodness is not recalled when you are mentioned,

do the eyes send tears streaming after you.

Nor do the two teary eyes follow you weepingly

Nor do eyes follow your departure with tears.

إِذا اِمرُؤٌ راعَني بِغَدرَتِهِ

إِذا اِمرُؤٌ راعَني بِغَدرَتِهِ

أَورَدتُهُ الغايَةَ الَّتي خافا

أَورَدتُهُ الغايَةَ الَّتي خافا

If a man startles me with his treachery,

When a man deceives me with his betrayal

If a man seeks to startle me with treachery,

I bring him to the end he feared.

I guide him to the fate he feared

I drive him to the very doom he feared.