دَعانِيَ بِشرٌ دَعوَةً فَأَجَبتُهُ

دَعانِيَ بِشرٌ دَعوَةً فَأَجَبتُهُ

بِساباطَ إِذ سيقَت إِلَيهِ حُتوفُ

بِساباطَ إِذ سيقَت إِلَيهِ حُتوفُ

Bishr summoned me, and I answered him,

A man called me to battle, so I responded

At Sabat, when deadly fates were driven toward him.

At Sabaṭ, when the armies were led against him,

فَلَم أَخلِفِ الظَنَّ الَّذي كانَ يَرتَجي

فَلَم أَخلِفِ الظَنَّ الَّذي كانَ يَرتَجي

وَبَعضُ أَخِلاءِ الرِّجالِ خَلوفُ

وَبَعضُ أَخِلاءِ الرِّجالِ خَلوفُ

So I did not disappoint the expectation he cherished,

I did not fail the expectation he had of me,

Yet some of men's close friends are faithless.

Though some men's comrades may fail and desert.

فَإِن تَكُ خَيلِي يَومَ ساباطَ أَحجَمَت

فَإِن تَكُ خَيلِي يَومَ ساباطَ أَحجَمَت

وَأَفزَعَها مِن ذي العَدُوِّ زَحوفُ

وَأَفزَعَها مِن ذي العَدُوِّ زَحوفُ

So if my horses drew back on the day of Sabat,

If at Sabaṭ my horses were seen to retreat,

And advancing hosts from this enemy frightened them,

Startled and turned back by the enemies' attack,

فَما جَبُنَت خَيلي وَلَكِن بَدَت لَها

فَما جَبُنَت خَيلي وَلَكِن بَدَت لَها

أُلوفٌ أَتَت مِن بَعدِهِنَّ أُلوفُ

أُلوفٌ أَتَت مِن بَعدِهِنَّ أُلوفُ

Then my horses were not cowardly; rather, before them appeared

It was not from cowardice that my horses fled,

Thousands, with thousands more coming behind them.

But wave upon wave of reinforcements came against them.

أَقولُ لِفِتيانِ الصَعاليكِ أَسرِجوا

أَقولُ لِفِتيانِ الصَعاليكِ أَسرِجوا

عَناجيجَ أَدنى سَيرِهِنَّ وَجيفُ

عَناجيجَ أَدنى سَيرِهِنَّ وَجيفُ

I say to the young outlaws, “Saddle

I say to the young warriors, saddle up

Fine steeds whose slowest pace is a swift run.”

Your leanest mounts and ride them hard with courage!