Poem cover
1 إِنّا مُحَيّوكِ يا سَلمى فَحَيّينا
2 وَإِن سَقَيتِ كِرامَ الناسِ فَاِسقينا
3 وَإِن دَعَوتِ إِلى جُلّى وَمَكرُمَةٍ
4 يَوماً سُراةَ كِرامِ الناسِ فَاِدعينا
5 إِنّا بَني نَهشَلٍ لا نَدّعي لِأَبٍ
6 عَنهُ وَلا هُو بِالأَبناءِ يَشرينا
7 إِن تُبتَدَر غايَةٌ يَوماً لِمَكرُمَةٍ
8 تَلقَ السَوابِقَ مِنّا وَالمُصَلّينا
9 وَلَيسَ يَهلَكُ مِنّا سَيِّدٌ أَبَداً
10 إِلّا اِفتَلَينا غُلاماً سَيِّداً فينا
11 إِنّا لنُرخِصُ يَومَ الرَوعِ أَنفُسَنا
12 وَلَو نُسامُ بِها في الأَمنِ أُغلينا
13 بيضٌ مَفارِقُنا تَغلي مَراجِلُنا
14 نَأسو بِأَموالِنا آثارَ أَيدينا
15 لَو كانَ في الأَلفِ مِنّا واحدٌ فَدَعَوا
16 مَن فارِسٌ خالَهُم إِيّاهُ يَعنونا
17 إِذا الكُماةُ تَنَحَّوا أَن يُصيبَهُمُ
18 حَدُّ الظُّباةِ وَصَلناها بِأَيدينا
19 وَلا تَراهُم وَإِن جَلَّت مُصيبَتُهُم
20 مَع البُكاةِ عَلى مَن ماتَ يَبكونا
21 وَيركَبُ الكُرهَ أَحياناً فَيَفرُجُهُ
22 عَنّا الحِفاظُ وَأَسيافٌ تُواتينا
1 Salma, we greet you; receive our greeting
2 And if you serve noble people, we serve them as well
3 And if you call to noble deeds and honor
4 One day, when the leaders of noble people are summoned, we will join you too
5 We are the sons of Nahshal; we claim no father
6 Nor does he seek others in place of us
7 If a noble goal is pursued one day
8 You will find precedence among us and among those who pray
9 No master among us ever perishes
10 Except that we appoint a noble youth in his place
11 We risk our lives on the day of battle
12 Even if we let them go safely, we restrain ourselves
13 Our hair may gray, but our courage boils fiercely
14 We smooth the traces of our hands with our wealth
15 If among a thousand of us there were one, call him
16 A lone knight among them will stand for us
17 When the brave hesitate to strike
18 We reach the spear’s edge with our own hands
19 You do not see them, though their calamity is severe
20 They weep with others for those who have died
21 Sometimes hatred arises, yet we dispel it
22 Through our guardians and swords that protect us
1 إِنّا مُحَيّوكِ يا سَلمى فَحَيّينا
Salma, we greet you; receive our greeting
2 وَإِن سَقَيتِ كِرامَ الناسِ فَاِسقينا
And if you serve noble people, we serve them as well
3 وَإِن دَعَوتِ إِلى جُلّى وَمَكرُمَةٍ
And if you call to noble deeds and honor
4 يَوماً سُراةَ كِرامِ الناسِ فَاِدعينا
One day, when the leaders of noble people are summoned, we will join you too
5 إِنّا بَني نَهشَلٍ لا نَدّعي لِأَبٍ
We are the sons of Nahshal; we claim no father
6 عَنهُ وَلا هُو بِالأَبناءِ يَشرينا
Nor does he seek others in place of us
7 إِن تُبتَدَر غايَةٌ يَوماً لِمَكرُمَةٍ
If a noble goal is pursued one day
8 تَلقَ السَوابِقَ مِنّا وَالمُصَلّينا
You will find precedence among us and among those who pray
9 وَلَيسَ يَهلَكُ مِنّا سَيِّدٌ أَبَداً
No master among us ever perishes
10 إِلّا اِفتَلَينا غُلاماً سَيِّداً فينا
Except that we appoint a noble youth in his place
11 إِنّا لنُرخِصُ يَومَ الرَوعِ أَنفُسَنا
We risk our lives on the day of battle
12 وَلَو نُسامُ بِها في الأَمنِ أُغلينا
Even if we let them go safely, we restrain ourselves
13 بيضٌ مَفارِقُنا تَغلي مَراجِلُنا
Our hair may gray, but our courage boils fiercely
14 نَأسو بِأَموالِنا آثارَ أَيدينا
We smooth the traces of our hands with our wealth
15 لَو كانَ في الأَلفِ مِنّا واحدٌ فَدَعَوا
If among a thousand of us there were one, call him
16 مَن فارِسٌ خالَهُم إِيّاهُ يَعنونا
A lone knight among them will stand for us
17 إِذا الكُماةُ تَنَحَّوا أَن يُصيبَهُمُ
When the brave hesitate to strike
18 حَدُّ الظُّباةِ وَصَلناها بِأَيدينا
We reach the spear’s edge with our own hands
19 وَلا تَراهُم وَإِن جَلَّت مُصيبَتُهُم
You do not see them, though their calamity is severe
20 مَع البُكاةِ عَلى مَن ماتَ يَبكونا
They weep with others for those who have died
21 وَيركَبُ الكُرهَ أَحياناً فَيَفرُجُهُ
Sometimes hatred arises, yet we dispel it
22 عَنّا الحِفاظُ وَأَسيافٌ تُواتينا
Through our guardians and swords that protect us