| Banished was I from the heart of Arabia, |
| Riyadh, my home, had been stolen by others; |
| banished was I, and my father and mother, |
| brothers and sisters, deprived of our birthright. |
| Sadness we felt for the years that denied us |
| the feel of the sand of the Nejd in our hands. |
| Kindness we found in Kuwait beyond measure |
| but kindness alone could not cure the pain |
| of living in exile, a life without pleasure, |
| for pleasure, not nurtured in honor, will wither. |
| I knew from the earliest years of my living |
| that I must return to the place of my birth. |
| They told me that only my death would await me, |
| (but fear is a far harsher master than death); |
| they warned of the dangers of crossing the desert |
| but it was the desert had given me breath. |
| They asked how a lad could recapture a city, |
| when put to the sword what my pride would be worth; |
| I asked how the seed, lying dry in the sand, at |
| the first taste of rain can emerge from the earth. |
| "Who will ride at my side on this perilous venture? |
| Who will risk life and limb to expel Al Rashid?" |
| Sixty answered my call, young and brave, one and all. |
| "With all of our strength, we will give what you need; |
| we will stand by your side when the battle is joined |
| until each of us falls - or Riyadh is freed." |
| It was not for the glory we rode from Kuwait; |
| we held faith as our shield and justice our sword. |
| I sought to regain the land of my fathers |
| but in all I deferred to the will of the Lord. |
| We rode towards Riyadh with banners unfurled, |
| putting trust in the God who created the world. |
| Through a cold Ramadan we encamped in the desert; |
| we fasted one month in the village of Haradh, |
| far away from the eyes of those who might think |
| that folly could lead us to try to take Riyadh. |
| When the fasting was over, I summoned my kinsmen; |
| without hesitation they answered my call. |
| Like shadows that slip over sand dunes at sunset |
| we gathered in silence beneath Riyadh’s wall. |
| On that night long ago, when the time came to act, |
| I knew in my heart what it was to be free; |
| the greatest good fortune in life for a man is |
| to know he has reached for the best he can be. |
| Whatever might follow that cold, moonless night |
| we would know we had fought for a cause that was right. |
| I chose from my band a mere handful of men; |
| each one read the risks from the look in my eyes. |
| We scaled the walls under cover of darkness; |
| we watched for the sun to put light in the skies. |
| Outnumbered, we knew that our hope of success |
| must depend in the end on our use of surprise. |
| In a fight it is true if you strike off the head of |
| a man or an army, the battle is won. |
| We few faced a garrison ready to crush us; |
| such odds left no question what had to be done. |
| The fate of the Amir of Riyadh was sealed. |
| He must die for the wounds of Al Saud to be healed. |
| When Ajlan, the Amir, appeared in the open, |
| we struck as the lion descends on its prey. |
| Bin Jelawi forced open the gate of the fortress; |
| the rest of our brothers then joined in the fray. |
| The garrison knew that resistance was futile; |
| Al Saud had returned to its home on that day. |
| Looking back through the decades, the taking of Riyadh |
| was merely one step on a path, hard and long. |
| After many a battle, I put all my heart into |
| building a nation, devout, proud and strong, |
| with justice its sword and faith as its shield, |
| in the land where the message of God was revealed. |
