شَعبٌ تَمَرَّسَ في الصِعا

شَعبٌ تَمَرَّسَ في الصِعا

بِ وَلَم تَنَل مِنهُ الصِعابْ

بِ وَلَم تَنَل مِنهُ الصِعابْ

A people seasoned in hardships,

A people entrenched against adversity

yet hardships have not overcome it.

Unshaken by tribulation’s severity

لَو هَمَّهُ اِنتابَ الهِضا

لَو هَمَّهُ اِنتابَ الهِضا

بَ لَدَكدَكَت مِنهُ الهِضابْ

بَ لَدَكدَكَت مِنهُ الهِضابْ

Were its sorrow to descend upon the hills,

Had they but roused to scale distraction’s crest

the hills would crumble beneath it.

Distraction’s crest they’d surely have unseated

مُتَمَرِّدٌ لَم يَرضَ يَوْ

مُتَمَرِّدٌ لَم يَرضَ يَوْ

ماً أَن يُقِرُّ عَلى عَذابْ

ماً أَن يُقِرُّ عَلى عَذابْ

Defiant, never willing for a single day

Rebellious, scorning days of suffering yet

to submit to torment.

To settle, broken, upon anguish’s bed

عُمر نينَه بَلَغَ السَماء

عُمر نينَه بَلَغَ السَماء

ءَ وَرَأسَهُ نَطَحَ السَحابْ

ءَ وَرَأسَهُ نَطَحَ السَحابْ

Its nose [uncertain reading] reached the sky,

Their age attains the heavens' vaulting scope

and its head butted the clouds.

Their heads the very clouds began to butt

وَعُداتهُ رغمَ الأُنو

وَعُداتهُ رغمَ الأُنو

فِ تَذَلُّلاً حانوا الرِقابْ

فِ تَذَلُّلاً حانوا الرِقابْ

And its enemies, despite their proud noses,

Their pride despite the warring winds bowed down

bowed their necks in abasement.

Their necks before the tempest meekly louted

مَثَلٌ حَدا حادي الزَما

مَثَلٌ حَدا حادي الزَما

نِ بِهِ وَناقَلَت الرِكابْ

نِ بِهِ وَناقَلَت الرِكابْ

A byword chanted by Time's camel-driver,

An exemplar guiding times alongside

and carried onward by riding camels.

And transporting eras past astride

إِن تَجهَل العَجَبَ العُجا

إِن تَجهَل العَجَبَ العُجا

بَ فَإِنَّنا العَجَبُ العِجابْ

بَ فَإِنَّنا العَجَبُ العِجابْ

If you do not know the wonder of wonders,

Should you perplexity itself perplex

then we are the wonder of wonders.

Then we perplexity’s perplexity

نَحنُ الأُلى هابَ الوُجو

نَحنُ الأُلى هابَ الوُجو

دَ وَلَيسَ فينا مَن يَهابْ

دَ وَلَيسَ فينا مَن يَهابْ

We are those before whom existence quailed,

We first in being, dread of all that lives

and among us there is none who fears.

Among us none is found the dreadful dreads

وَسَلِ الَّذي خَضَعَ الهَوا

وَسَلِ الَّذي خَضَعَ الهَوا

ءَ لَهُ وَذَلَّ لَهُ العُبابْ

ءَ لَهُ وَذَلَّ لَهُ العُبابْ

And ask him to whom the air bowed,

Now ask of those whom heaven’s winds obeyed

and to whom the surging sea submitted:

And clouds submitted, wind-tossed, to their will

هَل لانَ عودُ قَناتِنا

هَل لانَ عودُ قَناتِنا

أَم هَل نَبَتَ عِندَ الضِرابْ

أَم هَل نَبَتَ عِندَ الضِرابْ

Did the shaft of our spear grow soft,

Do our canals leak now, or does there sprout

or did it glance off when blows were struck?

Upon our whips a sudden bloom of flowers?

أَو شامَ عَيباً غَيرَ أنْـ

أَو شامَ عَيباً غَيرَ أنْـ

ـنا لَيسَ نَرضى أَن نُعابْ

ـنا لَيسَ نَرضى أَن نُعابْ

Or did he discern a fault, except that

Or have you seen some fault in us, save that

we refuse to be shamed?

We do not suffer insults with good grace?

حُيّيتَ مِن شَعبٍ تُخَلْـ

حُيّيتَ مِن شَعبٍ تُخَلْـ

ـدُ لَيسَ يَعروهُ ذَهابْ

ـدُ لَيسَ يَعروهُ ذَهابْ

Hail to you, a people made immortal,

All hail, from folk who will not be misled

whom no passing away overtakes.

And cannot know the way that loss is tread

لَفَتَ الوَرى مِنكَ الزَئيـ

لَفَتَ الوَرى مِنكَ الزَئيـ

ـرُ مُزمَجراً مِن حَولِ غابْ

ـرُ مُزمَجراً مِن حَولِ غابْ

Your roar drew humankind's attention,

Creation marveled at your acts, and wide

thundering from around a forest.

Around your forests wolves began to pad

وَأَرى العِدا ما أَذهَلَ الدْ

وَأَرى العِدا ما أَذهَلَ الدْ

نيا وَشابَ لَهُ الغُرابْ

نيا وَشابَ لَهُ الغُرابْ

And showed the enemies what stunned the world,

The path to justice now made plain to all

and made the raven turn gray.

And naked truth spoke truly, rightly clad

عُرفِ الطَريقُِ لِحَقِّهِ

عُرفِ الطَريقُِ لِحَقِّهِ

وَمَشى لَهُ الجدَدُ الصَوابْ

وَمَشى لَهُ الجدَدُ الصَوابْ

The path to its right was known,

No right returns except by way of war

and it walked toward it along the firm, right road.

To those who claim it, and blades keep it glad

الحَقُّ لَيسَ بِراجِعٍ

الحَقُّ لَيسَ بِراجِعٍ

لِذَويهِ إِلّا بِالحِرابْ

لِذَويهِ إِلّا بِالحِرابْ

A right will not return

The guttural cry yields not to cooing pleas

to its rightful holders except through spears.

Or gentle remonstrance, but to stabs

وَالصَرخَةُ النَكراءُ تُجْـ

وَالصَرخَةُ النَكراءُ تُجْـ

ـدي لا التَلَطُّفُ وَالعِتابْ

ـدي لا التَلَطُّفُ وَالعِتابْ

And the fearsome cry avails,

Let fire and iron decide for you

not gentle words and reproach.

In them concludes all argument and rows

وَالنارُ تَضمَنُ وَالحَديـ

وَالنارُ تَضمَنُ وَالحَديـ

ـدُ لِمَن تَساءَلَ أَن يُجابْ

ـدُ لِمَن تَساءَلَ أَن يُجابْ

And fire and iron guarantee

that whoever asks shall be answered.

حَكِّمهُما فيما تُريـ

حَكِّمهُما فيما تُريـ

ـدُ فَفيهِما فَصلُ الخِطابْ

ـدُ فَفيهِما فَصلُ الخِطابْ

Make them both arbiters of what you seek,

for in them lies the decisive word.