قَوميmy people لَأَنتُمindeed you عِبرَةa lesson الأَقوامِthe nations
قَومي لَأَنتُم عِبرَة الأَقوامِ
هَلquestion marker تُنسَبونَyour lineage is traced لِيافِتٍto Japheth أَوor سامِShem
هَل تُنسَبونَ لِيافِتٍ أَو سامِ
My people, you are indeed a lesson to the nations.
My people, you are an example for all peoples
Are you descended from Japheth or Shem?
Are you said to belong to Yafith or Shem?
أَبناءُsons عَمّيmy paternal uncle مِنfrom نِزارٍNizar وَيَغرُبٍand Yaghrub
أَبناءُ عَمّي مِن نِزارٍ وَيَغرُبٍ
لَيسواthey are not بِأَعرابٍBedouin Arabs وَلاnor أَعجامِnon-Arabs
لَيسوا بِأَعرابٍ وَلا أَعجامِ
My cousins, descended from Nizar and Yaghrub,
The sons of my uncle from Nizar and Yagrob
are neither Bedouin Arabs nor non-Arabs.
Are neither Bedouin nor non-Arabs
يَتَرَسَّمونَthey follow the example of الغَربَthe West حَتّىuntil يُوشِكواthey are about to
يَتَرَسَّمونَ الغَربَ حَتّى يُوشِكوا
أَنto يَعبُدوهُthey worship it عِبادَةَthe worship of الأَصنامِidols
أَن يَعبُدوهُ عِبادَةَ الأَصنامِ
They follow the West's example until they are on the verge
They emulate the West until they are about
of worshipping it as idols are worshipped.
To worship it with the worship of idols
ماnot قَلَّدوهُمthey imitated them مُبصِرينَwith discernment وَإِنَّماbut rather
ما قَلَّدوهُم مُبصِرينَ وَإِنَّما
تَبِعواthey followed نِظامَهُمُtheir system بِغَيرِwithout نِظامِorder
تَبِعوا نِظامَهُمُ بِغَيرِ نِظامِ
They did not imitate them with discernment; rather,
They did not imitate its insight, but rather
they followed their system without order.
Followed its system without a system
لِلغَربِthe West has عاداتٌcustoms كَغازاتٍlike gases سَرَتspread
لِلغَربِ عاداتٌ كَغازاتٍ سَرَت
فيin الشَرقِthe East مَسرىthe spread of الداءِdisease بِالأَجسامِthrough bodies
في الشَرقِ مَسرى الداءِ بِالأَجسامِ
The West has customs, like gases, that have spread
The West has customs like gases that crept
through the East as disease spreads through bodies.
Through the East in the manner of disease in bodies
لاdo not تَأمَنواtrust المُستَعمِرينَthe colonizers فَكَمfor how many لَهُمthey have
لا تَأمَنوا المُستَعمِرينَ فَكَم لَهُم
حَربٌa war تَقَنَّعَmasked itself وَجهُهاits face بِسَلامِwith peace
حَربٌ تَقَنَّعَ وَجهُها بِسَلامِ
Do not trust the colonizers, for theirs is many
Do not trust the colonizers, for how often do they have
a war whose face has masked itself with peace.
A war whose face is masked by peace?
حَربٌa war عَلىagainst لُغَةِthe language of البِلادِthe country وَأَرضِهاand its land
حَربٌ عَلى لُغَةِ البِلادِ وَأَرضِها
لَيسَتis not تُشَنُّwaged بِمَدفَعٍwith a cannon وَحُسامِand a sword
لَيسَت تُشَنُّ بِمَدفَعٍ وَحُسامِ
A war against the country's language and its land,
A war on the language and land of the countries
not waged with cannon and sword.
It is not waged with cannon and sword
وَالشَعبُand the people إِنif سَلِمَتremained safe لَهُfor it أَوطانُهُits homelands
وَالشَعبُ إِن سَلِمَت لَهُ أَوطانُهُ
وَلِسانُهُand its tongue لَمdid not يَخشَfear قَطعَthe severing of الهامِheads
وَلِسانُهُ لَم يَخشَ قَطعَ الهامِ
And a people, if its homelands remain safe
And if its homelands are safe for a people
and its tongue too, will not fear the severing of heads.
While its tongue is not, it fears the cutting of tents
لاnot أَعرِفُI recognize العَرَبِيَّthe Arab يَلوىhe twists فَكَّهُhis jaw
لا أَعرِفُ العَرَبِيَّ يَلوى فَكَّهُ
إِنَّif هَمَّattempted يَوماًone day فَكُّهُhis jaw بِكَلامِto speak
إِنَّ هَمَّ يَوماً فَكُّهُ بِكَلامِ
I do not recognize the Arab who twists his jaw
I do not know an Arab twisting his jaw
if one day his jaw attempts to speak.
If he ever did, his jaw would be with speech
إِنif فاهَhe speaks تَسمَعُyou hear لَكنَةًan accent مَمقوتَةًloathsome
إِن فاهَ تَسمَعُ لَكنَةً مَمقوتَةً
مَنfrom فيهِhis mouth سَكسونِيَّةSaxon الأَنغامِthe tones
مَن فيهِ سَكسونِيَّة الأَنغامِ
If he speaks, you hear a loathsome accent
If his mouth is heard with hated dialect
from his mouth, Saxon in its tones.
In it is the Saxon chanting of tunes
لَفظاًa word مِنَfrom الفُصحىclassical Arabic وَآخَرَand another نابِياًjarring
لَفظاً مِنَ الفُصحى وَآخَرَ نابِياً
كَالغازِlike gas مَمزوجاًmixed بِكَأسِwith a cup of مُدامِwine
كَالغازِ مَمزوجاً بِكَأسِ مُدامِ
A word from classical Arabic and another jarring one,
A word of eloquence and another coarse
like gas mixed into a cup of wine.
Like gas mixed in a cup of alcohol
لَهفيmy grief عَلىfor الفُصحىclassical Arabic رَماهاshot at it مَعشَرٌa band
لَهفي عَلى الفُصحى رَماها مَعشَرٌ
مِنfrom أَهلِهاits own people شُلَّتmay be paralyzed يَمينُthe right hand of الراميthe shooter
مِن أَهلِها شُلَّت يَمينُ الرامي
Alas for classical Arabic, shot at by a band
My anguish over eloquence, a group
of its own people—may the shooter's right hand be paralyzed!
Of its people paralyzed the thrower's right hand
لَمdid not يَهتَدواthey find their way لِكُنوزِهاto its treasures فَإِذاand behold بِهِمthere they are
لَم يَهتَدوا لِكُنوزِها فَإِذا بِهِم
يَرمونَهاthey accuse it بِالفَقرِof poverty وَالإِعدامِand destitution
يَرمونَها بِالفَقرِ وَالإِعدامِ
They did not find their way to its treasures, and behold, they
They did not find its treasures, so there they are
accuse it of poverty and destitution.
Throwing it into poverty and extinction
الدَرُّpearls فيin طَيِّthe depths of البُحورِthe seas مُخَبَّأٌhidden
الدَرُّ في طَيِّ البُحورِ مُخَبَّأٌ
وَالتِّبرُand unrefined gold إِنif تَنشدهُyou seek it تَحتَbeneath رُغامِdust
وَالتِّبرُ إِن تَنشدهُ تَحتَ رُغامِ
Pearls lie hidden in the depths of the seas,
The pearls are hidden in the folds of the sea
and gold, if you seek it, lies beneath the dust.
And the gold, if you wish it, beneath the sand dunes
لَنwill not يَستَعيدَregain العُربُthe Arabs سالِفَthe former مَجدِهِمtheir glory
لَن يَستَعيدَ العُربُ سالِفَ مَجدِهِم
وَلِسانُهُمwhile their tongue غَرَضٌa target لِرَميِfor shooting سِهاميmy arrows
وَلِسانُهُم غَرَضٌ لِرَميِ سِهامي
The Arabs will not regain their former glory
The Arabs will not regain their past glory
while their tongue is a target for my arrows.
While their tongue is the target of my arrows
أَنto يَرفَعواthey raise ماwhat اِنقَضَّhas collapsed مِنof بُنيانِهِمtheir edifice
أَن يَرفَعوا ما اِنقَضَّ مِن بُنيانِهِم
فَالضادُso ḍād (Arabic) أَوَّلُthe first حائِطٍwall وَدعامِand buttress
فَالضادُ أَوَّلُ حائِطٍ وَدعامِ
For them to rebuild what has collapsed of their edifice,
To rebuild what crumbled of their structure
Ḍād—the Arabic tongue—is therefore the first wall and buttress.
The “d” is the first wall and pillar
إِنif يَزهُtakes pride شَرقِيٌّan Easterner بِغَيرِin other than العُربِthe Arabs مِنamong
إِن يَزهُ شَرقِيٌّ بِغَيرِ العُربِ مِن
أَجدادِهِhis ancestors الأَتراكِthe Turks وَالأَروامِand the Romans
أَجدادِهِ الأَتراكِ وَالأَروامِ
If an Easterner boasts of non-Arabs among
If an Easterner boasts of other than Arabs
his ancestors—the Turks and the Romans—
His ancestors the Turks and Byzantines
فَأَناthen I الفَخورُthe proud one بِأَنَّنيthat I لاnot يَنتَميbelongs
فَأَنا الفَخورُ بِأَنَّني لا يَنتَمي
لِلعُجمِto non-Arabs أَخواليmy maternal uncles وَلاnor أَعماميmy paternal uncles
لِلعُجمِ أَخوالي وَلا أَعمامي
then I am proud that none belong
Then I am proud that I do not belong
to non-Arabs—neither my maternal nor my paternal uncles.
To the non-Arabs, my uncles and paternal uncles
إِنif تَسأَلواyou ask عَنّيabout me إِلىto مَنwhom أَنتَميI belong
إِن تَسأَلوا عَنّي إِلى مَن أَنتَمي
فَإلىthen to رُعاةَthe herders of النوقِshe-camels وَالأَغنامِand sheep
فَإلى رُعاةَ النوقِ وَالأَغنامِ
If you ask about me—to whom I belong—
If you ask about me, to whom do I belong?
then to the herders of she-camels and sheep.
To the shepherds of camels and sheep
أَبِغَيرِis it in other than مَجدِthe glory of بَنيthe sons of نِزارَNizar وَيَعرُبٍand Ya'rub
أَبِغَيرِ مَجدِ بَني نِزارَ وَيَعرُبٍ
يُزهىtakes pride عِراقِيٌّan Iraqi وَيَفخَرُand boasts شاميa Syrian
يُزهى عِراقِيٌّ وَيَفخَرُ شامي
Is it in any glory but that of the sons of Nizar and Ya'rub
Is glory sought without the glory of the sons of Nizar and Yagrob?
that an Iraqi takes pride and a Syrian boasts?
An Iraqi boasts and a Levantine is proud
Sol 6.1