يــاO لــهولat the horror of الخطبthe calamity ياO كبرthe magnitude of الفداحةthe grievousness
يــا لــهول الخطب يا كبر الفداحة
قــوةthe force of الــشرevil تــهددthreatens فــيwith فــصاحةeloquence
قــوة الــشر تــهدد فــي فــصاحة
Oh, the horror of the calamity! Oh, the enormity of the disaster!
Oh sorrows great are the tidings, evil's might threatens eloquence
The force of evil threatens with eloquence.
In one sentence you herald, the mourner's woes from his grieving chant
أصــبحتit has become تــهديoffers لــناto us فــيin جملةa sentence
أصــبحت تــهدي لــنا فــي جملة
تــبعاتthe consequences of الــنعيthe death announcement مــنfrom ســرthe secret of نواحهits lamentation
تــبعات الــنعي مــن ســر نواحه
It has come to offer us, in a sentence,
Why is this? We're in sorrow, for one who brought Arabs success is gone
The consequences of the death announcement, from the secret of its lament.
In Jamal what a nation, history raised after its essence withdrawn
مـــاwhat لــهــذاis with this؟ إنــنــاindeed we فــيin حــسرةsorrow
مـــا لــهــذا؟ إنــنــا فــي حــسرة
فــيfor فــقيدa departed man قــربbrought together الــعربthe Arabs نجاحهhis success
فــي فــقيد قــرب الــعرب نجاحه
What is this? We are in sorrow
Revolutions' dawn in every Arab blood, that aspires good in the courtyard
For a departed man whose success brought the Arabs together,
Alas we have cried a while, a period that inflamed pain in the senses
فـــيfor جــمــالGamal يــاO لــهfor him مــنof أمــةa nation
فـــي جــمــال يــا لــه مــن أمــة
بــعثrevived الــتاريخhistory مــنfrom بــعدafter رواحهits departure
بــعث الــتاريخ مــن بــعد رواحه
For Gamal—what a nation he was!
We stumbled in wishes and hopes, and lost O object of desire, his grace
He revived history after its departure.
Where is the heart that long cared for us? That fought evil and acted in grace
فــجــرignited الــثــوراتrevolutions فـــيin كــلevery دمblood
فــجــر الــثــورات فـــي كــل دم
عــربيArab يــرتجيhopes for الــخيرgood بــساحةin an arena
عــربي يــرتجي الــخير بــساحة
He ignited revolutions in the blood of every
A doer for Arabs for a better tomorrow, bringing good and refusing comfort
Arab who hopes for good in an arena.
O God this is affliction, that scattered thoughts and guided from steadiness
آهah إنــــاindeed we قــــدindeed بــكــيــناwe wept فــتــرةa period
آه إنــــا قــــد بــكــيــنا فــتــرة
فــترةa period تــلهبinflames فــيin الحسfeeling جراحهits wounds
فــترة تــلهب فــي الحس جراحه
Ah, we have wept for a time,
But patience leads a strike, that arms thought a weapon from its weapons
A time that inflames the wounds of feeling.
What can we do in absence? For Jamal so we renew what he enabled
ونــكــبناand we were stricken فـــيin الأمــانيhopes والــمنىand wishes
ونــكــبنا فـــي الأمــاني والــمنى
وفــقدناand we lost يــاO مــنىthe desire of القلبthe heart ..صلاحهits well-being
وفــقدنا يــا مــنى القلب ..صلاحه
And we were stricken in our hopes and wishes,
O Arab people proud, awake from sleep and renew in your openness
And we lost, O heart's desire, its well-being.
All who crave and seek regression, to a past that no more heals its wounds
أيـــنwhere قــلــبa heart قــدindeed رعــاناcared for us مــدةa period ؟
أيـــن قــلــب قــد رعــانا مــدة ؟
يــقرعstrikes at الــشرevil ويــسعىand strives بــسماحةwith generosity
يــقرع الــشر ويــسعى بــسماحة
Where is the heart that cared for us for a time,
And traditions that have with habit, become burdensome on the path to prosperity
Striking at evil and striving with generosity?
Strike feudalism until you end it, and build a great edifice and rejoice in its success
مــنــجزan achiever لــلعربfor the Arabs مــنfor أجــلthe sake of غــدtomorrow
مــنــجز لــلعرب مــن أجــل غــد
يــبعثbrings forth الــخيرgood ويــأبىand refuses كــلall راحةrest
يــبعث الــخير ويــأبى كــل راحة
An achiever for the Arabs, for the sake of tomorrow,
And the moneyed people do not pity them, grant money to those who found no comfort
Bringing forth good and refusing all rest.
And share it equally a partnership, that does justice to workers after their struggle
يــــاO الــهــيmy God إنindeed هـــذيthis نــقــمةan affliction
يــــا الــهــي إن هـــذي نــقــمة
شــتتscattered فــكراthought وهــدتand undermined منof رجاحةsound judgment
شــتت فــكرا وهــدت من رجاحة
O my God, this is indeed an affliction,
In a "socialist" system for us, that promotes development seeking to topple
That scattered thought and undermined sound judgment.
The "bourgeois" system that caused, the starvation of workers by what it allowed
لــكــنbut الــصــبرpatience يـــؤديprovides دفــعــةan impulse
لــكــن الــصــبر يـــؤدي دفــعــة
تــهبgives الــفكرthought ســلاحاa weapon منfrom سلاحهits weaponry
تــهب الــفكر ســلاحا من سلاحه
But patience provides an impulse,
And slaughter the parasites entirely, leave not even a wing remaining
That gives thought a weapon from its own weaponry.
So you purify or establish a revolution, forcibly uprooting the permissiveness
مـــاwhat الـــذيthat which نــفعلهwe do it فــيin غــيبةan absence؟
مـــا الـــذي نــفعله فــي غــيبة؟
لــجــمالof Gamal كــيso that نــجددwe renew مــاwhat أتــاحهhe made it possible
لــجــمال كــي نــجدد مــا أتــاحه
What are we to do in the absence
And with this we rise in might, that defeats injustice and brings life openly
Of Gamal, to renew what he made possible?
The people's city on 17/11/1970
أيــهــاO الــشــعبthe people الأبــيunbowed الــعربيArab
أيــهــا الــشــعب الأبــي الــعربي
قــمrise مــنfrom الــنومsleep وجددand renew فيin انفتاحهhis openness
قــم مــن الــنوم وجدد في انفتاحه
O unbowed Arab people,
Rise from sleep and, in his openness, renew
كــلall مــنwho يــهوىyearns for ويــسعىand strives for رجعةa return
كــل مــن يــهوى ويــسعى رجعة
نــحوtoward ماضa past لمnot يعدany longer يشفيheals جراحهhis wounds
نــحو ماض لم يعد يشفي جراحه
Everyone who yearns and strives for a return
To a past that no longer heals his wounds,
وتــقــالــيدand traditions غـــدتhave come to be مـــعwith عـــادةhabit
وتــقــالــيد غـــدت مـــع عـــادة
تــثقلburdens الــسيرthe march إلــىtoward دربthe path of الفلاحةcultivation
تــثقل الــسير إلــى درب الفلاحة
And traditions that, together with habit, have come
To burden the march toward the path of cultivation.
واضــربand strike at الإقــطاعfeudalism حــتىuntil تــنههyou end it
واضــرب الإقــطاع حــتى تــنهه
وابــنينand surely build صــرحاan edifice وهــللand hail لــنجاحهfor its success
وابــنين صــرحا وهــلل لــنجاحه
And strike at feudalism until you put an end to it,
And build an edifice, and hail its success.
وبــنــوand the sons of الأمـــوالwealth لاdo not تــرفقshow leniency بــهمto them
وبــنــو الأمـــوال لا تــرفق بــهم
وامــنحand give الأموالthe wealth منwhoever لمhas not يلقfound راحةease
وامــنح الأموال من لم يلق راحة
And the sons of wealth—show them no leniency,
And give the wealth to those who have found no ease.
واقــســمنهاand surely divide it بــالــتساويequally شــركــةa partnership
واقــســمنها بــالــتساوي شــركــة
تــنصفtreats fairly الــعمالthe workers مــنfrom بعدafter كفاحهhis struggle
تــنصف الــعمال مــن بعد كفاحه
And divide it equally in a partnership
That treats the workers fairly after his struggle,
فــــيin نــــظــامa system" اشــتــركــيsocialist"لناfor us
فــــي نــــظــام" اشــتــركــي"لنا
يــدعمsupports الــعمرانdevelopment يــسعىstrives للإطاحةfor the overthrow
يــدعم الــعمران يــسعى للإطاحة
In a "socialist" system of our own,
That supports development and seeks the overthrow
بــــنــظــامof a system" بــرجــوازيbourgeois"هــوىfell
بــــنــظــام" بــرجــوازي"هــوى
جـــوعstarved الــعمالthe workers نــفذcarried out مــاwhat أبــاحهit permitted it
جـــوع الــعمال نــفذ مــا أبــاحه
Of a fallen "bourgeois" system,
That starved the workers and enacted what it permitted.
والــطــواويسand the peacocks اذبــحــنهاsurely slaughter them جــمــلةall together
والــطــواويس اذبــحــنها جــمــلة
لاdo not تــذرleave مــنهاof them ولــوand even if حــتىeven جناحهits wing
لا تــذر مــنها ولــو حــتى جناحه
And slaughter the peacocks, all of them;
Leave nothing of them, not even one of their wings.
كـــيso that تــصفيyou purify أوor تــؤسسyou establish ثــورةa revolution
كـــي تــصفي أو تــؤسس ثــورة
عــنــوةby force تــقلعuproots مــنfrom جــذرthe root of أبــاحةlicense
عــنــوة تــقلع مــن جــذر أبــاحة
So that you may purify or establish a revolution,
By force, uprooting license at its root.
وبــــهــذاand by this نــعــتــليwe rise فـــيin قـــوةstrength
وبــــهــذا نــعــتــلي فـــي قـــوة
تــهزمdefeats الــظلمoppression وتحييand gives life فيin صراحةfrankness
تــهزم الــظلم وتحيي في صراحة
And thus we rise with a strength
That defeats oppression and openly gives life.
مدينةcity الشعبof the people في17on the 17th/11/1970
مدينة الشعب في17/11/1970
Madinat al-Shaʿb, 17 November 1970.
Partial English translation: 24 of 47 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1