سَقَت بلدي أيديكم وتعطَّفت

سَقَت بلدي أيديكم وتعطَّفت

عليه بكم بِيضُ الغَمَامِ وسُودُه

عليه بكم بِيضُ الغَمَامِ وسُودُه

May your hands water my homeland, and may, for your sake,

Your hands watered my homeland, and kindness was shown

the white clouds and the black bend tenderly over it.

to it, through you, by clouds both white and black.

وَملّيتُم عيشاً يروق لميسُه

وَملّيتُم عيشاً يروق لميسُه

ويحسُن في عينِ الزَّمان جديدهُ

ويحسُن في عينِ الزَّمان جديدهُ

May you long enjoy a life delightful to the touch,

And may you long enjoy a life whose gentle touch delights,

whose freshness is lovely in the eye of Time.

and whose freshness looks lovely in Time’s eye.

حلا في فمي ذكراكم فتألَّقت

حلا في فمي ذكراكم فتألَّقت

محاسنُ شِعرِ فيه يحلو نَشيدهُ

محاسنُ شِعرِ فيه يحلو نَشيدهُ

The remembrance of you grew sweet upon my tongue, and there glittered

Remembrance of you grew sweet in my mouth, and there shone

the beauties of verse, whose recitation grows sweet therein.

the beauties of verse whose recitation is sweet there.

وأُقسِمُ إنّي إن تأَخَّرتُ عنكم

وأُقسِمُ إنّي إن تأَخَّرتُ عنكم

لقد خانَني رأى وخانَ رشيدُه

لقد خانَني رأى وخانَ رشيدُه

And I swear: if I have been slow in coming to you,

And I swear that, if I hold back from you,

my judgment betrayed me—and so did its soundest counsel.

my judgment has surely betrayed me, and so has its sound counsel.

فلو أَنَّي أرَّختُ عمري افتتحتُهُ

فلو أَنَّي أرَّختُ عمري افتتحتُهُ

بيومٍ تجلّى عنكم فيه عِيدهُ

بيومٍ تجلّى عنكم فيه عِيدهُ

Had I been the chronicler of my life, I would have begun it

So if I were to chronicle my life, I would begin it

with the day when, through you, its festival dawned.

with a day on which its festival shone forth from you.