قلبي صغيرٌ لم تؤدبهُ ..المحنْ

قلبي صغيرٌ لم تؤدبهُ ..المحنْ

وهو اليتيم ُبلا ملاذٍ أو سكنْ

وهو اليتيم ُبلا ملاذٍ أو سكنْ

My heart is small; hardships have not disciplined it.

My heart is small, troubles have yet to train it

And it is an orphan, with neither refuge nor home.

An orphan lacking refuge or home

يقتات من كفّ اللئيم ..فتاته

يقتات من كفّ اللئيم ..فتاته

ورداؤه مِزَقُ الأماني والشجنْ

ورداؤه مِزَقُ الأماني والشجنْ

It subsists on the vile man's crumbs from his palm.

It feeds on the palms of the vile, their crumbs

And its cloak is the tatters of hopes and sorrow.

Its cloak, shredded hopes and yearning

ماحطّ يوماً .. كلُّ أرضٍ غربةٌ

ماحطّ يوماً .. كلُّ أرضٍ غربةٌ

ومشرّدٌ حضنُ الشتات له وطنْ

ومشرّدٌ حضنُ الشتات له وطنْ

Never once has it settled; every land is exile.

Never once did it settle, all land is foreign

And it is homeless; the embrace of dispersal is its homeland.

A wanderer, exile's bosom its home

لكنّه ... لمّا استبدّ به الهوى

لكنّه ... لمّا استبدّ به الهوى

ذلّت لهُ من شامِها حتّى اليمنْ

ذلّت لهُ من شامِها حتّى اليمنْ

But when passion held sway over it,

But when passion seizes and takes control

The land bowed before it, from its Levant to Yemen.

From Syria to Yemen, all bow down before it