دَعونا نَبتدِر وِردَ الحِمامِ

دَعونا نَبتدِر وِردَ الحِمامِ

لِيُطفئَ بَردُه حَرَّ الأَوامِ

لِيُطفئَ بَردُه حَرَّ الأَوامِ

Let us hasten to death's watering place,

Let us hasten to the rose gardens

so its coolness may quench the burning thirst.

So their coolness may quench the heat of sorrows

دَعونا إِنّ لِلأَوطانِ حَقاً

دَعونا إِنّ لِلأَوطانِ حَقاً

تُضيَّعُ دُونه مُهَجُ الكِرامِ

تُضيَّعُ دُونه مُهَجُ الكِرامِ

Let us go: homelands have a claim

Let us hasten - our homelands have rights

in whose defense noble souls are sacrificed.

Without which the noble spirit perishes

أَنَخذِلُها وَنَحنُ لَها حُماةٌ

أَنَخذِلُها وَنَحنُ لَها حُماةٌ

فَمَن عَنها يُناضِلُ أَو يُحامي

فَمَن عَنها يُناضِلُ أَو يُحامي

Shall we forsake them, though we are their protectors?

Shall we abandon them when we are their protectors?

Who then will fight for them or defend them?

Who else will defend them or guard them?

أَنُسلِمُها إِلى الأَعداءِ طَوعاً

أَنُسلِمُها إِلى الأَعداءِ طَوعاً

فَتِلكَ سَجِيَّةُ القَومِ الطغام

فَتِلكَ سَجِيَّةُ القَومِ الطغام

Shall we surrender them willingly to the enemies?

Shall we surrender them to the enemies willingly?

For that is the nature of the base rabble.

That is the way of the tyrannical people

أَيَبغي الإِنكليزُ لَها اِستلاباً

أَيَبغي الإِنكليزُ لَها اِستلاباً

ولمّا تَختضِب بِدَمٍ سِجامِ

ولمّا تَختضِب بِدَمٍ سِجامِ

Do the English seek to seize them

Do the British wish to conquer them?

before they are dyed with streaming blood,

While their soil is still wet with blood

وَيَمشِ أَخو الوَغى مِنّا وَمِنهُم

وَيَمشِ أَخو الوَغى مِنّا وَمِنهُم

عَلى جُثَثٍ مُطرَّحةٍ وَهامِ

عَلى جُثَثٍ مُطرَّحةٍ وَهامِ

and warriors from our ranks and theirs tread

And the specter of discord walks among us and them

over strewn corpses and heads?

Over scattered corpses lying in wait

أَنتركُها بِأَيدي القَومِ نَهباً

أَنتركُها بِأَيدي القَومِ نَهباً

وَفي هَذي الكنانةِ سَهمُ رامِ

وَفي هَذي الكنانةِ سَهمُ رامِ

Shall we leave them as plunder in those people's hands,

Shall we leave them prey in the hands of the people

while this quiver holds an archer's arrow?

While in this weakness lies a piercing arrow?

لَقَد ظَنّ العُداةُ بِنا ظُنوناً

لَقَد ظَنّ العُداةُ بِنا ظُنوناً

كَواذبَ مثلَ أَحلامِ النِيامِ

كَواذبَ مثلَ أَحلامِ النِيامِ

The enemies have indeed made assumptions about us,

The enemies thought of us with suspicion

false as the dreams of sleepers.

Like the illusions of dreamers’ sleep

رَأونا دُونَهُم عَدداً فَنادوا

رَأونا دُونَهُم عَدداً فَنادوا

عَلَينا بِالنزالِ وَبِالصِدامِ

عَلَينا بِالنزالِ وَبِالصِدامِ

They saw us fewer in number than themselves, and challenged

They saw us fewer in number so they called out

us to combat and clash.

To battle us and clash with us

وَزجّوها فَوارِسَ ضاق عَنها

وَزجّوها فَوارِسَ ضاق عَنها

فَضاءُ الأَرض أَعينُها دَوامِ

فَضاءُ الأَرض أَعينُها دَوامِ

And they hurled forth horsemen, too many for

And they drove their steeds until the land

the earth's expanse, their eyes bloodshot.

Became too narrow, though its expanse is endless

لَقيناهم بِآسادٍ جِياعٍ

لَقيناهم بِآسادٍ جِياعٍ

تَرى لَحم العِدى أَشهى طَعامِ

تَرى لَحم العِدى أَشهى طَعامِ

We met them with hungry lions

We met them with ravenous lions

that deem enemy flesh the choicest food.

Who find enemy flesh the sweetest food

لعمر أَبيك ما ضعفت قُوانا

لعمر أَبيك ما ضعفت قُوانا

فَنجنحَ صاغِرينَ إِلى السَلامِ

فَنجنحَ صاغِرينَ إِلى السَلامِ

By your father's life, our strength has not failed,

By your father’s life, our strength did not fail

that we should turn, abased, toward peace.

For us to stoop pleading for peace

مَعاذَ اللَه مِن خَوَرٍ وَضعفٍ

مَعاذَ اللَه مِن خَوَرٍ وَضعفٍ

وَمِن عابٍ نُقارفه وَذامِ

وَمِن عابٍ نُقارفه وَذامِ

God forbid faintheartedness and weakness,

God forbid us from disgrace and weakness

and disgrace we incur, and reproach.

And from reproach that we adopt

وَلا وَاللَه نَرضى الخسفَ دِيناً

وَلا وَاللَه نَرضى الخسفَ دِيناً

كَدأبِ المُستَذَلِّ المُستَضامِ

كَدأبِ المُستَذَلِّ المُستَضامِ

No, by God, we will not accept humiliation as our creed,

No, by God, we do not accept humiliation as religion

as is the wont of the abased and oppressed.

Like the way of the subservient and oppressed

إِذا حكم العِدى جَنَفاً عَلينا

إِذا حكم العِدى جَنَفاً عَلينا

فَأَعدل مِنهُمُ حكمُ الحُسامِ

فَأَعدل مِنهُمُ حكمُ الحُسامِ

If the enemies judge us unjustly,

If the enemy judges unjustly against us

then the sword's judgment is fairer than theirs.

The blade of the sword is more just than them

هَبُونا كَالَّذي زَعموا ضِعافاً

هَبُونا كَالَّذي زَعموا ضِعافاً

أَيأبى نَصرَنا رَبُّ الأَنامِ

أَيأبى نَصرَنا رَبُّ الأَنامِ

Suppose us weak, as they have claimed:

They provoked us as though we were weak

would the Lord of humankind deny us victory?

Does the Lord of man deny us victory?

أَيخذِلُنا وَنحنُ لَهُ نُصلِّي

أَيخذِلُنا وَنحنُ لَهُ نُصلِّي

جَميعاً مِن قُعودٍ أَو قِيامِ

جَميعاً مِن قُعودٍ أَو قِيامِ

Would He forsake us while we pray to Him,

Would He abandon us when we pray to Him

all together, seated or standing?

Together sitting or standing?

فَلا يَأسٌ إِذا ما الحَرب طالَت

فَلا يَأسٌ إِذا ما الحَرب طالَت

مِن النَصرِ المُرجّى في الختامِ

مِن النَصرِ المُرجّى في الختامِ

So, if the war drags on, there is no despair

So there is no despair though war is prolonged

of the victory hoped for at the end.

Of the hoped-for triumph in the end

ولَسنا نَترك الهَيجاءَ يَوماً

ولَسنا نَترك الهَيجاءَ يَوماً

بِلا نارٍ تَشُبُّ وَلا ضِرامِ

بِلا نارٍ تَشُبُّ وَلا ضِرامِ

And we shall never leave the fray

And we will not one day leave the fight

without a blazing fire or raging flame.

Without a fire flaming and burning

فَإِمّا العَيشُ في ظِلِّ المَعالي

فَإِمّا العَيشُ في ظِلِّ المَعالي

وَإِمّا المَوتُ في ظلّ القَتامِ

وَإِمّا المَوتُ في ظلّ القَتامِ

Either life in the shade of lofty honor,

Either we live in the shadow of glory

or death in the shadow of battle-dust.

Or we die in the shadow of darkness

هِيَ الأَوطان إِن ضاعَت رَضينا

هِيَ الأَوطان إِن ضاعَت رَضينا

مِن الآمال بِالمَوت الزُؤامِ

مِن الآمال بِالمَوت الزُؤامِ

They are our homelands; if lost, we shall be content

The homelands - if lost we would accept

with swift, terrible death in place of hopes.

Death from sorrows as solace

فَهل جاءَ البويرَ حَديثُ قَومي

فَهل جاءَ البويرَ حَديثُ قَومي

وَما قَومي بشيءٍ في الخِصامِ

وَما قَومي بشيءٍ في الخِصامِ

Has word of my people reached the Boers?

Has the message of my people reached the British?

And my people count for nothing in the struggle.

My people have no dispute or quarrel

لنعم القَومُ ما أَوفوا بَعَهدٍ

لنعم القَومُ ما أَوفوا بَعَهدٍ

لِأَوطانٍ شَقِينَ وَلا ذِمامِ

لِأَوطانٍ شَقِينَ وَلا ذِمامِ

Fine people indeed! They have kept no pledge

O excellent people true to every covenant

to suffering homelands, nor any bond of duty.

To troubled homelands, no blame on them

وَلا اِعتصموا بحبل الجِدّ يَوماً

وَلا اِعتصموا بحبل الجِدّ يَوماً

وَلا لاذوا بِأَكناف الوئامِ

وَلا لاذوا بِأَكناف الوئامِ

Nor have they ever grasped the cord of earnest effort,

Never clinging to the rope of righteousness

nor sought refuge in concord's shelter.

Or seeking refuge in bonds of harmony

فوا أَسفي عَلى وَطَن كَريمٍ

فوا أَسفي عَلى وَطَن كَريمٍ

غَدا ما بَيننا غَرَضَ السِهامِ

غَدا ما بَيننا غَرَضَ السِهامِ

Alas, my grief for a noble homeland

Alas for a generous homeland

that has become, in our midst, a target for arrows,

That has become between us the target of arrows

وَنَحنُ على توجّعه سُكوتٌ

وَنَحنُ على توجّعه سُكوتٌ

كَأَنّا بَعضُ سكان الرجام

كَأَنّا بَعضُ سكان الرجام

while we remain silent at its cries of pain,

While we face its torment in silence

as though we were among the dwellers of grave-cairns.

As if we are some inhabitants of graves

رَعى اللَه البوير بِحَيث كانوا

رَعى اللَه البوير بِحَيث كانوا

وَجاد دِيارهم صَوبُ الغَمامِ

وَجاد دِيارهم صَوبُ الغَمامِ

May God watch over the Boers, wherever they are,

May God protect the British wherever they are

and may the clouds' showers generously water their homes.

And may their lands be far in the clouds