ألاtake heed فاذكرواthen remember منamong قومناour people كُلّevery مِقدامِbold champion
ألا فاذكروا من قومنا كُلّ مِقدامِ
ففيfor in هذهthis الذكرىremembrance حياةٌlife لأقوامِfor peoples
ففي هذه الذكرى حياةٌ لأقوامِ
Take heed, then remember every bold champion among our people;
Remember all the valiant ones of our people
For in this remembrance lies life for peoples.
In this remembrance there is life for generations
وماand not النّاسُhumankind إلاexcept الخالدونthose who endure علىdespite البِلىَdecay
وما النّاسُ إلا الخالدون على البِلىَ
وصَرفِand the vicissitudes of اللياليthe nights منamong هُداةٍguides وأعلامِand luminaries
وصَرفِ الليالي من هُداةٍ وأعلامِ
And none are truly men but those who live on despite decay
People live on only through those who survive ruin
And the turns of night—guides and luminaries.
And the passage of nights by guides and symbols
حقائقُrealities ماwhat فيin الدّهرِtime منof كلِّevery قائمٍexisting thing
حقائقُ ما في الدّهرِ من كلِّ قائمٍ
وَجُلُّand most of البراياhumankind منof فضولٍsuperfluities وأوهامِand illusions
وَجُلُّ البرايا من فضولٍ وأوهامِ
They are the realities of all that exists in time,
The realities in life are but the living
And most of humankind are mere superfluities and illusions.
The rest are illusions and fantasies
همُthey ثروةُwealth الأجيالِthe generations لولاهمُwere it not for them انْطَوتْwould be enfolded
همُ ثروةُ الأجيالِ لولاهمُ انْطَوتْ
علىin فاقةٍwant ماnot تُستطاعُcan be borne وإعدامِand destitution
على فاقةٍ ما تُستطاعُ وإعدامِ
They are the wealth of generations; without them, these would be enfolded
They are the wealth of generations without them
In unbearable want and destitution.
Is only poverty beyond all means
إذاif المرءُa man لمnot يَعملْworks لمِاfor what بعدafter يَومهِhis day
إذا المرءُ لم يَعملْ لمِا بعد يَومهِ
طَوَىfolded away كلُّevery حيٍّliving person ذكرَهُhis memory بعدafter أيّامِdays
طَوَى كلُّ حيٍّ ذكرَهُ بعد أيّامِ
If a man does not work for what lies beyond his day,
When a person works not for after his day
Every living soul folds away his memory after days have passed.
Every living thing buries his memory after some days
سلامٌpeace علىupon الحيِّthe living one المقيمِthe abiding one وإنand even though طوىspent
سلامٌ على الحيِّ المقيمِ وإن طوى
إلىto المنزلِthe abode الأقصىthe farthest ثلاثةَthree أعوامِyears
إلى المنزلِ الأقصى ثلاثةَ أعوامِ
Peace upon the living, abiding one, though he has spent
Peace be upon the resident one though he has folded
Three years in the farthest abode.
To the farthest house three years
علىupon الكوكبِthe star الطَّافيafloat علىupon لُجَّةِthe deep sea of الرَّدىdeath
على الكوكبِ الطَّافي على لُجَّةِ الرَّدى
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle طوىengulfed الأقمارَthe moons طُوفانُهُits deluge الطّاميsurging
إذا ما طوى الأقمارَ طُوفانُهُ الطّامي
Upon the star afloat on the deep sea of death,
On the orbiting planet in the abyss of misery
When its surging deluge has engulfed the moons.
When the fateful moons fold their overflowing tide
علىupon القَدَرِdestiny المُوفيbringing سلاماًpeace ورحمةًand mercy
على القَدَرِ المُوفي سلاماً ورحمةً
علىupon كلّevery شعبٍpeople ذيhaving هُمومٍcares وآلامِand pains
على كلّ شعبٍ ذي هُمومٍ وآلامِ
Upon the destiny that brings peace and mercy
Peace and mercy be upon the destined
On every people burdened with cares and pains.
And every nation with worries and pain
خليفةُsuccessor أَهْدَىbest-guided قادةِleaders النّيلِthe Nile خُطَّةًstrategy
خليفةُ أَهْدَى قادةِ النّيلِ خُطَّةً
وأَبْسَلهمand their bravest إنif صيحَa call is raised بالذّائدِto the defender الحاميthe protecting one
وأَبْسَلهم إن صيحَ بالذّائدِ الحامي
Successor to the wisest of the Nile’s leaders in strategy,
Khalifa guided the leaders of the Nile
And their bravest when the protecting defender is called upon,
And emboldened them when danger called
وأثبتِهمand their most steadfast فيin الحادثِthe calamity النُّكرِdreadful موقفاًstance
وأثبتِهم في الحادثِ النُّكرِ موقفاً
وأَنْفذِهمand their most penetrating سَهْماًan arrow إذاwhen أخطأmisses الراميthe archer
وأَنْفذِهم سَهْماً إذا أخطأ الرامي
And their firmest in stance amid dreadful calamity,
He steadied them in times of adversity
And the one whose arrow pierces deepest when the archer misses.
And supported them when the archer missed
يُجانبُshuns ساريnight-wanderer الرُّعبِterror ساحةcourtyard قلبهِhis heart
يُجانبُ ساري الرُّعبِ ساحة قلبهِ
إذاwhen هَمَّresolves يَلْقَىmeets الخطبَcalamity بالمنكبِwith the shoulder الساميlofty
إذا هَمَّ يَلْقَى الخطبَ بالمنكبِ السامي
Fear’s night-wanderer shuns the courtyard of his heart;
He keeps the flag of dread off his heart
When he resolves, he meets calamity with his shoulder held high.
When he intends to take on the sublime task
يَرىhe sees شرَّthe worst of ماwhat تَلْقَىsuffers البلادُthe land منof الأذىharm
يَرى شرَّ ما تَلْقَى البلادُ من الأذى
وُقوفَstanding بنيهاher sons بينbetween يأسٍdespair وإحجامِand shrinking back
وُقوفَ بنيها بين يأسٍ وإحجامِ
He sees the worst harm that befalls the land
He sees the terrible harms that befell the country
In her sons’ standing between despair and shrinking back.
And its people torn between despair and reluctance
رَسولُmessenger حياةٍlife للشُّعوبِto the peoples ويقظةٍand awakening
رَسولُ حياةٍ للشُّعوبِ ويقظةٍ
يُهيبُcalls upon بقومٍupon a people فيin الكنانةِal-Kinana (Egypt; the Quiver) نُوَّامِsleeping
يُهيبُ بقومٍ في الكنانةِ نُوَّامِ
A messenger of life and awakening to the peoples,
A messenger of life for nations and a wake-up call
He calls upon a sleeping people in al-Kinana.
To a dormant tribe steeped in coziness
فماso not زالَceased حتَّىuntil ريعَwas terrified منby وَثَباتِهاher leaps
فما زالَ حتَّى ريعَ من وَثَباتِها
علىdespite بأسهِhis might الرِّئبالُthe lion ذوpossessing المخلبthe claw الدّاميbloodstained
على بأسهِ الرِّئبالُ ذو المخلب الدّامي
So he persisted until her leaps struck terror
He kept at them until their leaps
Into the lion with the bloodstained claw, for all his might.
Repelled the grizzly claw-handed beast
Sol 6.1