عِيدُ الفِداءِ جَرَى باليُمنِ طائِرُهُ

عِيدُ الفِداءِ جَرَى باليُمنِ طائِرُهُ

وَجدَّدتْ نَضرةَ الوادي بَشائِرُهُ

وَجدَّدتْ نَضرةَ الوادي بَشائِرُهُ

The Feast of Sacrifice—its bird has sped with good fortune,

The feast of redemption came with good omen,

And its glad tidings renewed the valley's freshness.

And renewed the valley's vitality with its tidings.

إنْ آثرَ الصَّمتَ يُغريهِ الوَقارُ بهِ

إنْ آثرَ الصَّمتَ يُغريهِ الوَقارُ بهِ

ضَجَّتْ بِمكتومِ ما تُخْفِي سرَائرُهُ

ضَجَّتْ بِمكتومِ ما تُخْفِي سرَائرُهُ

If it chooses silence, lured to it by dignity,

If he prefers silence, dignity allures him,

Its innermost thoughts cry out with the secrets they conceal.

The hidden secrets of his soul loudly roar.

وإن طَوَى مِن حَديثِ الغَيبِ ما حَمَلْت

وإن طَوَى مِن حَديثِ الغَيبِ ما حَمَلْت

صُحفُ الزّمانِ طَوَى الآفاقَ نَاشِرُهُ

صُحفُ الزّمانِ طَوَى الآفاقَ نَاشِرُهُ

And if it folds away the unseen tidings borne

And if he surpassed narrating the unseen's talks

By time's scrolls, its herald traverses the horizons.

That time's scriptures conveyed, its horizons spread them.

تِلكَ البَوادرُ لاحتْ غيرَ كاذبةٍ

تِلكَ البَوادرُ لاحتْ غيرَ كاذبةٍ

ما أَسرعَ الأمرَ إن لاحتْ بَوادرُهُ

ما أَسرعَ الأمرَ إن لاحتْ بَوادرُهُ

Those first signs appeared, no false portents;

Those signs shone, they were not deceiving,

How swiftly the matter unfolds when its first signs appear!

How soon the matter progresses when its signs appear.

الشَّرقُ يَنهضُ والإسلامُ مُنتفِضٌ

الشَّرقُ يَنهضُ والإسلامُ مُنتفِضٌ

يَبغِي المطارَ ويَأبَى الأَسرَ ثَائِرُهُ

يَبغِي المطارَ ويَأبَى الأَسرَ ثَائِرُهُ

The East rises, and Islam is roused;

The East rises, and Islam steps forth,

Its rebel seeks flight and refuses captivity.

Seeking flight and refusing captivity its rebels.

صَاحَ الحُماةُ به فاسْتنفرتْ أُمَمٌ

صَاحَ الحُماةُ به فاسْتنفرتْ أُمَمٌ

دَارَ الزمانُ فَغَالتْها دَوائِرُهُ

دَارَ الزمانُ فَغَالتْها دَوائِرُهُ

The defenders cried out to it, and nations rallied;

The protectors called for it, so nations were alerted,

Time had turned, and its reversals had laid them low.

Time circled around, so its spheres revolved.

نَامتْ عنِ الأمرِ حتّى ضَاعَ أكثرُهُ

نَامتْ عنِ الأمرِ حتّى ضَاعَ أكثرُهُ

والدّهرُ مُستوفِرُ الحِدثانِ ساهرُهُ

والدّهرُ مُستوفِرُ الحِدثانِ ساهرُهُ

They slept, heedless of the matter, until most of it was lost,

They slept about the matter until most of it was lost,

While time, full of calamities, kept its vigil.

And time is sleepless though rich with events.

حِينٌ من الدّهرِ ما ساءت أوائلُه

حِينٌ من الدّهرِ ما ساءت أوائلُه

إلا لِتَزْدَانَ بِالحُسنَى أَواخِرُهُ

إلا لِتَزْدَانَ بِالحُسنَى أَواخِرُهُ

A span of time—its beginnings were never bleak

An era whose beginnings were ill,

Except so that its endings might be graced with good.

Except to adorn its ends with goodness.

جَدُّ الممالكِ ما استعلت مَطالِعُه

جَدُّ الممالكِ ما استعلت مَطالِعُه

بالنّاهضين وشرُّ الجَدِّ عاثِرُهُ

بالنّاهضين وشرُّ الجَدِّ عاثِرُهُ

Kingdoms' good fortune is that whose dawns rise high

The pillar of kingdoms, whose beginnings rose high,

Through those who rise; the worst fortune is that which stumbles.

Is the active ones, and the worst of hardship makes it stumble.

وأصدقُ العزمِ ما لو جاشَ مُصطخِبٌ

وأصدقُ العزمِ ما لو جاشَ مُصطخِبٌ

مِنَ الحوادثِ غَالَتْهُ زَواخِرُهُ

مِنَ الحوادثِ غَالَتْهُ زَواخِرُهُ

And the truest resolve is that which, should there swell a roaring tide

The truest determination sees turmoil billowing,

Of calamities, would overwhelm it with its own floods.

Yet its conclusion makes it pass through.

جاب الجِواءَ ونال النَّجمَ مُنصلِتٌ

جاب الجِواءَ ونال النَّجمَ مُنصلِتٌ

أعيا العُقابَ ورَاعَ النَّسْرَ كاسِرُهُ

أعيا العُقابَ ورَاعَ النَّسْرَ كاسِرُهُ

A swift one crossed the open expanse and reached the star;

It charged the atmosphere and reached for the star its climber,

Its swooping raptor outmatched the eagle and terrified the vulture.

It tired the eagle and startled the eagle its breaker.

ظَنُّوا بهِ من ظُنونِ السُّوءِ ما ضحكتْ

ظَنُّوا بهِ من ظُنونِ السُّوءِ ما ضحكتْ

جُنودُهُ منه وَاسْتَحيتْ بَوادِرُهُ

جُنودُهُ منه وَاسْتَحيتْ بَوادِرُهُ

They harbored such ill suspicions of it that

They suspected it with evil suspicions, yet

Its armies laughed at them, and its first signs blushed.

Its troops laughed at it and its signs were too shy.

الليثُ مُسْتَجمِعٌ يَبغِي فَريستَهُ

الليثُ مُسْتَجمِعٌ يَبغِي فَريستَهُ

والويلُ للقومِ إن هَمّتْ أظافِرُهُ

والويلُ للقومِ إن هَمّتْ أظافِرُهُ

The lion gathers its strength, seeking its prey;

The lion gathers seeking his prey,

And woe to the people if its claws move to strike!

And woe to the people if his claws become intent.

لَتمنعنَّ دَمَ الإسلامِ مَلحمةٌ

لَتمنعنَّ دَمَ الإسلامِ مَلحمةٌ

يَسيرُ فيها على الأشلاءِ شاعِرُهُ

يَسيرُ فيها على الأشلاءِ شاعِرُهُ

A fierce battle shall surely safeguard the blood of Islam,

An epic will prevent Islam’s blood being shed,

In which its poet walks over severed limbs.

In which its poet walks on the corpses.

واليأسُ إن طرد الإيمانُ رائِدَهُ

واليأسُ إن طرد الإيمانُ رائِدَهُ

لم يَبْقَ للنَّفسِ مِن شيءٍ تُحاذِرُهُ

لم يَبْقَ للنَّفسِ مِن شيءٍ تُحاذِرُهُ

And if faith drives off despair's scout,

And if despair expels belief’s guide,

Nothing remains for the soul to fear.

The soul will have nothing left to be wary of.

ما بِتُّ إلا أظنُّ الصُّبحَ يكشف لي

ما بِتُّ إلا أظنُّ الصُّبحَ يكشف لي

عَن غُرَّةِ الزمن الوضّاحِ سافِرُهُ

عَن غُرَّةِ الزمن الوضّاحِ سافِرُهُ

I never spent a night without thinking dawn would reveal to me

I do not spend the night except thinking the dawn will reveal

The brow of time, whose unveiled face shines bright.

The cheating time’s mask to its itinerant.