1. اقطعوها وانبذوا من قد دَعاها

    نعمةً إنّا شبعنا من أَذاهَا

    Cut it down, and cast out whoever has called it

    a blessing; indeed, we have had our fill of its harm.

  2. قد خُدعنا في الذي قالوا لنا

    عنَ جناها بئسَ ما يَجنيِ جَناها

    We have indeed been deceived by what they told us

    of its fruit—wretched is what its fruit yields!

  3. أثرٌ أحيا قروناً سلفت

    وأماتَ العصر في بغىٍ تناهي

    A relic revived centuries long past

    and killed the present age in tyranny carried to extremes.

  4. قلت أحيا ليته الحلم الذي

    كان أحيا الأمس إصلاحاً وجاهَا

    I said 'revived'—would that it were the dream that

    had brought yesterday to life with reform and honor.

  5. إنّما أحيا شروراً سلفت

    زوّقوها كي يعُّدوه إلهاً

    It only revived evils of old;

    they embellished them so they might deem it a god.

  6. خدعونا حقبةَ واستسهلوا

    أن يُضُّلوا الشعبَ في الذلِ فتاها

    They deceived us for a time and thought it easy

    to lead the people astray in humiliation, so they lost their way.

  7. كم تَغنيَّناً بحبٍ صادق

    فرأينا من هوى فيمن تباهَى

    How often we sang of sincere love,

    then we saw who had fallen among those who boasted.

  8. وأضَعنا جمَّ نأميلٍ لنا

    كان نُبلاً فغدا منا سفاهَا

    And we squandered our great store of hope;

    it had been noble, but became folly on our part.

  9. سلطةُ الشعبش هي الأم التي

    أنمت الأحرارَ لا دَعوى سواهَا

    The people's sovereignty is the mother that

    nurtured the free—not any other claim.