الفتنة الكبرى تطلّ قرونها

الفتنة الكبرى تطلّ قرونها

أم دير ياسين أعيد جنونها

أم دير ياسين أعيد جنونها

The Great Sedition bares its horns—

Does the great strife rear its horns,

or has Deir Yassin’s madness been unleashed anew?

Or has Deir Yassin's madness been revived?

يا وصمة الإنسان من وحشيّة

يا وصمة الإنسان من وحشيّة

أقسى الوحوش لها تراع عيونها

أقسى الوحوش لها تراع عيونها

O stain upon humanity, born of a savagery

What a stain upon humankind—such savagery,

before which even the fiercest beasts’ eyes recoil!

At which even the fiercest beasts' eyes recoil in terror!

صفر الخراب لها بفرحة فاجر

صفر الخراب لها بفرحة فاجر

وإذا الدماء شرابها ومجونها

وإذا الدماء شرابها ومجونها

Destruction whistled for it with a sinner’s delight,

Ruin whistled for it with a profligate's glee;

and behold, blood is its drink and its addiction.

And behold, blood is its drink and its debauchery.

العصبة الأنذال لم يتورّعوا

العصبة الأنذال لم يتورّعوا

عن كل ما لطخ الوغى ويشنيها

عن كل ما لطخ الوغى ويشنيها

That gang of vile men did not scruple

The gang, those vile men, did not shrink

at anything that stains warfare and disgraces it.

From anything that stains warfare and disgraces it.

باسم العدالة والحقوق تشدّقوا

باسم العدالة والحقوق تشدّقوا

وكأنما حامي الحقوق خؤونها

وكأنما حامي الحقوق خؤونها

In the name of justice and rights they blustered,

In the name of justice and rights they blustered,

as though the defender of rights were their betrayer.

As though the guardian of rights were their arch-betrayer.

وبكل مذبحة لهم تهليلة

وبكل مذبحة لهم تهليلة

وبكل مجزرة يعيد دونها

وبكل مجزرة يعيد دونها

At every massacre they have a jubilant cry,

And at every massacre they have a cheer,

and beside every slaughter they celebrate a feast.

And at every slaughter he repeats that cry before it [wording unclear].

ويمثلون من المهازل للورى

ويمثلون من المهازل للورى

صور المىسي القارحات جفونها

صور المىسي القارحات جفونها

Before mankind they stage such farces—

And they stage for humankind, as farce,

images of the offender that ulcerate the eyelids.

Scenes of tragedies that leave their eyelids raw.

كبش الفداء همو وأما من بغوا

كبش الفداء همو وأما من بغوا

وعدوا عليهم فالوغى وأتونها

وعدوا عليهم فالوغى وأتونها

They themselves are the scapegoat; but those they wronged

They are the scapegoat; but those they oppressed

and attacked are cast as the war and its furnace.

And assaulted face war and its furnace.

جعلوا المروّع جانيا بل صوروا

جعلوا المروّع جانيا بل صوروا

جثث الضحايا في الحقول تخونها

جثث الضحايا في الحقول تخونها

They made honor itself the culprit—indeed, they portrayed

They made the terrorized man a criminal; indeed, they portrayed

the victims’ corpses in the fields as betraying it.

The victims' corpses in the fields as betraying those fields.

كانت لقوم في أمان بيوتهم

كانت لقوم في أمان بيوتهم

ناموا فأين بيوتها وسكونها

ناموا فأين بيوتها وسكونها

They belonged to a people secure in their homes;

They had belonged to people who, safe within their homes,

they slept—where now are their homes and their peace?

Slept—where now are their homes and their peace?

ذهبت بهم وبحلمهم وتبعثرت

ذهبت بهم وبحلمهم وتبعثرت

اشلاؤهم ودماؤهم وحنينها

اشلاؤهم ودماؤهم وحنينها

It swept them and their dreams away, scattering

They vanished with them and their dream; scattered lay

their severed limbs, their blood, and their longings.

Their torn limbs, their blood, and its yearning.

الله في الباغي وعندي تستوي

الله في الباغي وعندي تستوي

كل الفئات وما يسوغ دينها

كل الفئات وما يسوغ دينها

God judge the aggressor! In my sight alike are

God be the aggressor's judge! To me, alike are

all factions, whatever their religion may sanction.

All factions; their religion offers no excuse.

فالبطش ليس له حلال مرّة

فالبطش ليس له حلال مرّة

مهما أحل الموبقات خدينها

مهما أحل الموبقات خدينها

Brutality is never lawful,

For brutality is never lawful,

however much its intimate companion sanctions mortal sins.

However much the companion of deadly sins declares them lawful.

والظلم ليس يحد بين خطوبه

والظلم ليس يحد بين خطوبه

من لم يصد خطوبه فمعينها

من لم يصد خطوبه فمعينها

Injustice, amid its assaults, finds

And oppression is not checked amid the woes it brings;

anyone who does not repel them to be its accomplice.

Whoever fails to repel its woes abets them.

إيها بني الأرجاس أية نصفة

إيها بني الأرجاس أية نصفة

ترجونها وشروركم مضمونها

ترجونها وشروركم مضمونها

O sons of filth, what justice

Enough, sons of the vile! What fairness

do you hope for, when your evil is its very substance?

Do you hope for, when your evils are its substance?

كثرت دعاويكم كوفرة خبثكم

كثرت دعاويكم كوفرة خبثكم

والأبرياء طعينها ودفينها

والأبرياء طعينها ودفينها

Your pretenses have multiplied as profusely as your malice,

Your claims are as numerous as your malice is abundant,

while the innocent are those you have stabbed and buried.

And the innocent are their stabbed and buried victims.

من تخدعون وتلك قبية شاهد

من تخدعون وتلك قبية شاهد

والدينميت غريمها وقرينها

والدينميت غريمها وقرينها

Whom do you deceive, when Qibya stands witness

Whom do you deceive, with Qibya standing witness,

and dynamite is both its adversary and companion?

And dynamite its foe and its companion?

هل هيئة الأمم التي قد كفنت

هل هيئة الأمم التي قد كفنت

في المهد أم أسر يمض أنينها

في المهد أم أسر يمض أنينها

Is it the United Nations, already shrouded

Is it the United Nations, already shrouded

in its cradle—or captivity enfolding its groaning?

In its cradle—or families whose groans are agonizing?

أم هل ترى أمم العروبة بعدما

أم هل ترى أمم العروبة بعدما

رزئت بكم وبكم تشل يمينها

رزئت بكم وبكم تشل يمينها

Or do you suppose that the Arab nations, after what befell them,

Or, do you suppose, the nations of Arabdom, after

were stricken by you—and through you their right hand was paralyzed?

They were stricken by you, their right hand paralyzed by you?

أم صادق التاريخ وهو مدون

أم صادق التاريخ وهو مدون

آثامكم إن فاتكم تدوينها

آثامكم إن فاتكم تدوينها

Or truthful history, as it records

Or truthful history, even as it records

your sins, should you yourselves fail to record them?

Your sins, should you fail to record them?

قد كنت أرجو العدل بعد تفاهم

قد كنت أرجو العدل بعد تفاهم

فإذا العدالة تستباح حصونها

فإذا العدالة تستباح حصونها

I once hoped for justice after an accord,

I had hoped for justice after mutual understanding;

but now justice finds its strongholds violated.

But behold, justice's fortresses are overrun.

وإذا القذائف وحدها قد أصبحت

وإذا القذائف وحدها قد أصبحت

لسن العدالة إن يصخ مفتونها

لسن العدالة إن يصخ مفتونها

And behold, shells alone have now become

And behold, shells alone have become

the tongues of justice, if its devotee will heed them.

The tongues of justice—if its spellbound admirer will listen.

أواه من دول العروبة كلها

أواه من دول العروبة كلها

خابت وضاع أسودها وعرينها

خابت وضاع أسودها وعرينها

Alas for all the states of the Arab world!

Alas for all the states of Arabdom!

They have failed; their lions and their lair are lost.

They have failed; their lions and their lair are lost.

هيهات تنهض والثعالي فوقها

هيهات تنهض والثعالي فوقها

يتحكمون وما تعد طنينها

يتحكمون وما تعد طنينها

Never shall they rise while foxes above them

They cannot rise, while foxes above them

hold sway, and their voice amounts to no more than a buzz.

Rule at will, and the states do no more than buzz.

صهيون ليس بمحض خصم واحد

صهيون ليس بمحض خصم واحد

فبكل باطن دولة صهيونها

فبكل باطن دولة صهيونها

Zion is not merely a single adversary:

Zion is not merely a single foe;

within every state lurks a Zion of its own.

For within every state is its own Zion.

من ذا ألوم إذا الجناة أقارب

من ذا ألوم إذا الجناة أقارب

وأباعد وإذا اللصوص زبونها

وأباعد وإذا اللصوص زبونها

Whom, then, shall I blame, when the perpetrators are kin

Whom should I blame, when the culprits are kinsmen

and strangers alike, and the thieves are its clientele?

And strangers, and thieves are its clients?

وإذا الدم الغالي يذال ولم تثر

وإذا الدم الغالي يذال ولم تثر

همم وفي وقف الجيوش سجونها

همم وفي وقف الجيوش سجونها

When precious blood is debased and no aspirations are stirred,

And when precious blood is debased, yet there is no stirring

while the armies’ bonds are their prisons?

Of resolve, while holding back the armies is their imprisonment?

أبطال قبية أنتمو وكفاكمو

أبطال قبية أنتمو وكفاكمو

فخرا بتدمير لكم تمدينها

فخرا بتدمير لكم تمدينها

Heroes of Qibya—that is what you are; let it suffice you

You are Qibya's heroes; let this suffice you

as glory that its civilization was destroyed at your hands.

For glory: 'civilizing' it through destruction of your making.

من كان في ريب إزاء حضارة

من كان في ريب إزاء حضارة

شقيت بكم فصنيعكم تأبينها

شقيت بكم فصنيعكم تأبينها

Whoever doubted a civilization

If anyone had doubts about a civilization

afflicted by you—your handiwork is its elegy.

Afflicted by you—your handiwork is its funeral eulogy.

من ذا يصور بد ذلك أنكم

من ذا يصور بد ذلك أنكم

من أمة بالغار خص جبينها

من أمة بالغار خص جبينها

Who, then, could imagine after that that you belong

Who could imagine, after that, that you

to a nation whose brow was singled out for laurels?

Belong to a nation whose brow was graced with laurel?

إن التسامح بعد ذاك جريمة

إن التسامح بعد ذاك جريمة

يا ضيعة الإنسان حين يزينها

يا ضيعة الإنسان حين يزينها

After that, tolerance is a crime—

Tolerance after that is a crime;

alas for humanity when it adorns that crime!

Alas for humankind when it adorns that crime!