نعم الرصاص جزاء خادم شعبه

نعم الرصاص جزاء خادم شعبه

ما دام يوقظ من ونوا عن دأبه

ما دام يوقظ من ونوا عن دأبه

Yes, bullets are the reward for one who serves his people,

The bullets are a fitting end for one who serves his people

So long as he rouses those who have fallen short of his diligence.

As long as he wakes those asleep to their purpose

أحسين سابقك الحسين مماته

أحسين سابقك الحسين مماته

هو قدوة الأبطال لو شغلوا به

هو قدوة الأبطال لو شغلوا به

O Husayn, al-Husayn's death was your forerunner;

You were better than your predecessor Al-Hussein in your death

He is the heroes' model, if only they would attend to him.

He is the exemplar for heroes, had they emulated him

الفاطمي غذيت أنت بنبله

الفاطمي غذيت أنت بنبله

والألمعي شغفت أنت بحبه

والألمعي شغفت أنت بحبه

The Fatimid—by his nobility you were nourished,

Al-Fatimi, you were nourished by his nobility

And the keen-witted one—you were enthralled by love of him.

Al-Alami, you were passionate for his love

ما كان خطب فيك إلا خطبه

ما كان خطب فيك إلا خطبه

طهران ساوت كربلا في كربه

طهران ساوت كربلا في كربه

No calamity befell you that was not his own;

None courted you except his courtship

Tehran matched Karbala in his anguish.

Karbala and Tehran are equal in their calamity

قتلوك رميا بالرصاص ولو دروا

قتلوك رميا بالرصاص ولو دروا

نثروا عليك الورد نثر محبه

نثروا عليك الورد نثر محبه

They killed you with gunfire; had they but known,

They killed you with bullets, had they known

They would have strewn roses upon you as his admirer would.

They would have showered you with roses out of love

يا ابن الشهيد أو الحفيد لمجده

يا ابن الشهيد أو الحفيد لمجده

طوباك هذا الشاه شاه برعبه

طوباك هذا الشاه شاه برعبه

O son of the martyr, or grandson to his glory,

O son of the martyr, or grandson to his glory

Blessed are you! This shah grew hideous in his terror;

Congratulations, this king brings dread by his presence

الشاة أكرم منه في نفع لها

الشاة أكرم منه في نفع لها

وهي الضحية وهو ذلة شعبه

وهي الضحية وهو ذلة شعبه

The sheep is nobler than he for the good it offers;

The sheep is more honorable than him in benefiting it

It is the sacrifice, while he is his people's disgrace.

It is the sacrifice while he is the humiliation of his people

عصر الملوك مضى بكل عيوبه

عصر الملوك مضى بكل عيوبه

فعلام نبقي من يتيه يعيبه

فعلام نبقي من يتيه يعيبه

The age of kings has passed, with all its faults;

The age of kings has passed with all its defects

So why keep one who struts about and brings it shame?

Why do we keep one who goes astray and faults him

هي فترة ستمرّ يخصب مصلحا

هي فترة ستمرّ يخصب مصلحا

دمك الزكي قوى تحن لخصبه

دمك الزكي قوى تحن لخصبه

It is a phase that will pass; fertility and reform are bestowed

It is a period that will pass, ripening a reformer

By your pure blood upon forces yearning for its fertility;

Your pure blood strengthens pining for its fertility

فتثور كالسيل العرمرم صاخبا

فتثور كالسيل العرمرم صاخبا

متمردا لا ينتهي لمصبّه

متمردا لا ينتهي لمصبّه

So they surge like a mighty, roaring torrent,

To revolt like a roaring, noisy flood

Defiant, not ending at its outlet,

Rebellious, not ending at its estuary

حتى تصاب به ديار جمة

حتى تصاب به ديار جمة

يتبختر الطاغوت ثمّ بخبّه

يتبختر الطاغوت ثمّ بخبّه

Until many lands are struck by it,

Until the abodes of the oppressors are hit by it

Where the tyrant struts in his guile;

Then the tyrant gloats before his loss

فيطهر الأرض التي دنست به

فيطهر الأرض التي دنست به

وبحزبه وبنهبه وبسلبه

وبحزبه وبنهبه وبسلبه

Then it cleanses the earth that was defiled by him,

To purify the earth dirtied by him

And by his faction, his plundering, and his looting.

And by his party, pillage and robbery

كم في ربوع الشرق من متجبر

كم في ربوع الشرق من متجبر

ذخرت له الأيام طعنة قلبه

ذخرت له الأيام طعنة قلبه

Many a tyrant in the lands of the East

How many tyrants in the East

Has a stab to his heart stored up by the days!

Whom time has stored a stab to the heart

ما ضاع عمرك في تجاربه سدى

ما ضاع عمرك في تجاربه سدى

يوم الفداء ولا انتهى من رأبه

يوم الفداء ولا انتهى من رأبه

Your life, through its trials, was not spent in vain

Your life was not wasted in its trials

On the day of sacrifice, nor did its work of mending end.

The day of sacrifice did not end from mending it

هيهات ليس الرأي وهما فانيا

هيهات ليس الرأي وهما فانيا

حتى ولو حرقوا بعالم كتبه

حتى ولو حرقوا بعالم كتبه

Far from it! An idea is no transient illusion,

Never, the opinion is not transient fancy

Even if they set the world of its books ablaze.

Even if they burn a world of books

الرأي أخلد من خلود زعيمه

الرأي أخلد من خلود زعيمه

والرأي أعظم من عظائم ربه

والرأي أعظم من عظائم ربه

An idea outlasts its leader's immortality,

The opinion is more immortal than its leader's immortality

And an idea is greater than its master's mighty deeds.

And the opinion is greater than the greatness of its Lord

هيهات ما الحرية الشماء ما

هيهات ما الحرية الشماء ما

يمحى وإن يطغ الغشوم بحربه

يمحى وإن يطغ الغشوم بحربه

Far from it! Lofty freedom is not something

Never, lofty freedom, what

That can be erased, though the ruthless tyrant rages in his war.

Is erased even if the unjust pour out their war

يمضي ولا يمضي الشهيد لحبها

يمضي ولا يمضي الشهيد لحبها

بل يستعاد لقتله أو صلبه

بل يستعاد لقتله أو صلبه

He passes away, but the martyr for love of her does not;

The martyr goes on and does not go on in his love for it

Rather, he is brought back by his killing or crucifixion.

Rather, his killing or crucifixion revive it

هي أم هذي الأرض فاشرب نخبها

هي أم هذي الأرض فاشرب نخبها

أنى هتفنا للشهيد ونخبه

أنى هتفنا للشهيد ونخبه

She is the mother of this earth; so drink a toast to her,

It is the mother of this land, so drink its cream

Wherever we acclaim the martyr and his toast.

Wherever we hailed the martyr and his cream