كَذا فَليَكُن مُدرِكٌ لِلفَخارِ

كَذا فَليَكُن مُدرِكٌ لِلفَخارِ

كَذا فَليَكُن مَجدُ حامي الدِيارِ

كَذا فَليَكُن مَجدُ حامي الدِيارِ

Such should be one who attains glory;

So let glory be attained by the protector of pottery

such should be the glory of the guardian of the lands.

So let the glory of the defender of homelands be

فَهَل غايَةٌ فَوقَ عِزٍّ عَتيدٍ

فَهَل غايَةٌ فَوقَ عِزٍّ عَتيدٍ

مَشيدِ القَواعِدِ فَوقَ الدَراري

مَشيدِ القَواعِدِ فَوقَ الدَراري

Is there any height beyond such established glory,

Is there an aim above imminent mighty honor

its foundations raised above the glittering stars?

Whose foundations were built high above the abodes

بَعَثتَ بِها شُزباً ضامراتٍ

بَعَثتَ بِها شُزباً ضامراتٍ

تَرامى بِها الوَخد بَينَ القِفارِ

تَرامى بِها الوَخد بَينَ القِفارِ

You sent the mounts forth, gaunt and lean,

You sent out to it dwindling gray clusters

their swift stride bearing them far across the wastes,

With it the cheeks were tossed between the barrens

عَلى ثِقَةٍ مِن بُلوغِ النَجاحِ

عَلى ثِقَةٍ مِن بُلوغِ النَجاحِ

وَلَم تَضرِبِ التيهَ ضَربَ القِمارِ

وَلَم تَضرِبِ التيهَ ضَربَ القِمارِ

with confidence in attaining success,

With confidence in attaining success

and you did not venture into the trackless waste as a gamble.

And you did not gamble like those who lose their way

فَما عاصِمٌ لِلعدى مَهمَهٌ

فَما عاصِمٌ لِلعدى مَهمَهٌ

وَلا مانِعٌ ثَبَجٌ مِن بِحارِ

وَلا مانِعٌ ثَبَجٌ مِن بِحارِ

For no trackless wilderness shields the foes,

So there is no protector for transgression of purpose

nor is the expanse of any sea a barrier.

Nor any preventer, a persistent one, from the seas

فَقُل لِلأحابيشِ هَذا الصَباحُ

فَقُل لِلأحابيشِ هَذا الصَباحُ

فَما لِلظَلامِ يَدٌ بِالنَهارِ

فَما لِلظَلامِ يَدٌ بِالنَهارِ

So tell the Ahabish: this is the morning;

So say to the darknesses this is the morning

for darkness has no power over daylight.

For darkness has no power during daylight

فَقَد نازَلَتهُم جُنودُ الإِلَهِ

فَقَد نازَلَتهُم جُنودُ الإِلَهِ

وَسُلَّ عَلى بَغيِهِم ذو الفَقارِ

وَسُلَّ عَلى بَغيِهِم ذو الفَقارِ

For God's armies have engaged them in battle,

For God's soldiers have descended upon them

and Dhu al-Fiqar was unsheathed against their aggression.

And Dhu al-Faqar was unleashed upon their aggression

وَقَد وَرَدوا النيلَ ساني المِزاجِ

وَقَد وَرَدوا النيلَ ساني المِزاجِ

مُحيلاً بِماءِ الدِماءِ الجَوارِ

مُحيلاً بِماءِ الدِماءِ الجَوارِ

And they reached the Nile, its waters once clear,

And they came to the Nile, unwell and feverish

now altered by the waters of flowing blood.

Making the nearby streams red with blood

فَكَم عارِضٍ صَبَّ وَبلَ الحُتوفِ

فَكَم عارِضٍ صَبَّ وَبلَ الحُتوفِ

وَللنَقعِ لَيلٌ أَحَمُّ الإِزارِ

وَللنَقعِ لَيلٌ أَحَمُّ الإِزارِ

For many a rain-cloud poured a deluge of death,

So how many onslaughts poured and reached the brink

and the battle-dust's night wore a coal-black mantle.

And for the slain the night has the darkest waist-wrap

إِذا ما تَسامى سَماءَ القَتامِ

إِذا ما تَسامى سَماءَ القَتامِ

فَكَوكَبُهُ كُلُّ ماضي الغِرارِ

فَكَوكَبُهُ كُلُّ ماضي الغِرارِ

Whenever it rose into the sky of murky dust,

When the darkness of war rises high

then every keen-edged sword was its star.

Then its stars are all the fiery meteors

وَإِن مارِدٌ رامَ مِنهُ اِستِراقاً

وَإِن مارِدٌ رامَ مِنهُ اِستِراقاً

يُبادِرهُ مِنهُ رَجمٌ بِنارِ

يُبادِرهُ مِنهُ رَجمٌ بِنارِ

And if a rebellious demon sought to steal a hearing from it,

And if an obstinate one sought to steal from it

a shower of fire from it would strike him at once.

It would pelt him with fiery hail

فَإِن وَرَدوا الحَربَ وِردَ اِختِيارٍ

فَإِن وَرَدوا الحَربَ وِردَ اِختِيارٍ

فَقَد وَرَدوا الحَتفَ وِردَ اِضطِرارِ

فَقَد وَرَدوا الحَتفَ وِردَ اِضطِرارِ

For if they came to war of their own choosing,

So if they come to war by choice

they came to death under compulsion.

They have come to death by necessity

وَأضحَوا سُكارى بِكَأسِ الحُتوفِ

وَأضحَوا سُكارى بِكَأسِ الحُتوفِ

وَلَيسوا سُكارى بِكَأسِ العُقارِ

وَلَيسوا سُكارى بِكَأسِ العُقارِ

And they became drunk on the cup of death,

And they became drunk on the cup of death

not drunk on the cup of wine.

Not drunk on the cup of wine

وَراموا الفِرارَ وَأَنّى النَجا

وَراموا الفِرارَ وَأَنّى النَجا

ةُ مِن قَدَرٍ مُعجِزٍ لِلفِرارِ

ةُ مِن قَدَرٍ مُعجِزٍ لِلفِرارِ

And they sought flight—but how could there be deliverance

And they wanted to flee but how to be saved

from a fate that makes flight impossible?

From a predetermined fate impossible to flee

فَدانَ الجَنوبُ وَهَذا الشَمالُ

فَدانَ الجَنوبُ وَهَذا الشَمالُ

سَتَنظِمُهُ بَعدَهُ في قِطارِ

سَتَنظِمُهُ بَعدَهُ في قِطارِ

So the south has submitted, and this north

So the south has yielded and this north

you will string behind it in a caravan.

Will join it later in convoy

وَقَد كُنتَ أَعثَرتَ جَدَّ الصَليبِ

وَقَد كُنتَ أَعثَرتَ جَدَّ الصَليبِ

سنُعثِرُهُ ضِعفَ ذاكَ العِثارِ

سنُعثِرُهُ ضِعفَ ذاكَ العِثارِ

And you had already made the Cross's fortune stumble;

You had stumbled over the Cross intensely

we shall make it stumble twice as hard.

We will make it stumble double that stumbling

وَهذي الشآمُ وَهَذي العِراقُ

وَهذي الشآمُ وَهَذي العِراقُ

سَتُمسي لَكُم وَهيَ دارُ القَرارِ

سَتُمسي لَكُم وَهيَ دارُ القَرارِ

And here is al-Sham, and here is Iraq—

This Levant and this Iraq

they will become yours, a lasting abode.

Will become yours, the land of settlement

فَما مانِعٌ مِنكَ بُعدُ الدِيارِ

فَما مانِعٌ مِنكَ بُعدُ الدِيارِ

وَلا عاصِمٌ مِنكَ شَحطُ المَزارِ

وَلا عاصِمٌ مِنكَ شَحطُ المَزارِ

For the remoteness of lands is no barrier against you,

So no remoteness of lands prevents you

nor does a far-off destination offer refuge from you.

Nor does deviation from aims give you refuge

وَمَن رامَ كَيدَكَ فَهوَ الغَوِيُّ

وَمَن رامَ كَيدَكَ فَهوَ الغَوِيُّ

خَلا بِأَمانيهِ طَوعَ اِغتِرارِ

خَلا بِأَمانيهِ طَوعَ اِغتِرارِ

And whoever seeks to plot against you is the misguided one,

And whoever schemes against you is the lost one

alone with his wishes, in thrall to delusion.

Wandering in his wishes, deceived

فَأَنتَ حَميدُ القَديمِ الكَريمِ

فَأَنتَ حَميدُ القَديمِ الكَريمِ

حَميدُ الحَديث حَميدُ النِجارِ

حَميدُ الحَديث حَميدُ النِجارِ

For you are praiseworthy in your noble past,

You are the Praiseworthy, the Ancient, the Noble

praiseworthy in your present, praiseworthy in your lineage.

The Praiseworthy of the present, the Praiseworthy Carpenter

فَقَد آنَ لِلحَقِّ أَن يَستَبينَ

فَقَد آنَ لِلحَقِّ أَن يَستَبينَ

وَيَخلُصَ بَدرُ الهُدى مِن سِرارِ

وَيَخلُصَ بَدرُ الهُدى مِن سِرارِ

For the time has come for truth to become clear,

So it is time for truth to become clear

and for guidance's full moon to emerge from its dark phase,

And the full moon of guidance to emerge from obscurity

وَيُنجَزَ وَعدُ النَبِيِّ الكَريمِ

وَيُنجَزَ وَعدُ النَبِيِّ الكَريمِ

فَذا العَصرُ زَندٌ لِهَذا السِوارِ

فَذا العَصرُ زَندٌ لِهَذا السِوارِ

and for the noble Prophet's promise to be fulfilled;

And the promise of the generous Prophet fulfilled

for this age is a wrist for this bracelet.

For this is the age, a bracelet for that wrist

فَدُم وَلَكَ المَجدُ في الأَوجِ بادٍ

فَدُم وَلَكَ المَجدُ في الأَوجِ بادٍ

وَفي فَلَكِ العِزِّ سامي المدارِ

وَفي فَلَكِ العِزِّ سامي المدارِ

So endure, with glory shining for you at the zenith,

So bloodshed and for you is glory at its peak

and lofty in its orbit in the sphere of might.

And in the orbit of honor, lofty in revolution