ما خَصَّ مِصراً وَبَأٌ وَحدَها

ما خَصَّ مِصراً وَبَأٌ وَحدَها

بَل كائِنٌ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ وَبَأ

بَل كائِنٌ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ وَبَأ

Plague has not singled out Egypt alone;

Not only has disaster befallen Egypt alone,

Rather, in every land there is a plague.

But misfortune exists in every land.

أَنبَأَنا اللُبُّ بِلُقيا الرَدى

أَنبَأَنا اللُبُّ بِلُقيا الرَدى

فَالغَوثُ مِن صِحَّةِ ذاكَ النَبَأ

فَالغَوثُ مِن صِحَّةِ ذاكَ النَبَأ

Reason has told us of our encounter with death—

The hyenas informed us of the discarded corpses -

Help, then, against the truth of that report!

So salvation lies in the truth of that news.

هَل فارِسٌ وَالرومُ وَالتُركُ أَو

هَل فارِسٌ وَالرومُ وَالتُركُ أَو

رَبيعَةٌ أَو مُضَرٌّ أَو سَبَأ

رَبيعَةٌ أَو مُضَرٌّ أَو سَبَأ

Are Persia and the Romans and the Turks, or

Are the Persians, Romans, and Turks,

Rabiʿah or Muḍar or Sabaʾ,

Or Rabia, Mudar, and Saba,

ناجِيَةٌ في عِزِّ أَملاكِها

ناجِيَةٌ في عِزِّ أَملاكِها

أَن يُظهِرَ الدَهرُ لَها ما خَبَأ

أَن يُظهِرَ الدَهرُ لَها ما خَبَأ

safe in the might of their kings

Safe in the peak of their kingdoms,

from Time revealing to them what it has hidden?

That fate will reveal to them what it has concealed?

وَمِن سَجايا نَبلِهِ أَنَّها

وَمِن سَجايا نَبلِهِ أَنَّها

كُلُّ قَتيلٍ قَتَلَت لَم يُبَأ

كُلُّ قَتيلٍ قَتَلَت لَم يُبَأ

And among the traits of its arrows is this:

And of the wonders of its nobility,

Every victim they have slain goes unavenged.

Every warrior it killed was not mourned.

إِن سارَ أَو حَلَّ الفَتى لَم يَزَل

إِن سارَ أَو حَلَّ الفَتى لَم يَزَل

يَلحَظُهُ المِقدارُ بِالمَرتَبَأ

يَلحَظُهُ المِقدارُ بِالمَرتَبَأ

Whether a young man journeys or stays, he is always

Whether the gallant departs or settles,

watched by Fate from the lookout post.

Destiny continues to watch him in ambush.