1. ايهِ فردون إننا منُصتونا

    حدثينا عما جرى حدثينا

    Speak on, Verdun—we are listening.

    Tell us what happened; tell us.

  2. طبق الارضَ ذكرُ مجدكِ حتى

    رددته املاك عليينا

    The tale of your glory covered the earth, until

    the angels of the highest heavens echoed it.

  3. ذكر مجدٍ في الخافقين صداهُ

    رنّ والدنيا تستعيدُ الرنينا

    A tale of glory whose echo through East and West

    rang out, while the world repeated its ringing.

  4. نشرته الصبا فأنشأ في النا

    س ارتياحاً وصبوةً وحنينا

    The east wind spread it and stirred in the people

    delight, ardor, and longing.

  5. ذكرُ مجدٍ من طيهِ يعبق النش

    ر فيزري بالمسك من دارينا

    A tale of glory, from whose folds wafts

    a fragrance that puts musk from Darin to shame.

  6. ذكرُ مجدٍ ما دار في في الفم إلا

    كبَّر السامعون والذاكرونا

    A tale of glory that no mouth ever uttered without

    listeners and tellers crying, 'God is great!'

  7. كبَّروا كلهم جهاراً وصاحوا

    هكذا المجد ينبغي أن يكونا

    They all cried 'God is great!' aloud and shouted:

    'Thus should glory be!'

  8. فتش الباحثون في المجد تاريخ

    المعالي يستنطقون القرونا

    Researchers into glory searched the history

    of noble deeds, summoning the centuries to speak.

  9. فرأوا فيه أن مجدكِ هذا

    لم يدون له الرواة قرينا

    And found in it that this glory of yours

    had no equal recorded by the chroniclers.

  10. وصفه يعجز البليغ ويلقي ال

    روعَ في قلب ابرعِ الكاتبينا

    Describing it defeats the eloquent and casts

    awe into the heart of the most gifted writers.

  11. نتملَّى جماله ما بقينا

    وتذكرنا يومكِ الميمونا

    We savor its beauty for as long as we live.

    And we remembered your auspicious day.

  12. ذلك اليوم سوف يحفظ عيداً

    لخلاص الدنيا من الظالمينا

    That day shall be kept as a festival

    for the world's deliverance from oppressors.

  13. فيه أبطالكِ الحماة الصناديد

    انبروا للدفاع مستبسلينا

    On that day, your heroes, the stalwart defenders,

    rose to the defense, fighting fearlessly.

  14. لم يخصُّوا دفاعهم بكِ بل هم

    دافعوا عن حرية العالمينا

    They did not confine their defense to you; rather,

    they defended the freedom of all peoples.

  15. وقفوا للغزاة وقفة آسا

    دٍ امام العرين تحمي العرينا

    They faced the invaders with the stance

    of lions before their den, guarding the den.

  16. في وجُوهِ الالمان من بدءِ هذي ال

    حربِ فردونُ قمت سداً متينا

    Facing the Germans, from the outset of this

    war, Verdun, you rose as a solid barrier.

  17. بكِ شلت في وقعة المرن يس

    راهم فلم تقوَ أن تمدَّ اليمينا

    You paralyzed their left hand at the battle of the Marne,

    so it could not stretch out the right.

  18. حلتِ دون امتداها وعليها

    رُغت ضرباً حتى قطعتِ الوتينا

    You barred its extension, and upon it

    you turned with blows until you severed its aorta.

  19. وابنُ غليومَ بالتحرك أغرا

    ها ومنها لم يلق الا سكونا

    And Wilhelm's son urged it to move,

    but met with nothing from it but stillness.

  20. هكذا كان ذلك اليوم والالما

    نُ ولوا في المرن منهزمينا

    Such was that day, and the Germans

    turned back defeated at the Marne.

  21. كُسروا كسرةً تردى وليُّ ال

    عهد فيها خزياً وعاراً وهونا

    They suffered a rout that clothed the crown

    prince in disgrace, shame, and humiliation.

  22. كنت مِدعاةَ ما تعنَّاهُ يوم ال

    مرن اذ هجت في حشاه الشجونا

    You were the cause of what he suffered on the day of the

    Marne, when you stirred sorrows in his breast.

  23. وعليكِ استشاط والغلُّ فيهِ

    ظلَّ من ذاك الحين يغلي دفينا

    He raged against you, and the rancor within him

    kept seething, buried deep, from that time on.

  24. ولإِدراك ثأره منك أنضى

    عزمهُ حالفاً عليهِ يمينا

    And to exact his vengeance on you, he unsheathed

    his resolve, swearing an oath to fulfill it.

  25. ومضى في استعداده مستجيشاً

    من ألوف المجربين مئينا

    He pressed on with his preparations, mustering

    hundreds of thousands of seasoned men.

  26. وقضى فيهِ نحو عشرين شهراً

    مستثيراً عليكِ حرباً زبونا

    He spent about twenty months on it,

    stirring up a fierce war against you.

  27. لم يفرط في ما رآه كفيلاً

    أن يكون انتصارهُ مضمونا

    He neglected nothing he deemed capable

    of making his victory certain.

  28. وإذ استوفى ما أراد وألفى

    كلّ شيءٍ بامرهِ مرهونا

    And when he had achieved all he wanted and found

    everything subject to his command,

  29. أصدر الامر بالهجوم فرجت

    حولكِ الارض من خطى الهاجمينا

    he gave the order to attack, and the earth shook

    around you beneath the attackers' footsteps.

  30. وعليكِ الجيوش كالسيل طموا

    فيلقاً تلو فيلقٍ زاحفينا

    And the armies surged upon you like a flood,

    advancing, corps after corps.

  31. ومن الشرق والشمال تصدوا

    لكِ مستقتلين يقتحمونا

    From east and north they came at

    you, ready to fight to the death, storming forward.

  32. وتنزوا على قلاع ضواحيك

    انقضاض القضاءِ ينقضونا

    They leapt upon your outlying fortresses,

    swooping down like doom itself.

  33. ما حمتكِ الحصونُ بل حامياتٍ

    ناضلت عنك وهي تحمي الحصونا

    It was not the fortresses that protected you, but garrisons

    that fought for you while protecting the fortresses.

  34. هم تباروا في الذود عنك مشاةً

    يسبقون الركبان والطائرينا

    They vied in defending you, men on foot

    outpacing riders and fliers.

  35. وتجاروا اليهِ يستسهلون ال

    صعب فيهِ بل يزدرون المنونا

    They raced toward it, deeming

    its hardships easy—indeed, scorning death.

  36. وتواصوا أن يثبتوا ويصدوا

    عن صياصيك كرة الهاجمينا

    They urged one another to stand firm and repel

    the attackers' assault from your strongholds.

  37. وتفانوا فيهِ وهم غير موتٍ

    في سبيل الدفاع لا يبتغونا

    They sacrificed themselves for it; nothing but death

    in the cause of defense did they seek.

  38. باذلين الحياة طوعاً لكي يب

    قى حماكِ العزيز حراً مصونا

    Willingly offering their lives, so that

    your cherished domain might remain free and protected.

  39. وتجافوا عن راحةٍ ورفاهٍ

    بهما كانوا قبلُ مستمتعينا

    They forsook comfort and ease,

    both of which they had enjoyed before.

  40. وأَعدوا عزماً يفلُّ شبا الا

    غازين بل يفري أضلعُ الدارعينا

    They readied a resolve that blunts the sharp edges of

    invaders—nay, cleaves the ribs of armored men.

  41. ولعينيكِ واصلوا السهُّد حتى

    منعوا النوم أن يزور العيونا

    For your eyes' sake, they kept their sleepless vigil until

    they barred sleep from visiting their eyes.

  42. ولعيني فردون سلوا سيوفاً

    ما أرادت غير الصدور جفونا

    For Verdun's eyes they drew swords

    that desired no sheaths but breasts.

  43. وتلقوا عنك الحديد بضربٍ

    ساحقٍ منهُ قلبهُ أو يلينا

    They met the iron meant for you with a blow

    crushing its heart or making it yield.

  44. لم يرعهم أن العداة عليهم

    هجموا كالبناءِ مرصوصينا

    They were not frightened that their foes

    attacked them, packed tight like a solid building.

  45. مزقوا شملهم وعنكِ على الأع

    قاب ردُّوا جموعهم ناكصينا

    They scattered their ranks and, away from you,

    drove their hosts back on their heels, retreating.

  46. زعموا أن وصل فردون سهل

    فرأوا دونهُ ربىً وحزونا

    They claimed that reaching Verdun was easy,

    but found hills and rugged ground before it.

  47. ما استفادوا من بذلهم نصف ملي

    ونٍ ولو زادوا فوقهم مليونا

    They gained nothing by sacrificing half a million,

    even had they added a million more.

  48. هم شبُّوا عليك ناراً وإِذ أن

    قذتِ منها كانت لهم أتوُّنا

    They kindled a fire against you, but when

    you were saved from it, it became a furnace for them.

  49. وابتغوا نهلة انتصار فباؤُوا

    يجرعون الزقوم والغسلينا

    They sought a draught of victory, but returned

    gulping down zaqqum and ghislin.

  50. ورأوا أنهم بقيا فردريكٍ

    وحاموكِ رهط نابليونا

    They deemed themselves Frederick's surviving stock,

    and your defenders Napoleon's band.