خلّوا الشام و داميات كلاهما

خلّوا الشام و داميات كلاهما

لا تهتكوا الأستار عن آلامها

لا تهتكوا الأستار عن آلامها

Leave Syria and her bleeding wounds alone [probable reading of the unclear last word].

Leave Damascus and its lands alone

Leave Sham and its bleeding wounds alone,

Do not tear away the veils from her pain.

Do not unveil its pains and sorrows

Do not tear the veils from its pains.

عربيّة الأنساب تطرب للوغى

عربيّة الأنساب تطرب للوغى

 في جاهليّتها و في إسلامها

في جاهليّتها و في إسلامها

Arab in ancestry, she thrills to battle,

Arab in lineage, it revels in battle cry

Of Arab lineage, it delights in battle,

In her pre-Islamic age and in her Islamic age.

Pagan or Muslim, such is its nature

In its pre-Islamic days and in its Islam.

فإذا أراد زمامها ذو قّوّة

فإذا أراد زمامها ذو قّوّة

شمست على الباغي بفضل زمامها

شمست على الباغي بفضل زمامها

If a man of power seeks her reins,

When held tight by a powerful ruler

And if a man of power desires to seize its reins,

She balks at the oppressor, her reins hanging loose.

It rises against the oppressor in its reins

It fiercely rebels against the oppressor, casting off its reins.

عطفت عليه بالسّيوف كأنّها

عطفت عليه بالسّيوف كأنّها

من حزمها صيغت و من إقدامها

من حزمها صيغت و من إقدامها

She turns upon him with swords, as though they

It turns to him with swords as if

It turns upon him with swords, as though they

Were forged from her resolve and her courage.

Molded by its resolve and daring

Were forged from its resolve and its bold courage.

السمر حول قبابها مركوزة

السمر حول قبابها مركوزة

و البيض لامعة بظلّ خيامها

و البيض لامعة بظلّ خيامها

Brown spears stand planted around her domes,

The dark tents clustered around its domes

Brown spears are planted firmly around its domes,

And white swords gleam in the shade of her tents.

The white glistening in the shade of its tents

And white swords gleam in the shadows of its tents.

و لقد أراد بها القويّ تحكّما

و لقد أراد بها القويّ تحكّما

 فتنمّرت أنفا على حكّامها

فتنمّرت أنفا على حكّامها

And indeed the powerful sought to dominate her,

The mighty wished to control it

The mighty one sought to impose his rule upon it,

So she turned tigress, proudly defying her rulers.

Yet it rebelled against its rulers

But out of pride, it bared a leopard's fangs at its rulers.

إن صدّها ذو التاج عن حاجاتها

إن صدّها ذو التاج عن حاجاتها

سألته حاجتها بحدّ حسامها

سألته حاجتها بحدّ حسامها

If the crowned ruler denied her what she needed,

If the crowned pushed away its needs

If the crowned one blocks it from its needs,

She demanded it of him with her keen sword's edge.

It asked with the edge of its swords

It demands its needs with the edge of its blade.

ألغارة الشعواء عيد كماتها

ألغارة الشعواء عيد كماتها

و دم اللطّلى المشبوب كأس مدامها

و دم اللطّلى المشبوب كأس مدامها

The fierce raid is her champions' festival,

The raids of its zealous heroes a feast

The fierce, sweeping raid is the festival of its brave warriors,

And flaming blood from throats is her cup of wine.

The blood of sacrifices fills its cups

And the blazing blood of necks is the cup of its wine.

ورأيتها ظمأى الجوانح للعلى

ورأيتها ظمأى الجوانح للعلى

فعلى الدم المهراق بلّ أوامها

فعلى الدم المهراق بلّ أوامها

And I saw her, her breast thirsty for glory,

I saw it, a thirsty soul seeking glory

And you see it, its heart thirsting for glory,

So quench her burning thirst with spilled blood.

With spilled blood it wets its threshing floors

So upon spilled blood, its burning thirst is quenched.

الروض محتاج لقطر دمائها

الروض محتاج لقطر دمائها

يوم الحميّة لا لقطر غمامها

يوم الحميّة لا لقطر غمامها

The garden needs the rain of her blood,

The garden needs its blood drops

The garden is in need of the drops of its blood,

On the day of ardor, not the rain of her clouds.

Not raindrops on a dry day

On the day of fiery zeal, not the drops of its clouds.

و الحق تبلغه ببأس حماتها

و الحق تبلغه ببأس حماتها

لا باستكانتها و لا استرحامها

لا باستكانتها و لا استرحامها

And she attains her right through her defenders' might,

With the might of its protectors reaches its rights

And right is attained through the valor of its protectors,

Not through her submission, nor her pleas for mercy.

Not by submission or begging

Not by its submission, nor by its begging for mercy.

البأس كلّ البأس كالأشجّ فباهها

البأس كلّ البأس كالأشجّ فباهها

أو كالأعزّ الوائليّ فسامها

أو كالأعزّ الوائليّ فسامها

With valor, all valor, vie with her like al-Ashajj,

Might is all might, like the fierce acacia

Absolute valor is like Al-Ashajj, so boast of it,

Or rival her in greatness like al-A'azz al-Wa'ili.

Or the most prized Arabian horse in its valor

Or like Al-A'azz Al-Wa'ili, so match its heights.

يا ابن الشام و ما نظمت قصائدي

يا ابن الشام و ما نظمت قصائدي

إلاّ لهزّ عراقها و شامها

إلاّ لهزّ عراقها و شامها

O son of Syria, I have not composed my poems

Oh son of Damascus, I composed no poems

O son of Sham, I did not compose my poems

Except to rouse her Iraq and her Syria.

Except to shake its Iraq and Levant lands

Except to shake its Iraq and its Sham.

تشدو الحمائم في الشّام و إنّما

تشدو الحمائم في الشّام و إنّما

أنغام هذا الشعر من أنغامها

أنغام هذا الشعر من أنغامها

Doves sing in Syria; indeed,

The doves sing in Damascus, but

The doves sing in Sham, but indeed,

This poetry's melodies come from their melodies alone.

The melodies of this poetry are its own

The melodies of this poetry are derived from their songs.

الحرّ يؤسر و الحمائم حرّة

الحرّ يؤسر و الحمائم حرّة

يا ليت لي في الشام حظّ حمامها

يا ليت لي في الشام حظّ حمامها

The free man is taken captive, while the doves are free.

The free are imprisoned, the doves are free

The free man is taken captive, while the doves remain free;

If only I had, in Syria, the lot of her doves!

Would that I have the luck of its pigeons

Oh, how I wish I had in Sham the fortune of its doves.

أليوم معركة الحياة فما الذي

أليوم معركة الحياة فما الذي

أعددت من عدد ليوم صدامها

أعددت من عدد ليوم صدامها

Today is the battle of life; so what

Today is the battle of life, so what did I prepare

Today is the battle of life, so what have you

Weapons have you readied for the day of its clash?

Of weapons and armor for its clashes?

Prepared of arms for the day of its clash?

من ليس يمنع حقّه في حربها

من ليس يمنع حقّه في حربها

هيهات يمنع حقّه بسلامها

هيهات يمنع حقّه بسلامها

Whoever does not defend his right in its war

Whoever does not defend his rights in its war

He who does not defend his right in its war,

Can never defend his right in its peace.

Will never gain them through peace

Will never defend his right in its peace.

و إذا تنكّبت الزحام ففترة

و إذا تنكّبت الزحام ففترة

و تخرّ منجدلا غداة زحامها

و تخرّ منجدلا غداة زحامها

And if you avoid the fray, it is but a respite,

If it falters in the fray, it is but respite

And if you shy away from the fray, it is but a brief pause,

And you will fall, laid low, on the morning of its clash.

To charge anew in the throngs on the morrow

Before you fall slain in the dust on the morning of its throng.

للأقوياء شريعة مكتوبة

للأقوياء شريعة مكتوبة

بالسيف شيب حلالها بحرامها

بالسيف شيب حلالها بحرامها

For the strong there is a law written

The mighty have a law written

The strong possess a written law,

By the sword, its lawful mixed with its unlawful.

With swords, making the forbidden as lawful

Where, by the sword, its lawful is mixed with its unlawful.

أمنّول الأمم الضعيفة حقّها

أمنّول الأمم الضعيفة حقّها

و مديلها القهّار من ظلاّمها

و مديلها القهّار من ظلاّمها

O you who grant weak nations their rights,

They stole the rights of weak nations

O Bestower of rights to the weak nations,

And you, the All-Subduing, who give them victory over their oppressors,

As the conqueror extends his injustice

And their conquering Avenger against their oppressors!

فصل الخطاب دنا فأيّد أمّة

فصل الخطاب دنا فأيّد أمّة

لم تبغ إلاّ حقّها بقيامها

لم تبغ إلاّ حقّها بقيامها

The decisive judgment draws near; uphold a nation

Cut short this talk, and support a nation

The decisive judgment is near, so support a nation

That sought only her right in her uprising.

That wanted nothing but its rights by rising up

That sought nothing but its right in its uprising.

و اسمح لنصرك أن يرفرف فوقها

و اسمح لنصرك أن يرفرف فوقها

و يطاول الجوزاء في أعلامها

و يطاول الجوزاء في أعلامها

And let your victory flutter above her,

Allow your victory to flutter over it

And allow Your victory to flutter above it,

And rival al-Jawza in height within her banners.

And reach the stars in its banners

And reach the heights of Gemini among its banners.

يا ربّ علّمها المسير إلى الردى

يا ربّ علّمها المسير إلى الردى

بسبيل عزّتها و نيل مرامها

بسبيل عزّتها و نيل مرامها

O Lord, teach her to march toward death,

Oh Lord, teach it the path to demise

O Lord, teach it the march toward death,

For the sake of her dignity and the attainment of her goal.

By way of its dignity and fulfilling its hopes

On the path to its dignity and the attainment of its desire.

هذي دماء كرامها مطلولة

هذي دماء كرامها مطلولة

فاقبل ضحيّتها دماء كرامها

فاقبل ضحيّتها دماء كرامها

Here is her noble ones' blood, shed unavenged;

So accept their sacrifice, the blood of its nobles

These are the bloods of its noble ones, spilled unavenged,

So accept her sacrifice—the blood of her noble ones.

It hopes for nothing but a free life

So accept as its sacrifice the blood of its noble ones.

لا ترتجي إلاّ حياة حرّة

لا ترتجي إلاّ حياة حرّة

يا ربّ ، أجر صلاتها و صيامها

يا ربّ ، أجر صلاتها و صيامها

She hopes for nothing but a free life.

Oh Lord, reward its prayers and fasts

It hopes for nothing but a life of freedom;

O Lord, reward her prayer and her fasting.

If you do not grant it success before its battle

O Lord, reward its prayers and its fasting.

إن لم ترجّ الفوز قبل حمامها

إن لم ترجّ الفوز قبل حمامها

فاسمح به يا ربّ بعد حمامها

فاسمح به يا ربّ بعد حمامها

If she cannot hope for victory before her death,

Then allow it after the battle, Oh Lord

If it does not hope for triumph before its death,

Then grant it, O Lord, after her death,

You will find after death in its souls

Then permit it, O Lord, after its death.

فتراه بعد الموت في أرواحها

فتراه بعد الموت في أرواحها

إن لم تكن شهدنه في أجسامها

إن لم تكن شهدنه في أجسامها

So she may see it after death within her souls,

What you did not find in its bodies during life

So it may see it after death in its souls,

If they had not witnessed it within her bodies.

Never will Damascus falter, now that

If it could not witness it in its bodies.

هيهات تنخذل الشام و قد بدا

هيهات تنخذل الشام و قد بدا

أثر القراع على شبا صمصامها

أثر القراع على شبا صمصامها

Never shall Syria succumb: already visible

The signs of conflict have appeared on its youths

Far be it for Sham to be defeated, when the mark

Is the mark of combat on the edges of her keen sword.

Beyond the rights of its two abodes, a group

Of clashing strikes has appeared on the edge of its sharp sword.

ووراء حقّ الغوطتين عصابة

ووراء حقّ الغوطتين عصابة

 آساد غابتها  شموس ظلامها

آساد غابتها شموس ظلامها

And behind the right of the two Ghoutas stands a band:

Of Asads whose darkness is lit by its suns

And behind the right of the two Ghoutas stands a band,

Lions of her forest, suns of her darkness,

The self-sacrificers on the day of battle

The lions of its forest, the suns of its darkness.

ألباذلون دماءهم يوم الوغى

ألباذلون دماءهم يوم الوغى

و الثائرون بها على أخصامها

و الثائرون بها على أخصامها

Those who give their blood on the day of battle,

And those who rise with it against its foes

Those who sacrifice their blood on the day of battle,

And who, with that blood, rise against her adversaries.

No wolves can reside in its quarters

And rise with it in revolt against its adversaries.

ما للذئاب مدلّة في حيّها

ما للذئاب مدلّة في حيّها

أو لا تخاف الشرّ من ضرغامها

أو لا تخاف الشرّ من ضرغامها

Why are the wolves so bold within her camp?

Or fear not evil with its clubs

Why are the wolves so emboldened in its territory?

Or do they not fear harm from her lion?

The dormant fire, so beware

Or do they not fear the wrath of its lion?

النار خامدة اللهيب فحاذروا

النار خامدة اللهيب فحاذروا

يا ظالمي قحطان من إضرامها

يا ظالمي قحطان من إضرامها

The fire's blaze lies dormant; so beware,

Oh oppressors of Qahtan, of its ignition

The fire's flames are dormant, so beware,

O oppressors of Qahtan, of setting it ablaze.

If you kill its fathers with your swords

O oppressors of Qahtan, of its igniting.

إن تقتلوا آباءها بسيوفكم

إن تقتلوا آباءها بسيوفكم

قترقّبوا الغارات من أيتامها

قترقّبوا الغارات من أيتامها

If you kill her fathers with your swords,

Expect assaults from its orphans

If you slay its fathers with your swords,

Then expect raids from her orphans.

Then await the raids from its orphans.