بسمت النور في ثغور الجراح

بسمت النور في ثغور الجراح

أنت قبل الصباح نجم الصباح

أنت قبل الصباح نجم الصباح

Smile of light in the mouths of wounds,

The light smiled in the wounds of affliction

Light smiled within the mouths of wounds,

You, before dawn, are the morning star.

You are before dawn the morning star

You are, before the dawn, the star of the morning.

كلما لحت في خيال الطواغيت

كلما لحت في خيال الطواغيت

وألهت مرقد السفاح

وألهت مرقد السفاح

Whenever you shone in the tyrants' imagination,

Whenever you appeared in the imagination of tyrants

Whenever you loomed in the imagination of tyrants,

and set the butcher's bed ablaze,

And disturbed the slumber of the butcher

And disturbed the slumber of the butcher,

ذاب قيد على اللظى وتراخت

ذاب قيد على اللظى وتراخت

قبضات على حطام السلاح

قبضات على حطام السلاح

a shackle melted in the blaze, and loosened

A shackle melted on the ember and relaxed

A shackle melted upon the blaze and loosened,

were grips upon the wreckage of weapons.

Grips on the debris of weapons

Fists unclenched from the wreckage of arms.

واختفت كالاظلام تنحل في النار

واختفت كالاظلام تنحل في النار

وجوه تحف بالأقداح

وجوه تحف بالأقداح

And vanished, like darkness dissolving in fire,

And disappeared like darkness dissolving in fire

And they vanished, like darkness dissolving in fire,

faces clustered around the goblets.

Faces surrounded by goblets

Those faces crowding around the wine cups.

كلما لحت هلل الشعب أسوان

كلما لحت هلل الشعب أسوان

يبث ابتهاجه في النواح

يبث ابتهاجه في النواح

Whenever you shone, the people cheered, grief-stricken,

Whenever you appeared the people of Aswan rejoiced

Whenever you appeared, the sorrowful people cheered,

pouring out their joy in lamentation.

Spreading their joy in elegy

Spreading their joy amidst the wailing.

وتحدى الطغاة بالساعد المفنول

وتحدى الطغاة بالساعد المفنول

من عامل ومن فلاح

من عامل ومن فلاح

And they defied the tyrants with the sinewy arm

And challenged the tyrants with bared arms

Challenging the tyrants with the twisted forearm

of a worker and of a peasant.

Worker or farmer

Of the worker and of the peasant.

كان في غفوة فلما ملأت

كان في غفوة فلما ملأت

النوم في مقلتيه بالأشباح

النوم في مقلتيه بالأشباح

They had been slumbering; then, when you filled

He was in slumber but when you filled

They were in a slumber, but when you filled

the sleep in their eyes with phantoms,

Sleep in his eyelids with specters

The sleep in their eyes with ghosts,

هب غضبان يهمز الثأر بالثأر

هب غضبان يهمز الثأر بالثأر

ويمشي على لهيب الكفاح

ويمشي على لهيب الكفاح

they sprang up furious, spurring vengeance with vengeance,

He rose angry, avenging vengeance with vengeance

They rose in anger, goading vengeance with vengeance,

and walked upon the blaze of struggle.

And walked on the flames of struggle

And walking upon the flames of struggle.

يا عيون الجراح لولاك ما امتدت

يا عيون الجراح لولاك ما امتدت

 عيون الى الستار المزاح

عيون الى الستار المزاح

O eyes of wounds, but for you there would have been no reaching

O eyes of affliction, without you the curtains would not have extended

O eyes of the wounds, were it not for you,

of eyes toward the curtain drawn aside,

Eyes to the jesting veil

Eyes would not have reached towards the lifted veil,

تبصر الظلم عاريا ةالطواغيت

تبصر الظلم عاريا ةالطواغيت

كأوراق دوحة في الرياح

كأوراق دوحة في الرياح

seeing oppression naked, and the tyrants

Seeing injustice naked and tyrants

To see injustice naked, and the tyrants

like leaves of a spreading tree in the winds.

Like leaves of a board in the winds

Like the leaves of a tree in the winds.

جرد البغي خنجرا في دجى الليل

جرد البغي خنجرا في دجى الليل

وأهوى على الحمى المستباح

وأهوى على الحمى المستباح

Tyranny unsheathed a dagger in the darkness of night,

The traitor bared a dagger in the darkness of night

Oppression unsheathed a dagger in the night's gloom,

and brought it down upon the violated sanctuary.

And pounced on the forbidden sanctuary

And struck down upon the violated sanctuary.

فاهتدت أمة على لمعة النصل

فاهتدت أمة على لمعة النصل

وقد عب من دماء الأضاحي

وقد عب من دماء الأضاحي

So a nation found its way by the gleam of the blade,

So a nation was guided by the gleam of the blade

Yet a nation found its way by the gleam of the blade,

which had drunk deeply of the sacrificial victims' blood.

And the blood of victims overflowed

Even as it quaffed the blood of sacrifices.

واستضاءت بسمة من شهيد

واستضاءت بسمة من شهيد

ومشت فوق معبر من جراح

ومشت فوق معبر من جراح

And it drew light from a martyr's smile,

And a smile from a martyr lit up

A smile from a martyr shone forth,

and walked over a bridge of wounds.

And walked over a passage of wounds

And walked upon a bridge of wounds.

عربد الثأر فانهضي يا ضحايا

عربد الثأر فانهضي يا ضحايا

واطرحي عنك باردات الصفاح

واطرحي عنك باردات الصفاح

Vengeance ran riot; so rise up, O victims,

Revenge roared so rise up victims

Vengeance has run wild, so rise, O victims,

and cast off from yourselves the cold stone slabs.

And cast off your cool indifference

And cast off the cold tombstones from you.

كلما ألهب الدجى حزن بغداد

كلما ألهب الدجى حزن بغداد

فغصت بدمعها النضاح

فغصت بدمعها النضاح

Whenever Baghdad's grief set the darkness ablaze,

Whenever the gloom inflamed Baghdad's sorrow

Whenever the darkness inflamed Baghdad's sorrow,

then she choked on her gushing tears.

And its tears overflowed the elegy

And she choked on her gushing tears,

وانظري هل ترين الا ثكالي

وانظري هل ترين الا ثكالي

وأيامي يضربن راحا براح

وأيامي يضربن راحا براح

And look: do you see any but bereaved mothers

And look, do you see anything but my apparitions

Look, do you see anything but bereaved mothers,

and widows striking palm against palm?

And my days striking ease with unease

And widows striking palm against palm?

وانظري ما يزال جلاك السكران

وانظري ما يزال جلاك السكران

فوق الثرى طليق الجناح

فوق الثرى طليق الجناح

And look: your drunken executioner is still

And look, your drunken tattoo still

And look, your executioner is still drunk,

above the earth, his wing unfettered.

Flying free above the earth

Upon the earth, with wings unbound.

واسألي قبر جعفر النارد المحزون

واسألي قبر جعفر النارد المحزون

ما ذنب هذه الأرواح

ما ذنب هذه الأرواح

And ask Ja'far's cold, sorrowful grave:

And ask the mournful grave of Ja'far al-Nard

And ask the grave of Jafar, the sorrowful rebel,

What sin did these souls commit?

What was the fault of these souls?

What is the sin of these souls?

جعفرالحق يا نشيد البطولات

جعفرالحق يا نشيد البطولات

تغنيه تحت ظل الصفاح

تغنيه تحت ظل الصفاح

Ja'far of truth, O hymn of heroic deeds,

Ja'far the true, O anthem of heroism

Jafar of Truth, O anthem of heroisms,

you sing it beneath the shadow of the stone slabs.

Sung beneath the shade of the roof

Sung beneath the shadow of swords.

مد من قبرك المدمى بيمناك

مد من قبرك المدمى بيمناك

فما زلت حامل المصباح

فما زلت حامل المصباح

Reach out from your bloodied grave with your right hand,

Reach out from your bloodied grave with your right hand

Extend your right hand from your bloody grave,

for you still bear the lamp.

For you still carry the lantern

For you are still the bearer of the lamp.

أنت مزقت ظلمة الليل بالنور

أنت مزقت ظلمة الليل بالنور

فلا تهن مقلة السفاح

فلا تهن مقلة السفاح

You tore the darkness of night apart with light,

You tore the darkness of night with light

You tore apart the night's darkness with light,

so let the butcher's eye find no rest.

So do not sorrow the eyelid of the butcher

So let not the murderer's eye find rest.