ماذاwhat جَنَيتَhave you done wrong عَليهِمto them أَيُّهاO القَلَمُthe pen
ماذا جَنَيتَ عَليهِم أَيُّها القَلَمُ
وَاللَهِby God ماnot فيكَin you إِلّاexcept النُصحُcounsel وَالحِكَمُand wise sayings
وَاللَهِ ما فيكَ إِلّا النُصحُ وَالحِكَمُ
What wrong have you done them, O pen?
What wrongs have they committed, oh pen
What crime have you committed against them, O Pen?
By God, you contain nothing but counsel and wise sayings.
By Allah, you contain only sincerity and wisdom
By God, you bear nothing but counsel and wisdom.
إِنّيindeed, I لَيُحزِنُنيtruly grieves me أَنthat يَسجُنوكَthey imprison you وَهُمwhile they
إِنّي لَيُحزِنُني أَن يَسجُنوكَ وَهُم
لَولاكَwithout you فيon الأَرضِthe earth لَمdid not تَثبُتstand firm لَهُمfor them قَدَمُa foot
لَولاكَ في الأَرضِ لَم تَثبُت لَهُم قَدَمُ
Indeed, it grieves me that they imprison you, when they
It saddens me that they imprison you while they
It grieves me deeply that they imprison you, when they,
Would have had no firm footing on earth without you.
Without you, their feet would not stand firm on earth
Without you, would have no foothold upon this earth.
خُلِقتَyou were created حُرّاًfree كَمَوجِlike waves of البَحرِthe sea مُندَفِعاًsurging
خُلِقتَ حُرّاً كَمَوجِ البَحرِ مُندَفِعاً
فَماso what القُيودُthe bonds وَماand what الأَصفادُthe shackles وَاللُجَمُand the bridles
فَما القُيودُ وَما الأَصفادُ وَاللُجَمُ
You were created free, surging like the waves of the sea.
You were created free, like the waves of the sea bursting forth
You were created free, surging like the ocean waves;
Why, then, these bonds, these shackles and bridles?
What are shackles, bonds and muzzles to you?
So what are these chains, these shackles, these bridles?
إِنif يَحبِسواthey imprison الطائِرَthe bird المَحكِيِّthe one spoken of فيin قَفَصٍa cage
إِن يَحبِسوا الطائِرَ المَحكِيِّ في قَفَصٍ
فَلَيسَthen not يُحبَسُis imprisoned مِنهُfrom it الصَوتُthe voice وَالنَغَمُand the melody
فَلَيسَ يُحبَسُ مِنهُ الصَوتُ وَالنَغَمُ
If they imprison the bird spoken of in a cage,
If they imprison the singing bird in a cage
Though they may confine the songbird within a cage,
Its voice and melody are not imprisoned.
His voice and melody cannot be imprisoned
Its voice and melody can never be imprisoned.
اللَهُGod فيconcerning أُمَّةٍa nation جرَdragged الزَمانُtime بِهاit along
اللَهُ في أُمَّةٍ جرَ الزَمانُ بِها
يَفنىperishes الزَمانُtime وَلاand not يَفنىperishes لَهاfor it أَلَمُpain
يَفنى الزَمانُ وَلا يَفنى لَها أَلَمُ
God help a nation dragged along by time;
Oh Allah, time has dragged on for a nation
God help a nation dragged down by the hand of Time;
Time perishes, yet its pain does not perish.
Time passes but their pain does not fade
Time itself may perish, yet her pain remains unending.
كَأَنَّماas though خَصَّهاsingled it out بِالذُلِّfor humiliation بارِءُهاits Creator
كَأَنَّما خَصَّها بِالذُلِّ بارِءُها
أَوor أَقسَمَswore الدَهرُTime لاnot يَعلوrises لَهاfor it عَلَمُa banner
أَو أَقسَمَ الدَهرُ لا يَعلو لَها عَلَمُ
As though its Creator had singled it out for humiliation,
As if its Creator singled it out for humiliation
As if her Creator singled her out for abasement,
Or Time had sworn that no banner of its would rise.
Or time swore its flag would never rise
Or Fate swore an oath that her banner should never rise.
مَهضومَةُdeprived of الحَقِّrights لاno ذَنبَsin جَنَتهُit committed it سِوىexcept
مَهضومَةُ الحَقِّ لا ذَنبَ جَنَتهُ سِوى
أَنَّthat الحُقوقَrights لَدَيهاin its midst لَيسَare not تَنهَضِمُviolated
أَنَّ الحُقوقَ لَدَيها لَيسَ تَنهَضِمُ
Robbed of its rights, it has committed no sin except
Wronged, though it did no wrong but
Robbed of her rights, having committed no sin save this:
That rights are not violated in its midst.
Seek rights that they do not recognize
That she refuses to let her rights be devoured.
مَرَّتpassed عَلَيهاover it سُنونٌyears كُلُّهاall of them نِقَمٌafflictions
مَرَّت عَلَيها سُنونٌ كُلُّها نِقَمٌ
ماhow كانَwould have been أَسعَدَهاmade it happy لَوif أَنَّهاthat they نِعَمُblessings
ما كانَ أَسعَدَها لَو أَنَّها نِعَمُ
Years have passed over it, all of them afflictions;
Years have passed, all bringing woe
Years have passed over her, each one a calamity—
How happy it would have been, had they been blessings!
If only its times had been blessed
How happy she would have been had they been blessings!
عَدواthey deemed شِكايَتَهاits complaint ظُلماًan injustice وَماyet not ظَلَمَتit did wrong
عَدوا شِكايَتَها ظُلماً وَما ظَلَمَت
وَإِنَّماand in fact ظَلَموهاthey wronged it بِالَّذيby what زَعَمواthey claimed
وَإِنَّما ظَلَموها بِالَّذي زَعَموا
They deemed its complaint an injustice, though it did no wrong;
They called its grievances injustice, though it was not unjust
They deemed her complaint an act of tyranny, yet she tyrannized no one;
Rather, they wronged it through what they claimed.
Rather they were unjust in what they claimed
It is they who tyrannized her by the very claims they made.
ماwhat ضَرَهُمharmed them أَنَّهاthat it باتَتit kept on تُسائِلُهُمquestioning them
ما ضَرَهُم أَنَّها باتَت تُسائِلُهُم
أَينَwhere المَواثيقُthe covenants أَينَwhere العَهدُthe pledge وَالقَسَمُand the oath
أَينَ المَواثيقُ أَينَ العَهدُ وَالقَسَمُ
What harm did it do them that it kept asking them:
It did not harm them that it spent nights questioning
What harm did it cause them when she asked of them:
"Where are the covenants? Where the pledge and the oath?"
Where are the covenants, where is the oath and promise?
"Where are the charters? Where is the covenant and the oath?"
أَماwas it not كَفىenough أَنَّthat فيin آذانِهِمtheir ears صَمَماًdeafness
أَما كَفى أَنَّ في آذانِهِم صَمَماً
حَتّىto the point that أَرادواthey wished بِأَنthat يَنتبَهاbefall it الصَمَمُdeafness
حَتّى أَرادوا بِأَن يَنتبَها الصَمَمُ
Was it not enough that their ears were deaf,
Were their ears not full of deafness enough
Was the deafness in their ears not enough for them,
That they wished deafness to afflict it too?
That they wished to awaken deafness itself?
That they sought to inflict that deafness upon her too?
كَأَنَّماas though سَإِمواthey grew weary أَنthat لاnot يَزالَcease بِهاwithin it
كَأَنَّما سَإِموا أَن لا يَزالَ بِها
روحٌa spirit عَلىthroughout الدَهرِthe ages لمhad not يَظفَرprevailed بِهاover it السَأَمُweariness
روحٌ عَلى الدَهرِ لم يَظفَر بِها السَأَمُ
As though they had tired of its still having
As if they wearied that its spirit still
As if they grew weary that there remains within her
A spirit that, through the ages, weariness had never overcome.
Clung to time that did not manage to make it despair
A spirit that weariness could never conquer through the ages.
فَقَيَّدوهاso they shackled it لَعَلَّperhaps القَيدَbondage يُسكِتُهاwould silence it
فَقَيَّدوها لَعَلَّ القَيدَ يُسكِتُها
وَعَزَّyet it is hard أَنthat يَسكُتَfall silent المَظلومُthe wronged لَوif only عَلِمواthey knew
وَعَزَّ أَن يَسكُتَ المَظلومُ لَو عَلِموا
So they shackled it, hoping bondage would silence it;
So they bound it, hoping bindings would silence it
So they shackled her, hoping the chains would silence her,
Yet it is hard for the wronged to fall silent—if only they knew.
But the oppressed cannot be silenced, if only they knew
Yet how hard it is to silence the oppressed, if only they knew!
وَأَرهَقواand they oppressed الصُحُفَthe newspapers وَالأَقلامَand the pens فيin زَمَنٍan age
وَأَرهَقوا الصُحُفَ وَالأَقلامَ في زَمَنٍ
يَكادُalmost يَعبُدُis worshipped فيهِin it الطِرسُthe written page وَالقَلَمُand the pen
يَكادُ يَعبُدُ فيهِ الطِرسُ وَالقَلَمُ
And they oppressed the newspapers and the pens in an age
They burdened pages and pens in an age
They have harassed the press and the pens in an age
When the written page and the pen are all but worshipped.
Where idols and pens are almost worshipped
Where the written page and the pen are nearly worshipped.
إِنif يَمنَعواthey prevent الصُحُفَthe newspapers فيناamong us بَثَّspreading لَوعَتِناour anguish
إِن يَمنَعوا الصُحُفَ فينا بَثَّ لَوعَتِنا
فَكُلُّناthen all of us صُحُفٌnewspapers فيin مِصرَEgypt تَرتَسِمُtake shape
فَكُلُّنا صُحُفٌ في مِصرَ تَرتَسِمُ
If they prevent the newspapers among us from spreading our anguish,
If they forbid pages, the anguish within us
If they forbid the papers to broadcast our anguish,
Then all of us are newspapers taking shape in Egypt.
Will inscribe each of us as pages in Egypt
Then all of us in Egypt become living pages inscribing it.
إِنّاindeed, we لَقَومٍtruly a people لَناwe have مَجدٌglory سَنَذكُرُهُwe shall recount it
إِنّا لَقَومٍ لَنا مَجدٌ سَنَذكُرُهُ
ماas long as دامَremains فيناamong us لِسانٌa tongue ناطِقٌspeaking وَفَمُand a mouth
ما دامَ فينا لِسانٌ ناطِقٌ وَفَمُ
We are indeed a people with a glory we shall recount,
We are a people with a glory we will recall
We are a people possessed of glory we shall recall,
As long as we have a speaking tongue and a mouth.
As long as we have speaking tongues and mouths
So long as a speaking tongue and mouth remain among us.
كَيفَhow السَبيلُthe way إِلىto سَلوانِforgetting رِفعَتِناour eminence
كَيفَ السَبيلُ إِلى سَلوانِ رِفعَتِنا
وَهيَwhile it الَّتيwhich تَتَمَنّىlong for بَعضَهاa share of it الأُمَمُthe nations
وَهيَ الَّتي تَتَمَنّى بَعضَها الأُمَمُ
How can we find a way to forget our eminence,
How can the path to regaining our loftiness be
How could we ever forget our noble station,
When nations long for even a share of it?
When it is coveted by some nations?
When other nations long for but a fraction of it?
يَأبىforbids لَناfor us العِزُّhonor أَنthat نَرضىwe accept المَذَلَّةَhumiliation فيin
يَأبى لَنا العِزُّ أَن نَرضى المَذَلَّةَ في
عَصرٍan age رَأَيناwe have seen بِهِin it العَبدانَslaves تُحتَرُمُare respected
عَصرٍ رَأَينا بِهِ العَبدانَ تُحتَرُمُ
Our honor forbids us to accept humiliation in
Honor refuses that we accept humiliation in
Our honor refuses that we accept humiliation in
An age in which we have seen slaves respected.
An era where we saw slaves respected
An era where we have seen even slaves accorded respect.
المَوتُdeath أَجمَلُmore beautiful مِنthan عَيشٍa life عَلىin مَضَضٍbitter suffering
المَوتُ أَجمَلُ مِن عَيشٍ عَلى مَضَضٍ
إِنَّindeed الحَياةَlife بِلاwithout حُرِّيَّةٍfreedom عَدَمُnothingness
إِنَّ الحَياةَ بِلا حُرِّيَّةٍ عَدَمُ
Death is more beautiful than a life of bitter suffering;
Death is better than life full of bitterness
Death is more beautiful than a life lived in bitterness;
Indeed, life without freedom is nothingness.
For life without freedom is naught
For life without liberty is mere nothingness.
Sol 6.1