فَتَنَتهُ مَحاسِنُ الحُرِّيَّه

لا سُلَيمى وَلا جَمالُ سُمَيَّه

Her beauty's charms enchanted liberty,

The charms of Liberty have captivated him,

No Sulayma nor Jamal Sumayya could compare.

Not Sulayma, nor the beauty of Sumayya.

هِيَ أُمنِيَةُ الجَميعِ وَلَكِن

أَرهَقَتهُ الطَبيعَةُ البَشَرِيَّه

It's everyone's dream but

She is the heart's desire of all, and yet,

Human nature overburdened him.

Human nature has overburdened him.

وَعَجيبٌ أَن يُخلَقَ المَرءُ حُرّاً

ثُمَّ يَأبى لِنَفسِهِ الحُرِيَّه

How strange that one be created free

It is strange that man is created free,

Yet deny himself liberty!

Then refuses Liberty for his own soul.

غادَةٌ ما عَرَفَت قَلباً خَلِيّاً

مِن هَواها حَتّى القُلوبُ الخَلِيَّه

Ghada never knew an empty heart

A maiden who never knew a heart void

Free of passion for her, even the vacant hearts.

Of passion for her—even hearts once unburdened.

غَرَسَت في فُؤادِهِ الحُبَّ طِفلاً

فَنَما الحُبُّ وَالفُؤادُ سَوِيَّه

In his heart she planted love a child

She planted love in his heart while he was a child,

That grew as one with the heart inside.

So that love and the heart grew up together.

ثُمَّ لَما فَشى الغَرامُ وَذاعَت

عَنهُما في الوَرى أُمورٌ خَفِيَّه

When passion spread and secret things

Then, when the passion spread and there circulated

Of them both circulated earthly rings

Hidden whispers about the two among the people,

حَجَبوها عَساهُ يَسلو وَلَكِن

كانَ قَيساً وَكانَتِ العامِرِيَّه

They hid her, hoping he'd forget but, no,

They veiled her away, hoping he might forget, but

He was Qays and she the immortal Layla.

He was Qays, and she was the 'Amiriya.

باتَ يَشكو النَوى الشَقِيُّ وَتَشكو

مانِعيها مِن أَن تَراهُ الشَقِيَّه

The wretched lover spends night bemoaning fate

The wretched lover spent the night bemoaning the distance,

As she's prevented from seeing her wretched mate.

While she, wretched too, complained of those barring her from his sight.

مُستَهامٌ قَضى زَماناً طَويلاً

في عَناءٍ مِنَ القُيودِ القَوِيَّه

A resolute king who long has passed

An infatuated soul who spent an age

In chains and shackles holding fast.

Suffering under the weight of heavy chains.

وَعَلَيهِ مِنَ الزَمانِ رَقيبٌ

عاشِقٌ لِلسِيادَةِ الوَهمِيَّه

Upon him there's a guard of time

And standing over him is a guardian of the times,

Enamored of fictitious prime.

Enamored with illusory sovereignty.

وَلِكُلٍّ مَطامِعٍ وَأَماني

يَبذُلُ النَفسَ دونَها لِلمَنِيَّه

All have their hopes and dreams

For every man has ambitions and desires,

Each would give his soul to gain.

For which he would offer his soul unto death,

وَيَراها لَدَيهِ أَشرَفَ شَيءٍ

وَهيَ أَدنى مِنَ الأُمورِ الدَنِيَّه

To him the highest of all things

Deeming them the noblest things he possesses,

Though it be the lowest earthlings.

Though they are baser than the lowest of deeds.

زَعَموا أَنَّهُ المَليكُ المُفَدّى

بِالرَعايا مِن شَرِّ كُلِّ بَلِيَّه

They claimed that he's the ransomed king

They claimed he is the King, ransomed

To save his people from each sting.

By his subjects from the evil of every calamity.

إِنَّما تَفتَدي الرَعِيَّةُ مَلكاً

باذِلاً نَفسَهُ فِدىً لِلرَعِيَّه

But people ransom the ruled king

Yet the subjects only ransom a King

Who gives himself, the people's, offering.

Who offers his own soul as a ransom for his people.

ظَلَمَ القَومَ تَوَهَّمَهُ القَومُ

نَصيراً لِلأُمَّةِ الروسِيَّه

He oppressed the folk, they fancied him

The people were wronged by their delusion that he was

The Russian nation's saving kin.

A champion of the Russian nation.

وَإِذا أَحرَجَ الضِعافَ قَوِيٌّ

نَسِيَت ضَعفَها النُفوسُ الأَبِيَّه

Whenever the weak are oppressed by the strong

For when a strong man drives the weak to desperation,

The proud souls forget their weakness lifelong.

Proud souls forget their frailty.