1. لَقَد بَلَغَت بِهِم الحِدَّه

    فَمن أَيِّنا نَطلُب النَجدَه

    Fury has indeed carried them away.

    From which of us, then, are we to seek help?

  2. أَلَستَ تَراهُم أُولي غَضبَةٍ

    يَعيثونَ بِالوَيلِ في البَلدَه

    Do you not see them, possessed of rage,

    Wreaking misery in the town?

  3. فَكُلٌّ يَرى نَفسَهُ سَيِّداً

    وَكلٌّ يَرى نَفسَهُ عُمدَه

    Each, then, sees himself as a master,

    And each sees himself as a mainstay.

  4. إِذا ما تَرَبَّعَ في جَهلِهِ

    عَلى مَقعَدٍ خالَهُ سُدَّه

    Whenever, in his ignorance, he sits cross-legged

    Upon a seat, he fancies it a throne.

  5. كَريمُهُم كَاللَئيمِ بِهِم

    فَما فاضِلٌ سَيِّدٌ عبدَه

    Their noble man is like the base man among them;

    So no master surpasses his slave.

  6. أَضاعوا الرشادَ وَما نَفعُ مَن

    أَضاعَ بِثَورَتِهِ رُشدَه

    They have squandered sound judgment; what good is one

    Who has squandered his sense in his fury?

  7. يَقولونَ نَحنَ عمادُ البِلادِ

    وَما هيأوا لِلوَفا عُدَّه

    They say: We are the pillar of the land,

    Yet they have made no provision for keeping faith.

  8. كَأَنَّ البِلادَ لَدى حاجَةٍ

    إِلى كذبٍ وَإِلى إِدَّه

    As though the land were in need

    Of lies and of dire calamity.

  9. وَرُبَّ كَبيرٍ بِلبنانِهِ

    يَعفِّرُ في حَمأةٍ خَدّه

    And many a grandee in his Lebanon

    Smears his cheek in the mire.

  10. تُرى عِندَهُ خَدماً وَقصوراً

    وَلَستَ تَرى شَرفاً عِندَه

    You are shown servants and palaces around him,

    Yet you see no honor in him.

  11. يَتيهِ اِفتِخاراً بِأَجدادِهِ

    كَأَنَّ الوَرى جَهِلوا جَدَّه

    He struts, proud of his ancestors,

    As though mankind did not know his grandfather.

  12. يُحاوِلُ إِخفاءَ ما يَنطَوي

    عَلَيهِ فَتَفضَحُهُ السَجدَه

    He tries to conceal what he harbors

    Within, but his prostration exposes him.

  13. ذَليلٌ وَفي بُردِهِ الكِبرِياءُ

    فَيا لَيتَ ما لَبِسَ البُردَه

    Abject, yet arrogance lies within his cloak;

    Ah, if only he had never worn that cloak!

  14. وَيا لَيتَ مَن وَلدت طَرحَتهُ

    وَلمّا تُدنِّس بِهِ مَهدَه

    And would that she who bore him had cast him away,

    Before defiling his cradle with him.

  15. وَلكِنَّها قِردَةٌ وَلَدَتهُ

    أَلا تَلِدُ القِردَ القِردَه

    But she is a she-ape who bore him;

    Does not the she-ape bear the ape?

  16. بَني وَطَني نَحنُ في حاجَةٍ

    إِلى نُصَراءَ أَولي شِدَّه

    Sons of my homeland, we are in need

    Of supporters endowed with strength,

  17. يضحّونَ بِالأَنفُسِ الغالِياتِ

    لِأَجلِ التَضامُن وَالوُحدَه

    Who sacrifice their precious lives

    For solidarity and unity,

  18. وَفي سُبُلِ الحَقِّ يَأتَلِفون

    وَيَعتَنِقون الحِجى وَحدَه

    And unite along the paths of truth,

    And embrace reason alone.

  19. إِذا أُشكِلَت عقدةٌ في البِلادِ

    خفّوا لحلِّ ذهِ العِقدَه

    When a knot proves troublesome in the land,

    They hasten to untie this knot.

  20. إِلى مَ تَظلون في رَقدَةٍ

    وَلا تُبعَثونَ من الرَقدَه

    How long will you remain in slumber,

    And not be roused from that slumber?

  21. إِذا قامَ بَينَكُم مُصلِحٌ

    يَقومُ جَميعُكُم ضِدَّه

    Whenever a reformer arises among you,

    All of you rise against him.

  22. فَلا تَدعوا ظُفُرَ المستَبِدِّ

    يحكُّ لِلبنانِكُم جِلدَه

    So do not let the tyrant's fingernail

    Scratch your Lebanon's skin.

  23. وَصيحوا بِهِ رُدَّ ما قَد

    سَرَقتَ لنا خُلُقاً رُدَّه

    And shout at him: Give back what you have

    Stolen—our moral character; give it back to us!

  24. هدَمتَ لَنا صَرحَ أَخلاقِنا

    فَأَينَ تَبيتُ تُرى بَعدَه

    You have torn down the edifice of our morals;

    Where, then, will you sleep, I wonder, after that?

  25. وَشَيَّدتَ مَعبِدَ إِفكٍ فَهُدَّ

    أَساسَ مشيِّدِهِ هُدَّه

    And you have built a temple of falsehood—so demolish

    Its builder's foundation; demolish it!

  26. لَقَد رثَّ ثَوبٌ خَلَعتَ عَلَينا

    وَنَحن نَميلُ إِلى الجِدَّه

    The robe you bestowed upon us has indeed grown threadbare,

    And we are drawn to newness.

  27. فَعَهدُ الغُموضِ مَضى وَتَصَدّى

    لَهُ عَهدُنا ناقِضاً عَهدَه

    For the age of obscurity has passed, and has been confronted

    By our age, which breaks its covenant.

  28. لَقَد حانَ أَن يُصلِتَ النورُ حداً

    كَما اِستَلَّ سَيفُ الدُجى حَدَّه

    Indeed, the time has come for light to bare an edge,

    Just as the sword of darkness unsheathed its edge.

  29. لَقَد كادَ يصدَأُ في غِمدِهِ

    حُسامٌ يَرى قَبرَهُ غَمدَه

    It has indeed nearly rusted in its sheath—

    A keen sword that sees its sheath as its grave.

  30. هَديتُ رِفاقي إِلى موردي

    فَضلَّوا وَما طَلَبوا وِردَه

    I guided my companions to my watering place,

    But they strayed and did not seek a drink from it.

  31. وَما موردي العذبُ إِلا السَلامُ

    يُذيبُ لِشارِبهِ كِيدَه

    And my sweet watering place is nothing but peace;

    It dissolves the guile of whoever drinks it.

  32. رِفاقي وَإِن فَرَّقَتنا الخطوبُ

    سَيَحفَظُ قَلبي لَكم حَمدَه

    My companions, even if calamities part us,

    My heart will preserve its praise for you.

  33. سيرشُقُكُم بِالأَزاهِرِ مَهما

    نكَرتُم عَلى وَدّه وَدَّه

    It will pelt you with blossoms, however much

    You spurn its love, despite its love for you.

  34. سَيَذكُرُكُم بِالجَميلِ إِذا ما

    نَأى وَأَرادَ القَضا بُعدَه

    It will remember you kindly whenever

    It grows distant and fate wills its separation.

  35. سَيَصفَحُ عَن كُلِّ أَشواكِكُم

    فَشوكَتُكُم عِندَهُ وَردَه

    It will pardon all your thorns;

    For your thorn is a rose to it.