أما وأبيك أرماني زماني

أما وأبيك أرماني زماني

بشيطانٍ رماني تحت رَزَّهْ

بشيطانٍ رماني تحت رَزَّهْ

Indeed, by your father, my times have afflicted me

My soul that was tempted for so long

With a devil who hurled me beneath a crushing blow.

By a devil that cast me under his spell

فنَحرُ النفس منحورٌ جزافاً

فنَحرُ النفس منحورٌ جزافاً

بمُدية شره بأحدِّ حزَّهْ

بمُدية شره بأحدِّ حزَّهْ

So the soul's throat is wantonly slit

So I freely sacrificed my soul

With the knife of his evil, with the sharpest slash.

With the gift of his evil, sharper than blades

يغُزُّ سهام هاجسه بقلبي

يغُزُّ سهام هاجسه بقلبي

أحس بغَزَّةٍ في ضمن غَزَّهْ

أحس بغَزَّةٍ في ضمن غَزَّهْ

He thrusts the arrows of his prompting into my heart;

The arrows of his obsession pierce my heart

I feel a prick within a prick.

I feel the intensity within his intensity

إذا ما هز مِن بلواه سيفاً

إذا ما هز مِن بلواه سيفاً

أذوق الموت منه بكل هزَّهْ

أذوق الموت منه بكل هزَّهْ

Whenever he brandishes a sword of his torment,

When he brandishes his sword of tribulation

I taste death from him with every swing.

I taste death from him with each brandish

دهاني ثم دك قوى جهادي

دهاني ثم دك قوى جهادي

فلن أقوى ولو كنت المُعَزَّهْ

فلن أقوى ولو كنت المُعَزَّهْ

He assailed me, then crushed the strength of my struggle;

He painted me then crushed my strength for holy war

So I shall be powerless, even were I made mighty.

I cannot be strong even if I were the strongest

محا رسمي فأعدمني وجودي

محا رسمي فأعدمني وجودي

كأني منه ألفٌ بعد همزهْ

كأني منه ألفٌ بعد همزهْ

He erased my trace and deprived me of my existence,

He erased my identity and invalidated my existence

As though, because of him, I were an alif after a hamza.

As if after the letter 'h' came a thousand letters 'z'

يطارحني الأماني وهي زور

يطارحني الأماني وهي زور

فأنى تلتقي حلبٌ بغَزَّهْ

فأنى تلتقي حلبٌ بغَزَّهْ

He trades hopes with me, though they are lies;

He casts down my hopes which are falsehood

So how can Aleppo meet Gaza?

Where can Aleppo meet its intensity?

ومرر حلو عمري إذ أراه

ومرر حلو عمري إذ أراه

يحيل حلاوة اللذات مُزَّهْ

يحيل حلاوة اللذات مُزَّهْ

And he embittered my life's sweetness, as I see him

The sweetness of life passed when I saw

Turning the sweetness of pleasures sour.

Him turn the sweetness of pleasures into bitterness

رأيت الذل منه بعد عزٍّ

رأيت الذل منه بعد عزٍّ

ألا يا ذلتي من بعد عِزَّهْ

ألا يا ذلتي من بعد عِزَّهْ

I have known humiliation from him after honor;

After power I saw humiliation from him

Ah, my humiliation after honor!

Oh my disgrace after his glory!

خذي يا نفس عمرك بانتهازٍ

خذي يا نفس عمرك بانتهازٍ

ألا تدرين أن العمر نُهزَهْ

ألا تدرين أن العمر نُهزَهْ

Take hold of your life, O soul, seizing your chance.

Take your life, my soul, by striving

Do you not know that life is an opportunity?

Do you not know that life is slipping away?

وجدِّي ثم فزِّي نحو مجدٍ

وجدِّي ثم فزِّي نحو مجدٍ

سماويٍّ فللأرزاق فَزَّهْ

سماويٍّ فللأرزاق فَزَّهْ

And strive, then spring toward glory

Be firm then strive toward heavenly glory

Heavenly—for sustenance calls for a leap.

For sustenance has its bursting forth

فلا يسمو سوى حرٍّ مُجِدٍّ

فلا يسمو سوى حرٍّ مُجِدٍّ

يلُزُّ السير منه كل لَزَّهْ

يلُزُّ السير منه كل لَزَّهْ

For none rises save one who is free and diligent,

None ascends but the gloriously free

Who urges his journey onward with every push.

Who shakes off all chains

تردِّي الصبر واتخذيه درعاً

تردِّي الصبر واتخذيه درعاً

تقيك البؤس واستَقْنيه بِزَّهْ

تقيك البؤس واستَقْنيه بِزَّهْ

Clothe yourself in patience and take it as armor,

Take patience as a shield

To protect you from misery; and acquire it as your garb.

To protect you from misery, fortify yourself with it

فثوب الصبر منسوج بشكرٍ

فثوب الصبر منسوج بشكرٍ

مسيحيٍّ سما عن نسج خَزَّهْ

مسيحيٍّ سما عن نسج خَزَّهْ

For the robe of patience is woven with gratitude

The garment of patience is woven with Christian gratitude

Christian, rising above the weaving of silken cloth.

It excels any weaving of silk

فدود القز من أحشاه يبني

فدود القز من أحشاه يبني

بناءً فاخراً ونراه قَزَّهْ

بناءً فاخراً ونراه قَزَّهْ

For the silkworm builds from its own innards

The worms of silk from their innards

A splendid structure, and we see it as silk.

Construct splendid buildings we see as silk's intensity

كذاك ابني بكِ يا نفس فضلاً

كذاك ابني بكِ يا نفس فضلاً

مسيحياً فثوب الشاة جُزَّهْ

مسيحياً فثوب الشاة جُزَّهْ

Likewise build within yourself, O soul, virtue

Likewise my soul builds with your weeping

Christian—for the sheep's coat is a shorn fleece.

A Christian abundance, so the sheep's wool is its cloak

إلهي إن تلاحظني بخيرٍ

إلهي إن تلاحظني بخيرٍ

أجد خيراً ورضواناً وعزَّهْ

أجد خيراً ورضواناً وعزَّهْ

My God, if You look upon me with kindness,

My God if you regard me with good

I shall find goodness, favor, and honor.

I will find good, contentment and glory