دِيارُ الحَيِّ مُقفِرَةٌ يَبابُ

كَأَنَّ رُسومَدِمنَتِها كِتابُ

The abodes of the living are desolate, O youth

As if the traces of their civilization are a book

نَأَت عَنها الرَبابُ وَباتَ يَهمِي

عَلَيها بَعدَ ساكِنِها الرَبابُ

The lute player departed from it, and the lute player wandered

Around it after its inhabitants departed

تُعاتِبُني أُمامَةُ في التَصابِي

وَكَيفَ بِهِ وَقَد فاتَ الشَبابُ

Umm Amat accuses me during discord

But how could it be so when youth has passed?

نَضا مِنّي الصِبا وَنَضَوتُ مِنهُ

كَما يَنضُو مِنَ الكَفِّ الخِضابُ

Youth passed from me, and I passed from it

As henna passes from the palm

إِلى نَصرٍ وَأَيُّ فَتىً كَنَصرِ

إِذا حَلَّت بِمَغناه الرِكابُ

To Nasr, and which hero is like Nasr

When the tents are pitched at his singing?

أمُنتَهِكَ الصَلِيبِ غَداةَ ظَلَّت

حُطاماً فِيهِمُ السُمرُ الصِلابُ

You violated the crucifix the morning after

Its fragments among them became summits and crosses

جُنُودُكَ لا يُحيط بِهِنَّ وَصفٌ

وَجُودُكَ لا يُحَصِّلُهُ حِسابُ

Your soldiers cannot be encompassed by description

And your generosity cannot be totaled by accounting

وَذِكرُكَ كُلُّهُ ذِكرٌ جَميلٌ

وَفِعلُكَ كُلُّهُ فِعلٌ عُجابُ

And all your mention is beautiful mention

And all your action is wondrous action

وَأَرمانُوسُ كانَ أَشَدَّ بَأساً

وَحَلَّ بِهِ عَلى يَدِكَ العَذابُ

And Armenia was violent in its onslaught

And by your hand affliction befell it

أَتاكَ يَجُرُّ بَحراً مِن حَديدٍ

لَهُ في كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ عُبابُ

It came to you dragging a sea of iron

With a billow in each direction

إِذا سارَت كَتائِبُهُ بِأَرضٍ

تَزَلزَلَتِ الأَباطِحُ وَالهِضابُ

When its regiments marched upon a land

The hills and plateaus shook

فَعادَ وَقَد سَلَبتَ المُلكَ عَنهُ

كَما سُلِبَت عَن المَيتِ الثِيابُ

So it returned after you had stripped the kingdom from it

As clothes are stripped from the dead

فَما أَدناهُ مِن خَيرِ مَجِيءٌ

وَلا أَقصاهُ مِن شَرِّ إِيابُ

So neither its coming brought it near good

Nor its going far from evil

فَلا تَسمَع بِطَنطَنَةِ الأَعادِي

فَإِنَّهُمُ إِذا طَنُّوا ذُبابُ

So do not listen to the clamor of enemies

For they are flies when they buzz

وَلا تَرفَع لِمَن عاداكَ رَأساً

فَإِنَّ اللَيثَ تَنبَحُهُ الكِلابُ

And do not raise your head to one who opposes you

For dogs bark at the lion