طعنوك يا وطني المفدى

طعنوك يا وطني المفدى

في الصدر حتى كدت تردى

في الصدر حتى كدت تردى

They stabbed me, O my far-flung homeland,

They stabbed you, O my cherished homeland,

in the breast, until I nearly perished.

in the chest, until you nearly perished.

والطاعنون بنوك ان

والطاعنون بنوك ان

ت كسوتهم لحماً وجلدا

ت كسوتهم لحماً وجلدا

And those who stabbed you are your own sons—you...

And those who stabbed you are your sons; you

...clothed them in flesh and skin.

clothed them in flesh and skin.

ظلموك يا وطني ولم

ظلموك يا وطني ولم

يرع الألى ظلموك عهدا

يرع الألى ظلموك عهدا

They wronged me, O my homeland, and...

They wronged you, O my homeland, and

...those who wronged you kept no covenant.

those who wronged you honored no covenant.

حرموك حقا اشبعو

حرموك حقا اشبعو

ه بعد ان عرفوه جحدا

ه بعد ان عرفوه جحدا

They robbed you of a right, steeping...

They denied you a right, overwhelming it

...it in denial after they had acknowledged it.

with denial after they had recognized it.

كان الذي قد كنت تأ

كان الذي قد كنت تأ

مل عونه خصما الدا

مل عونه خصما الدا

The one whose aid you had hoped...

The one you had hoped

...for became a bitter foe.

would help was an implacable foe.

واختار من قربتهم

واختار من قربتهم

الا قليلا عنك بعدا

الا قليلا عنك بعدا

And those you drew near chose...

And those you brought close chose,

...all but a few, to distance themselves from you.

except for a few, to be far from you.

ولك الذين رفعتهم

ولك الذين رفعتهم

حفروا بجوف الارض لحدا

حفروا بجوف الارض لحدا

And those whom you raised...

And for you, those you raised

...dug you a grave deep within the earth.

dug a grave in the depths of the earth.

يبغون من دغل بهم

يبغون من دغل بهم

لك في حفير ضاق وأدا

لك في حفير ضاق وأدا

Driven by the malice within them, they seek...

From the malice within them, they seek

...for you a narrow, deadly pit.

to bury you alive in a narrow pit.

هل كان قلب عقيدهم

هل كان قلب عقيدهم

حجراً من الاحجار صلدا

حجراً من الاحجار صلدا

Was the heart of their leader...

Was their leader's heart

...a stone, hard among stones?

a hard stone among the stones?

حق هناك وباطل

حق هناك وباطل

ولقد يلاقي الضد ضدا

ولقد يلاقي الضد ضدا

Truth is there, and falsehood;

There is truth there, and falsehood,

and indeed each opposite meets its opposite.

and indeed one opposite meets another.

اني ارى جزرا ويسمي

اني ارى جزرا ويسمي

البعض هذا الجزر مدا

البعض هذا الجزر مدا

I see an ebb, yet some call...

I see an ebb, while some call

...this very ebb a flood tide;

this ebb a flood,

والشر خيرا من جمي

والشر خيرا من جمي

ع وجوهه والنحس سعدا

ع وجوهه والنحس سعدا

and evil is called good, in all...

and evil good in all

...its guises, and misfortune happiness;

its aspects, and ill fortune good fortune;

والقيد خلخالا لمن

والقيد خلخالا لمن

يشقى به والغل عقدا

يشقى به والغل عقدا

the fetter an anklet for one...

and the fetter an anklet for one

...made wretched by it, and the iron collar a necklace.

who suffers in it, and the neck-shackle a necklace.

اما جبين القوم فهو من

اما جبين القوم فهو من

الصفاقة ليس يندى

الصفاقة ليس يندى

As for the people's brows, from...

As for the people's brow, because of

...sheer shamelessness they never bead with sweat.

its shamelessness it never grows damp.

قد شاء ربك ان تطو

قد شاء ربك ان تطو

ل يد العتاة وان تشدّا

ل يد العتاة وان تشدّا

Your Lord has willed that the hand...

Your Lord has willed that far should stretch

...of tyrants grow long and strong.

the tyrants' hand, and that it be strengthened.

واقام حرص الجاه بي

واقام حرص الجاه بي

ن الحق والابصار سدا

ن الحق والابصار سدا

Greed for rank has raised, betwe...

And greed for rank has set between

...en truth and human sight, a barrier.

truth and sight a barrier.

واذا اراد اللَه امراً

واذا اراد اللَه امراً

بالعباد فلا مردّا

بالعباد فلا مردّا

And when God wills a matter...

And when God wills a thing

...for His servants, none can turn it back.

for His servants, there is no averting it.

هيهات قد دخل الذئا

هيهات قد دخل الذئا

ب حظيرة الخرفان ربدا

ب حظيرة الخرفان ربدا

Alas—the wolves have entered...

Alas, the wolves have entered

...the sheepfold, gray-backed.

the sheepfold, dusky-gray.

لو صين دستور البلا

لو صين دستور البلا

د لما تعدّى من تعدّى

د لما تعدّى من تعدّى

Had the country's constitu...

Had the country's constitution been upheld,

...tion been safeguarded, no transgressor would have transgressed.

those who transgressed would not have done so.

ولقد يسيء المرء في

ولقد يسيء المرء في

اعماله خطأ وعمدا

اعماله خطأ وعمدا

A person may indeed do wrong in...

Indeed, a person may do wrong in

...his deeds, by error or design.

his deeds, by mistake and by intent.

وطني على بلواك كن

وطني على بلواك كن

جلدا كما قد كنت جلدا

جلدا كما قد كنت جلدا

My homeland, beneath your affliction be...

My homeland, amid your affliction, be

...steadfast, as steadfast as you have always been.

steadfast, as you were steadfast before.

وعلى ظلامتك اصطبر

وعلى ظلامتك اصطبر

حتى تعود النار بردا

حتى تعود النار بردا

Endure the injustice done to you...

And endure the wrong done to you

...until the fire turns cool.

until the fire becomes cool,

وتخفف ويلات الحيا

وتخفف ويلات الحيا

ة فان للارزاء حدا

ة فان للارزاء حدا

And life's woes will abate...

and life's woes are eased,

...for calamities have an end.

for calamities have a limit.

لا تقشعر فانت لا

لا تقشعر فانت لا

تنهار يا وطني المفدى

تنهار يا وطني المفدى

Do not shudder, for you will not...

Do not shudder, for you will not

...collapse, O my far-flung homeland.

collapse, O my cherished homeland.

ما بال عيني لا ترى

ما بال عيني لا ترى

في ليلها للنجم وقدا

في ليلها للنجم وقدا

What ails my eye, that it sees...

Why does my eye not see

...no star glowing in its night?

any starlight in its night?

أافلن ام قام العمى

أافلن ام قام العمى

بيني وبين النجم سدا

بيني وبين النجم سدا

Have they set, or has blindness raised...

Have the stars set, or has blindness stood

...a barrier between the stars and me?

as a barrier between me and the stars?

انفض عني صحبتي

انفض عني صحبتي

وبقيت مثلى السيف فردا

وبقيت مثلى السيف فردا

My companions scattered from around me,

My companions scattered away from me,

and I remained alone, like the sword—

and I remained alone, like a sword.

كالسيف عريانا ولي

كالسيف عريانا ولي

س بلابس الا فرندا

س بلابس الا فرندا

naked as the sword, and wear...

Like a sword, naked, and not

...ing nothing but the blade's watered sheen.

clothed in anything but its watered pattern.

دافعت عن وطني ولم

دافعت عن وطني ولم

ار من دفاع عنه بدا

ار من دفاع عنه بدا

I defended my homeland and...

I defended my homeland, and did not

...saw no escape from defending it.

see any alternative to defending it.

ولقد وقفت بدجلة

ولقد وقفت بدجلة

ابكي مع الباكين مجدا

ابكي مع الباكين مجدا

I stood beside the Tigris,

And I stood beside the Tigris,

weeping with the mourners over glory—

weeping with the mourners for a glory—

مجدا اثيلا قد هوى

مجدا اثيلا قد هوى

ليلا بهاوية فاودى

ليلا بهاوية فاودى

an ancient, deep-rooted glory that plunged...

a deep-rooted glory that had fallen

...by night into an abyss and perished.

by night into an abyss and perished.

يا دخل ماؤك طيب

يا دخل ماؤك طيب

لو كنت املك منه وردا

لو كنت املك منه وردا

O Tigris, your water is sweet,

O Tigris, your water is sweet;

if only I possessed the means to drink from it.

if only I could claim a draught of it!

يروى الدخيل وانما ابنك

يروى الدخيل وانما ابنك

في جوار منك يصدى

في جوار منك يصدى

It quenches the stranger, while your own son...

The outsider drinks his fill, while your son

...beside you dies of thirst.

goes thirsty beside you.

ولقد مررت على الريا

ولقد مررت على الريا

ض فلم اجد فيهن وردا

ض فلم اجد فيهن وردا

I passed through the gar...

And I passed through the gardens,

...dens, but found not a single rose among them.

but found no roses in them.

وذكرت ايامي بها

وذكرت ايامي بها

واحبتي وذكرت عهدا

واحبتي وذكرت عهدا

I remembered my days there,

And I recalled my days there,

my beloved ones, and a bygone age.

and my loved ones, and recalled a time.

وبثثت للعهد الذي

وبثثت للعهد الذي

كنا به سعداء وجدا

كنا به سعداء وجدا

I poured out, for that age when...

And I poured out, for the time when

...we were happy, all my yearning.

we had been happy, my longing.

كانت رياضك ذات اف

كانت رياضك ذات اف

نان ترف وكن ملدا

نان ترف وكن ملدا

Your gardens once bore bran...

Your gardens had boughs

...ches luxuriant and supple;

that fluttered, and were supple.

فيها العنادل نازيا

فيها العنادل نازيا

ت تملأ الاسماع غردا

ت تملأ الاسماع غردا

in them the nightingales, leap...

Within them, the nightingales, hopping,

...ing, filled every ear with song.

filled the ears with song.

والريح ترسل من شذا

والريح ترسل من شذا

ها زلفة وفدا فوفدا

ها زلفة وفدا فوفدا

The breeze scattered from their frag...

And the wind sent forth its fragrance,

...rance a close breath, wave after wave.

near at hand, delegation after delegation.

ووردت ماءك صافياً

ووردت ماءك صافياً

فشربت ذاك الماء صردا

فشربت ذاك الماء صردا

I came to your limpid water,

And I came to your clear water,

and drank that water cold.

and drank that water cold.

وعلوت نشزا عند حو

وعلوت نشزا عند حو

ضك قائما وهبطت وهدا

ضك قائما وهبطت وهدا

I climbed a rise beside your po...

And I climbed a rise beside your

...ol, stood there, then descended into a hollow.

pool, standing upright, and descended into a hollow.

اما النخيل ففي صفو

اما النخيل ففي صفو

ف نسقت يحكين جندا

ف نسقت يحكين جندا

As for the palms, they stood in ro...

As for the palms, in rows

...ws, arrayed like soldiers.

they were arrayed, resembling an army.

قد كان يومئذ مرا

قد كان يومئذ مرا

ح في الصبابة لي ومغدى

ح في الصبابة لي ومغدى

In those days it was a roaming...

In those days I had an evening haunt

...place for my passion, my morning haunt.

in love's longing, and a morning haunt.

ولقد مضى لي عندها

ولقد مضى لي عندها

عيش وكان العيش رغدا

عيش وكان العيش رغدا

Long ago I had there...

And there beside them I once lived

...a life—and life was abundant.

a life—and life was full of ease,

حتى المّ بي العقام

حتى المّ بي العقام

فهد مني الجسم هدا

فهد مني الجسم هدا

Until an incurable affliction befell me,

until an incurable illness befell me

and utterly broke down my body.

and utterly shattered my body.

يا دهر انت علي قد

يا دهر انت علي قد

اصدرت حكمك مستبدا

اصدرت حكمك مستبدا

O Time, against me you have...

O Time, against me you have

...issued your decree like a despot.

passed your judgment despotically.

اني لاوثر في الحيا

اني لاوثر في الحيا

ة على اقتناء المال حمدا

ة على اقتناء المال حمدا

In life I surely value...

I truly prefer in life

...honorable praise above the acquisition of wealth.

praise to the acquisition of wealth.

واريد عزا لا اخا

واريد عزا لا اخا

ف زواله واريد مجدا

ف زواله واريد مجدا

I desire an honor whose loss I do not fe...

And I seek honor without fearing

...ar; and I desire glory.

its loss, and I seek glory.

واريد لاسمى بعد ان

واريد لاسمى بعد ان

ابلى بجوف الارض خلدا

ابلى بجوف الارض خلدا

And for my name, after I...

And I want for my name, after

...decay in the earth's depths, I desire immortality:

I decay in the depths of the earth, immortality—

ذكراً جميلا ان ردي

ذكراً جميلا ان ردي

ت كآخرين فليس يردى

ت كآخرين فليس يردى

a beautiful remembrance; if I peri...

a fair remembrance: if I perish

...sh like others, it will not perish.

like others, it will not perish.

المال حسبي منه ما

المال حسبي منه ما

يكفي لحاجي ان يسدا

يكفي لحاجي ان يسدا

Of wealth, enough for me is only what...

Of wealth, enough for me is whatever

...suffices to meet my need.

suffices to meet my needs.

ومصارع الأيام لا

ومصارع الأيام لا

يبغى من الأيام رفدا

يبغى من الأيام رفدا

Whoever wrestles with the days...

And one who wrestles with the days does not

...seeks no aid from the days.

seek support from the days.