أدالَ اللهُ (جلَّقَ) من عداها

أدالَ اللهُ (جلَّقَ) من عداها

وَأحسنَ عن أضاحيها عزاها

وَأحسنَ عن أضاحيها عزاها

May God grant Jilliq victory over her foes,

God avenged those who opposed her

And grant her solace for her sacrificial victims.

And did good for her sacrifices

فكم حملتْ عن العربِ الرزايا

فكم حملتْ عن العربِ الرزايا

كذاك الأُمُّ تدفعُ عن حماها

كذاك الأُمُّ تدفعُ عن حماها

How many calamities she has borne for the Arabs,

So how much she carried for the Arabs of calamities

As a mother wards off harm from her sanctuary.

Thus is the mother who protects her offspring

مضتْ عشر عليها حالكات

مضتْ عشر عليها حالكات

كقطعِ الليلِ لم يكشفْ دجاها

كقطعِ الليلِ لم يكشفْ دجاها

Ten dark years have passed over her,

Ten passed over it, disastrous

Like stretches of night whose darkness was never dispelled.

Like pieces of the night whose darkness was not uncovered

أعادتْ عصرَ (تيمورٍ) إليها

أعادتْ عصرَ (تيمورٍ) إليها

فظنتْ مرةً أُخرى غزاها

فظنتْ مرةً أُخرى غزاها

They brought Timur's age back to her,

It brought back the era of (Taimur) to it

And she thought he had invaded her once again.

So she thought once again of its invasion

وَما شابتْ لها الأطفالُ لكنْ

وَما شابتْ لها الأطفالُ لكنْ

بشرعِ طغاتِها وَردتْ رداها

بشرعِ طغاتِها وَردتْ رداها

Her children did not turn gray; rather,

And the children did not turn white for it but

Under her tyrants' law, they met their doom.

With the laws of its tyrants, it returned its repeal

عرفنَا يومَ (يوسف) مبتداها

عرفنَا يومَ (يوسف) مبتداها

فهلْ مِنْ مخبرٍ عن منتهاها

فهلْ مِنْ مخبرٍ عن منتهاها

We knew its beginning on Yusuf's day;

We knew the day of (Yusuf) its beginning

Is there anyone to tell us of its end?

So who can inform of its ending?

(أَيوسفُ) والضحايا اليومَ كثرٌ

(أَيوسفُ) والضحايا اليومَ كثرٌ

ليهنك كنتَ أولَ من بداها

ليهنك كنتَ أولَ من بداها

O Yusuf, with victims so numerous today,

(Oh Yusuf), and the victims today are many

May it gladden you: you were the first to begin it.

Be delighted, you were the first to initiate it

زكا نبتُ البلادِ وَليس بدْعاً

زكا نبتُ البلادِ وَليس بدْعاً

زكيّاتُ الدما كانت حياها

زكيّاتُ الدما كانت حياها

The country's shoots flourished—and no wonder:

The country's plants thrived, and it is no wonder

Pure blood was its life-giving rain.

The blood of martyrs was its life

فديتُك قائداً حيّاً وَميْتا

فديتُك قائداً حيّاً وَميْتا

رفعتَ لكل مكرمة صُواها

رفعتَ لكل مكرمة صُواها

I would give my life for you, a commander living and dead;

I sacrifice you, alive and dead, as a leader

You raised the waymarks of every noble deed.

You raised every glory high

غضبتْ لأُمةٍ منها معدٌ

غضبتْ لأُمةٍ منها معدٌ

فأرضيتَ العروبةَ والإِلها

فأرضيتَ العروبةَ والإِلها

You raged for a nation that includes Maʿadd,

A nation got angry at her, and she has a grudge

And so you pleased Arabdom and God.

So you satisfied Arabism and the Lord

فيالك راقداً نبّهتَ شَعباً

فيالك راقداً نبّهتَ شَعباً

وأيقظتَ النواظرَ من كراها

وأيقظتَ النواظرَ من كراها

What a sleeper—you awakened a people,

Oh you, lying dead, you awakened a people

And woke their eyes from slumber!

And awakened the sights from their disdain

وَيا لك ميِّتاً أحييتَ منا

وَيا لك ميِّتاً أحييتَ منا

نفوساً لا تقرُّ عَلَى أذاها

نفوساً لا تقرُّ عَلَى أذاها

And what a dead man—you brought to life among us

And oh you, dead, you revived in us

Souls that will not submit to their mistreatment.

Souls that do not settle for their harm

سمتْ بك للمعالي نفسُ حرٍ

سمتْ بك للمعالي نفسُ حرٍ

لقدْ كانت منيّتها مناها

لقدْ كانت منيّتها مناها

A free man's soul raised you to the heights;

The soul of a free man only aspired to glory through you

Its death was indeed its desire.

Indeed its purpose had become its end

هويتَ عَلَى المنيةِ لا تبالي

هويتَ عَلَى المنيةِ لا تبالي

كما تهوى الثواقبُ من سماها

كما تهوى الثواقبُ من سماها

You plunged upon death without a care,

You plunged into death, not caring

As blazing stars plunge from their sky.

As plummets plunge from its sky

فداً لك بل لنعلك كلُّ تاجٍ

فداً لك بل لنعلك كلُّ تاجٍ

تصرّفه الطغاةُ عَلَى هواها

تصرّفه الطغاةُ عَلَى هواها

May every crown be a ransom for you—nay, for your sandal—

I sacrifice for you, rather for your shoes, every crown

That tyrants wield according to their whims.

Which the tyrants manipulate according to their desires

مصيبةُ (ميسلون) وَإن أَمضّتْ

مصيبةُ (ميسلون) وَإن أَمضّتْ

أخفُّ وَقيعة مما تلاها

أخفُّ وَقيعة مما تلاها

The calamity of Maysalun, though agonizing,

The tragedy of (Maysalon), though it was devastating

Was a lighter blow than what followed it.

Is lighter than the impact that followed it

فما من بقعةٍ بدمشق إلاّ

فما من بقعةٍ بدمشق إلاّ

تمثل ميسلونَ وَما دهاها

تمثل ميسلونَ وَما دهاها

For there is no spot in Damascus that does not

So there is no place in Damascus except

Mirror Maysalun and what befell it.

It depicts Maysalon and what afflicted it

فروعُ النارِ قد طالتْ ذراها

فروعُ النارِ قد طالتْ ذراها

وَبالدمِ لم يزلْ رطْباً ثراها

وَبالدمِ لم يزلْ رطْباً ثراها

Fire's branches have reached her summits,

The branches of fire have reached its homes

And her soil remains moist with blood.

And with blood, its land always stayed wet

فسلْ عمّا تصبّبَ من دماءٍ

فسلْ عمّا تصبّبَ من دماءٍ

تخبّركَ الحقيقةَ (غوطتاها)

تخبّركَ الحقيقةَ (غوطتاها)

Ask, then, about the blood that poured forth:

Ask about the blood that was shed

Her two Ghoutas will tell you the truth.

Reality will inform you, it overflowed

وَلم أر جنّةً أمسى بنوها

وَلم أر جنّةً أمسى بنوها

وقودَ النارِ فائرةٍ سواها

وقودَ النارِ فائرةٍ سواها

And I have seen no paradise whose sons became

And I have not seen a paradise whose people

Fuel for a raging fire, other than her.

Became firewood for raging fire but it

وَما زالتْ بقايا السيفِ منهم

وَما زالتْ بقايا السيفِ منهم

تعاني غربةً شطّتْ نواها

تعاني غربةً شطّتْ نواها

And those among them who survived the sword still

And remnants of the sword are still suffering from them

Suffer exile whose distance stretches far.

Exile that tore their determination

هُمُ كتبوا صحائفَ خالداتٍ

هُمُ كتبوا صحائفَ خالداتٍ

أرى صدرَ الزمانِ لقدْ وَعاها

أرى صدرَ الزمانِ لقدْ وَعاها

They wrote immortal pages;

They wrote eternal scriptures

I see that the breast of time has preserved them.

I see the breast of time has accommodated them

وَمحنتُهمْ عَلَى مرِّ الليالي

وَمحنتُهمْ عَلَى مرِّ الليالي

يرنُّ بسمعِ الدنيا صداها

يرنُّ بسمعِ الدنيا صداها

And through the passing nights, their ordeal—

And their affliction through the long nights

Its echo rings in the world's ears.

Rings in the ears of the world its echo

عشقتُ دمشق إِذْ هِيَ دارُ خلدٍ

عشقتُ دمشق إِذْ هِيَ دارُ خلدٍ

مقيم سعدُها دانٍ جناها

مقيم سعدُها دانٍ جناها

I loved Damascus when she was an abode of eternity,

I loved Damascus, for it is the abode of immortality

Her bliss enduring, her fruit within reach.

Its happiness residing, humbling its neighbors

فلما شبّتِ النيرانُ فيها

فلما شبّتِ النيرانُ فيها

وَطال لهيبُها أعلى ذراها

وَطال لهيبُها أعلى ذراها

Then, when fires blazed within her,

So when the fires flared up in it

And her flames reached her highest summits,

And its flames reached its highest homes

أرتنيها المحبةُ بيتَ نارٍ

أرتنيها المحبةُ بيتَ نارٍ

يلوح (لموبذ) وَهْناً سناها

يلوح (لموبذ) وَهْناً سناها

Love showed her to me as a temple of fire,

Love showed it to me as a house of fire

Whose radiance gleams to a Zoroastrian priest late at night.

Looming weakness flickers its years

عبدناها نعيماً أو جحيماً

عبدناها نعيماً أو جحيماً

وألهمتِ النفوسُ بها هداها

وألهمتِ النفوسُ بها هداها

We worshipped her, whether bliss or hell,

We worshipped it, bliss or inferno

And through her, souls were inspired to find their way.

And souls were inspired by it as guidance

وكان تمامَ محنتِها أمورٌ

وكان تمامَ محنتِها أمورٌ

لقد ضحكَ الزمانُ بها سفاها

لقد ضحكَ الزمانُ بها سفاها

And events completed her ordeal;

And the consummation of its tribulation was matters

Time laughed at them in folly.

Time really laughed foolishly at it

بهزلِ الدهرِ تاه بها وضيعٌ

بهزلِ الدهرِ تاه بها وضيعٌ

كما إبليسُ في الفردوس تاها

كما إبليسُ في الفردوس تاها

In time's jest, a base man strutted within her,

With the jest of fate, a wretch got lost in it

As Iblis strutted in Paradise.

As Iblis got lost in Paradise

وَشرذمةٌ تسابق في المخازي

وَشرذمةٌ تسابق في المخازي

عجبتُ لربنا أنّى براها

عجبتُ لربنا أنّى براها

And a rabble vies in shameful deeds;

And riffraff competing in vulgarities

I marveled at our Lord: how did He create them?

I wonder at our Lord, how He justified it!

أظنُّ مقاطعَ المأساةِ تمّتْ

أظنُّ مقاطعَ المأساةِ تمّتْ

بمهزلة تَظرَّفَ من رواها

بمهزلة تَظرَّفَ من رواها

I think the scenes of the tragedy have ended

I think the scenes of tragedy are over

In a farce whose teller tried to be witty.

With a farce that was fabricated by its storytellers

إذا ما ليلةٌ حلكتْ وَطالتْ

إذا ما ليلةٌ حلكتْ وَطالتْ

فأجدرْ أن يكونَ دنا ضحاها

فأجدرْ أن يكونَ دنا ضحاها

When a night grows pitch-dark and stretches long,

If a night comes and lingers

Then it is all the likelier that its morning light is near.

It is best that its morning draws near

وَعاقبةُ الشدائدِ والرزايا

وَعاقبةُ الشدائدِ والرزايا

إلى فرجٍ إذا بلغتْ مداها

إلى فرجٍ إذا بلغتْ مداها

And the outcome of hardships and calamities

And the outcome of hardships and calamities

Is relief, once they have reached their utmost limit.

Is relief, when it reaches its extent

سأقصرُ فالقوافي اليوم جمرٌ

سأقصرُ فالقوافي اليوم جمرٌ

أخافُ على المسامعِ من لظاها

أخافُ على المسامعِ من لظاها

I shall be brief, for today the rhymes are embers;

I will stop, for rhymes today are embers

I fear for ears exposed to their blaze.

I fear for the ears from their heat