يا سفر سيفر وإن خطوك بالذهب

السيف أصدق أنباء من الكتب

O document of Sèvres, though they inscribed you in gold,

the sword gives truer tidings than books.

حلم لذيذ تقضّى في معاهدة

أمست ممزقة الأطراف بالقضب

A sweet dream passed away in a treaty

whose edges were torn apart by swords.

ألقى صحيفته اليونان مقتنعا

من الغنيمة يا للعار بالهرب

Greece cast aside its document, content

with escape as its booty—oh, the shame!

ظلت أمانيه تذروها الرياح وقد

تقشعت عن محيا الترك كالسحب

Its hopes kept being scattered by the winds, and already

they had cleared from the Turks' countenance like clouds.

فاستوضحوه هلالا فوق رايته

يلقي الأشعة عن عجم وعن عرب

Then they saw him clearly, a crescent above his banner,

casting rays for non-Arabs and Arabs.

قامت له الترك إجلالا تؤيّده

وأيدتها اليد البيضاء في الحقب

The Turks rose in reverence to support him,

and the white hand of generosity upheld them through the ages.

هي البطولة لم تبرح لهم سمة

أكرم بها حسبا ناهيك من حسب

Heroism has never ceased to be their hallmark.

How noble a heritage—what a heritage it is!

تروي الورى ذكرهم عن صارم ذكر

عن ساح الحرب عن أفراسها الشهب

Humankind recounts their renown from a keen, stalwart sword,

from the battlefield, from its gray horses.

تبني على الفتح ما شادته جازمة

بالرفع من شأنها خفضا لمنسحب

They build upon conquest what they have raised, firmly resolved

to elevate their standing and bring a retreating foe low.

هذي المآثر في القارات خالدة

دل المسبب تحقيقا على السبب

These exploits endure across the continents;

the effect has surely revealed the cause.

سلوا الملاحم إذ يحمى الوطيس بها

سلوا المعامع عن فرسانها النجب

Ask the great battles, when their furnace grows hot;

ask the tumult of combat about its noble horsemen.

في الآستانة كم من آية ظهرت

للفاتحين وكم جاؤوك بالعجب

In Constantinople, how many a wonder appeared

to the conquerors; how often they brought you marvels!

نعم الأمير رويناه لفاتحها

عن الرسول وخير القول قول نبي

“What an excellent commander!”—we transmitted this of its conqueror

from the Messenger; the best speech is a prophet's speech.

الدردنيل وهم أسد العرين به

من يوم فتحه لم يخضع لمغتضب

The Dardanelles—where they are the lions of the den—

has not yielded to an enraged foe since the day of its conquest.

يزداد يوما فيوما في جلالته

يسعى مجدا إلى العلياء في طلب

He grows in majesty day after day,

striving earnestly in pursuit of the heights.

نادى إلى البحر يا جيشي هناك قفوا

فانساب سيل من الأفراس في خبب

He cried, “To the sea! O my army, take your stand there!”

And a torrent of horses streamed forth at a trot.

ما كان أجمل في أزمير طلعته

يا حسن ثغره مفترا على شنب

How splendid was his appearance in Izmir!

How lovely his mouth, smiling over gleaming teeth!

شفى قلوبا تلقته على ظمإ

لولاه ما انفكت الأكباد في لهب

He healed hearts that received him thirsting;

without him, their livers would have remained aflame.

قد قيض اللّه للأوطان منتقما

من كل معتسف للشر منتسب

God has appointed for the homelands an avenger

against every oppressor affiliated with evil.

ما حل إلا وحل النصر أنبع من

ظل وأشهى إلى الأسماع من طرب

Wherever he came, victory came, more freely flowing than

shade, and sweeter to the ears than music.

ساق الأسارى مع القواد صاغرة

نحن الأناضول ملقاة مع السلب

He drove the captives with their commanders, humbled,

[Toward] Anatolia, cast down with the spoils.

خابت ظنون بني اليونان وانعكست

تلك الأماني وضاع الحلم بالأرب

The expectations of the sons of Greece failed, and overturned were

those hopes; the dream and its desires were lost.

ظلت بقاياه في الأنحاء شاردة

لم تدر أيان مرساها من التعب

Its remnants kept wandering through the regions,

not knowing, from exhaustion, when they would find anchorage.

قد أذعرتها ليوث الترك فانتشرت

منها شعاعا ولج الروم في اللجب

The Turkish lions terrified them, and they scattered

away from them in all directions; the Greeks persisted in clamor.

لا عاصم اليوم من عصمت فينقذها

ولات رأفة من رافت على الغلب

Today no protector can save it from İsmet,

nor is there mercy from Refet for the vanquished.

لاقت يداها من الأحرار ما اقترفت

لما استطالت رماها اللّه بالعطب

Its hands received from the free the recompense for what it had done;

when it grew overbearing, God struck it with destruction.

مغرورة ساقها للنطع منهضها ل

ويد جورج الخرف المشغوف بالشغب

Deluded, its instigator drove it to the executioner's mat—

Lloyd George, the senile man infatuated with strife.

في روعها كيفما شاءت سياسته

ألقى الدسائس بل في جحرها الخرب

Into its mind, however his policy wished,

he cast intrigues—indeed, into its ruined burrow.

فاستأسدت حيث أنساها محرشها

ما هؤلاء فلاقتهم على كثب

So it acted like a lion, for its inciter made it forget

what these men were; it confronted them at close quarters.

غطت على طرفها الأطماع فانخدعت

وساقها الجشع الممقوت للحرب

Greed veiled its eyes, and it was deceived;

and loathsome avarice drove it to war.

خابت وخاب سياسيا مؤيدها

والتف منتحب منهم بمنتحب

It failed, and its supporter failed politically;

and one of their mourners clung to another.

لاذت إلى اصلح وانحلت عزائمها

مما اعتراها وما لاقته من لغب

It sought refuge in [peace], and its resolve unraveled,

from what had befallen it and the exhaustion it had suffered.

واستمنحت هدنة تبقي على رمق

لولا تورطها للرشد لم تثب

And it begged a truce to preserve a last breath of life;

without its predicament, it would not have returned to good sense.

لم يشف إسقاط قسطنطين غلتها

ولا اشتهار فنيزيلوس بالخطب

Constantine's overthrow did not soothe its burning thirst,

nor did Venizelos's fame for oratory.

للترك قد تركت رغما طراكية

واستنزفت دمعة حرا لمكتئب

It ceded Thrace to the Turks against its will,

and wrung a hot tear from one distraught.

لولا البواتر في أيدي الأباة قضت

بالحق لم تعط ما أعطت ولم تهب

Were it not for the cutting swords in the hands of the unbowed, which ruled

justly, it would not have given what it gave or granted anything.

وهكذا الحق لولا السيف يظهره

لم يحترم ربه فينا ولم يهب

Such is right: were the sword not to reveal it,

its possessor among us would be neither respected nor feared.

للّه يوم بموادنية انعقدت

فيه معاهدة الغازي الفتى الدرب

What a day at Mudanya, when there was concluded

the treaty of the warrior, the seasoned young man,

عصمت وحسبك عصمت في سياسته

وأنه عن كمال خير منتدب

İsmet—and İsmet's statecraft is enough for you,

as is his being the finest delegate on Kemal's behalf.

أملى شروطا تلقوها كما عرضت

واستصوبوها ولولا السيف لم تصب

He dictated terms, which they received just as presented,

and deemed them sound; without the sword, they would have missed the mark.

وبات يخطب ود المسلمين بها

مذ خطها القلم الملي بالذهب

And he began courting the Muslims' affection through it,

since the richly endowed pen inscribed it in gold.

واستسلمت لندن للأمر صاغرة

واستتبع الرأس في لأواه بالذنب

And London submitted to the settlement, humbled;

and the head, in its distress, drew the tail after it.

وانحاز للترك من فازت سياسته

وكان أجدر في الميدان باللعب

And he whose policy triumphed sided with the Turks,

and was more adept at playing in the arena.

واستثمر بوانكري لفرنكلان جني

غرس لغورو فأرضى العنصر العربي

And Poincaré put to use for Franklin the harvested fruit

of a planting for Gouraud, and pleased the Arab people.

لو لم تجب طلبة الأتراك لانفجرت

في العالمين براكين من الغضب

Had the Turks' request not been answered, there would have erupted

volcanoes of wrath throughout the worlds.

يا مصطفى المصطفى راض عليك فحز

هذا الرضا شرفا يا خير منتخب

O Mustafa, the Chosen One is pleased with you; claim

this approval as an honor, O finest of the chosen.

حيتك تونس فلتقبل تحيتها

عن روض شعري بباقات من الأدب

Tunisia has greeted you; accept its greeting

from the garden of my poetry, with bouquets of verse.

في شخصك الأمة السمحاء قد برزت

تختال بالنصر في أثوابها القشب

In your person the magnanimous nation has appeared,

strutting in victory in its fresh, splendid robes.

واعتز شأن بني الإسلام واحتفلت

كل الممالك واهتزت من الطرب

The standing of the sons of Islam grew strong, and rejoiced

all the kingdoms, swaying with delight.

فاحلل بمكة كي تنحل عقدتها

واسجد هناك لرب البيت واقترب

So settle in Mecca, that its knot may be undone;

and prostrate yourself there before the Lord of the House, and draw near.