هو الإثم، زلزلَ زلزالها

هو الإثم، زلزلَ زلزالها

فـزلزلتِ الأرضُ زلزالها

فـزلزلتِ الأرضُ زلزالها

It is sin that unleashed her earthquake;

It is the sin that shook its earthquake

It is sin that caused its quaking,

so the earth was shaken with her earthquake.

So the earth shook its earthquake

So the earth shook with its mighty convulsion.

وحَمَّلها الناسُ أثقالها

وحَمَّلها الناسُ أثقالها

فـأخرجت الأرضُ أثقالها

فـأخرجت الأرضُ أثقالها

And the people loaded her with her burdens;

And people loaded it with its burdens

The people loaded it with their heavy burdens,

so the earth brought forth her burdens.

So the earth brought out its burdens

And the earth cast out its burdens.

وقال ابن آدمَ في حُمقه

وقال ابن آدمَ في حُمقه

يسائلها ساخرًا ما لها؟؟

يسائلها ساخرًا ما لها؟؟

And Adam's son said in his folly,

And the son of Adam said in his foolishness

And the son of Adam said in his folly,

questioning her mockingly, "What is wrong with her?"

Mockingly asking it, what is wrong with it?

Asking it mockingly: "What ails it?"

فلا تسألوا الأرض عن رجّةٍ

فلا تسألوا الأرض عن رجّةٍ

تحاكي الجحيم وأهوالها

تحاكي الجحيم وأهوالها

So do not ask the earth about a tremor

So do not ask the earth about mercy

Do not ask the earth about a tremor

that resembles Hell and its horrors.

That mimics hell and its horrors

That mimics Hellfire and its terrors.

ألا إنّ إبليس أوحى لكم

ألا إنّ إبليس أوحى لكم

ألا إن ربك أوحى لها!

ألا إن ربك أوحى لها!

Behold, Iblis has inspired you;

Behold! Satan has revealed to you

Behold, Satan has whispered to you,

behold, your Lord has inspired her!

Behold! Your Lord has revealed to it

But behold, your Lord has inspired *it*!

تعاليْتَ يا ربّ! كم عابثٍ

تعاليْتَ يا ربّ! كم عابثٍ

بآيك، لم يك يُصغي لها!

بآيك، لم يك يُصغي لها!

Exalted are You, O Lord! How many a scoffer

Exalted are You, O Lord! How many jesters

Exalted are You, O Lord! How many a mocker

at Your signs would not listen to them!

With Your signs, would not listen to it

Of Your signs, refused to heed them!

وجلّ جلالك! كم أنفسٍ

وجلّ جلالك! كم أنفسٍ

تحدّاك، قطّعْتَ أوصالها!

تحدّاك، قطّعْتَ أوصالها!

And great is Your majesty! How many souls

And Your majesty is supreme! How many souls

Majestic is Your Glory! How many souls

defied You—you severed their limbs!

Defied You, so You cut its limbs

Defied You, and You severed their limbs!

وكم أممٍ، غيّرتْ ما بها

وكم أممٍ، غيّرتْ ما بها

فغيّرتَ يا ربّ أحوالها!

فغيّرتَ يا ربّ أحوالها!

And how many nations changed what was within them,

And how many nations, changed what was in it

And how many nations changed what was within them,

so You, O Lord, changed their circumstances!

So You changed, O Lord, its conditions

So You changed, O Lord, their condition!

وزلّت بأعمالها فغدت

وزلّت بأعمالها فغدت

ترى في الزلازل أعمالها

ترى في الزلازل أعمالها

And they stumbled through their deeds, and came to

And it slipped because of its deeds and became

They slipped in their deeds, and so they woke

see their deeds in the earthquakes.

Seeing in earthquakes, its deeds

To see their own actions in the quakes.

عساها تثوبُ إلى رشدها

عساها تثوبُ إلى رشدها

فأولى لها، ثم أولى لها

فأولى لها، ثم أولى لها

Perhaps they will return to sound judgment;

Hopefully it will return to its sanity

Perhaps they might return to their senses;

so woe to them, then woe to them!

So first for it, then first for it

If not, then woe to them, and woe again!

أمانًا! ألا يا سماءُ أقلعي

أمانًا! ألا يا سماءُ أقلعي

فقد صبّت الأرضُ أنكالها

فقد صبّت الأرضُ أنكالها

Grant us safety! O sky, cease!

Safety! Behold, O sky, stop

Mercy! O sky, withhold your rain,

For the earth has poured out her torments.

For the earth has poured its floods

For the earth has poured out its punishments.

ويا أرضُ، رحماك! لا تبلعي

ويا أرضُ، رحماك! لا تبلعي

صبايا البلاد وأطفالها

صبايا البلاد وأطفالها

And O earth, have mercy! Do not swallow

And O earth, have mercy! Do not swallow

And O earth, have mercy! Do not swallow

the girls of the land and her children.

The country’s children and infants

The land's young maidens and its children.

ويا سيلُ قِفْ، واحتشمْ إنَّ في

ويا سيلُ قِفْ، واحتشمْ إنَّ في

طريقك أكبادَ يُرثى لها

طريقك أكبادَ يُرثى لها

And O torrent, stop and show restraint! For in

And O torrent, stop, and be modest, for

And O torrent, halt! Have shame, for in

your path are hearts deserving pity.

In your way are livers that are grieved for

Your path lie beloved hearts worthy of pity.

كأنك والناسُ حيّهمُ

كأنك والناسُ حيّهمُ

كمن مات، قد جئتَ غسّالها

كمن مات، قد جئتَ غسّالها

It is as though you—while the living among the people

As if you and the people are their snakes

It is as if—while the living among the people

are like the dead—have come as her corpse-washer.

As if dead, you have come its undertaker

Are like the dead—you have come to wash their corpses.

جرى ما كفى! هل كفى ما جرى؟

جرى ما كفى! هل كفى ما جرى؟

كفى بالجزائر، ما نالها؟

كفى بالجزائر، ما نالها؟

Enough has happened! Has what happened sufficed?

Enough has flowed! Is enough what has flowed?

Enough has passed! Is what happened not enough?

Has what befell Algeria been enough?

Is it enough for Algeria, what befell it?

Has Algeria not suffered enough of what befell her?

ويا خطبُ! رفقًا بهذي البلا

ويا خطبُ! رفقًا بهذي البلا

دِ، ألم ترَ، يا خطبُ، أحمالها؟

دِ، ألم ترَ، يا خطبُ، أحمالها؟

And O calamity, be gentle with this coun-

And O orators! Gently with this country

O Calamity! Be gentle with this land;

try! Have you not seen, O calamity, her burdens?

Did you not see, O orators, its burdens?

Do you not see, O Calamity, its heavy loads?

ألم ترها، بين جهلٍ، وفقرٍ

ألم ترها، بين جهلٍ، وفقرٍ

تجرّر للموت أذيالها؟

تجرّر للموت أذيالها؟

Have you not seen her, between ignorance and poverty,

Did you not see it, between ignorance and poverty

Do you not see her, betwixt ignorance and poverty,

dragging her skirts toward death?

Dragging the tail of death?

Dragging her skirts towards death?

وما فعل الغُشْم،ُ في أمرها

وما فعل الغُشْم،ُ في أمرها

وقد فوّضت فيه جهّالها

وقد فوّضت فيه جهّالها

And what have the brutes done to her affairs,

And what did the upstarts do about it

And what tyranny has wrought upon her affairs,

when she put her ignorant ones in charge of them?

When you entrusted its ignorant people

When she has entrusted them to her ignorant ones.

فلن تستحق العلا أمةٌ

فلن تستحق العلا أمةٌ

تولّي القيادة أرذالها

تولّي القيادة أرذالها

So no nation will deserve eminence

So a nation does not deserve elevation

For no nation shall deserve glory

that entrusts leadership to her basest people.

That makes frogs its heroes

That grants leadership to its vilest men.

وكيف تريدُ البقاء بلا

وكيف تريدُ البقاء بلا

دٌ تعدّ الضفادعَ أبطالها

دٌ تعدّ الضفادعَ أبطالها

And how can survival be desired by a coun-

And how can it seek survival without

And how can a land hope to survive

try that counts frogs as her heroes?

A country that counts geckos as its champions

When it counts frogs among its heroes?

وليست ببالغةٍ أمرها

وليست ببالغةٍ أمرها

وجلادها صار دلالها

وجلادها صار دلالها

Nor will she attain her aim,

And its matter is not eloquent

She shall not reach her destiny

while her executioner has become her broker.

And its torturer has become its crony

While her executioner has become her broker.

ولا خيرَ فيها إذا لم تثُرْ

ولا خيرَ فيها إذا لم تثُرْ

لتنسفَ بالنار أغلالها

لتنسفَ بالنار أغلالها

And there is no good in her if she does not rise up

And there is no good in it if it does not revolt

And there is no good in her if she does not rise,

to blast her shackles apart with fire.

To blow up with fire its shackles

To blast apart her shackles with fire.