لاdo not تسألينيask me، أتعَبتْنيhave wearied me الأسئلَهْthe questions
لا تسأليني، أتعَبتْني الأسئلَهْ
هَرِمَhas grown old الجَوابُthe answer كأنَّas though ثغْرًاa mouth أهْملَهْneglected it
هَرِمَ الجَوابُ كأنَّ ثغْرًا أهْملَهْ
Do not ask me; the questions have wearied me.
Do not ask me, questions have wearied me
The answer has grown old, as though a mouth had neglected it.
The answer has grown old as if it were a neglected ruin
الصمْتُsilence غيظٌrage، والكلامُand speech مَشيئَتيْmy will
الصمْتُ غيظٌ، والكلامُ مَشيئَتيْ
إنْif شِئْتِyou wish طاولْتُI challenged الرَّدَىdeath كيْso that أسألَهْI may question it
إنْ شِئْتِ طاولْتُ الرَّدَى كيْ أسألَهْ
Silence is rage, and speech is my will.
Silence is rage, and speech is my will
If you wish, I will challenge death to question it.
If you wish, I resisted devastation in order to ask it
كمْhow many راحلٍa departed one حَمَلَcarried الفُراتُthe Euphrates رُفاتَهُhis remains
كمْ راحلٍ حَمَلَ الفُراتُ رُفاتَهُ
حتّىuntil استَوىthere came to be فيin كلِّevery بيْتٍhome أرملَهْa widow!
حتّى استَوى في كلِّ بيْتٍ أرملَهْ!
How many a departed one's remains the Euphrates has borne,
How many caravans has the Euphrates carried their relics
until there was a widow in every home!
Until it settled in every desolate house!
شَقَّتْshe tore ثيابَthe garments of القَهْرِoppression، لاnot حُزنًاout of grief
شَقَّتْ ثيابَ القَهْرِ، لا حُزنًا
علىover صمتِthe silence of المنازلِthe homes، بلْbut rather ضياعِthe loss of المنزلَهْstanding
على صمتِ المنازلِ، بلْ ضياعِ المنزلَهْ
She tore oppression's garments, not in grief
It tore the clothes of oppression, not out of sorrow
over the silence of the homes, but over the loss of standing.
Over the silence of houses, but the loss of home
لمـّاwhen مَشىhe walked مُتَخفِّفًاunburdening himself مِنْof ذُلِّناour humiliation
لمـّا مَشى مُتَخفِّفًا مِنْ ذُلِّنا
نَسْرُthe eagle of العِراقِIraq، وذُلُّناwhile our humiliation قدْalready أثقلَهْhad weighed him down
نَسْرُ العِراقِ، وذُلُّنا قدْ أثقلَهْ
When he walked, unburdening himself of our humiliation—
When he walked away lightly from our humiliation
the eagle of Iraq, though our humiliation had weighed him down—
The goshawk of Iraq, while our humiliation burdened it
رَجَفتْtrembled أياديthe hands of الغَدْرِtreachery لمـّاwhen طوَّقتْthey encircled
رَجَفتْ أيادي الغَدْرِ لمـّا طوَّقتْ
عُنُقًاa neck تَبسَّمَsmiled فيin فَضاءِthe expanse of المِقْصلَهْthe guillotine
عُنُقًا تَبسَّمَ في فَضاءِ المِقْصلَهْ
the hands of treachery trembled when they encircled
The hands of betrayal trembled when they surrounded
a neck that smiled in the guillotine's expanse.
A neck that smiled in the open space of the scaffold
ومَضىand he went on يُرتِّبُarranging للبلادِfor the country نَهارَهاits day
ومَضى يُرتِّبُ للبلادِ نَهارَها
لكنَّbut موتًاa death فيin الظَّلامِthe darkness تَعجَّلَهْclaimed him too soon
لكنَّ موتًا في الظَّلامِ تَعجَّلَهْ
And he went on arranging the country's day,
And he went on organizing the day for the country
but a death in the darkness claimed him too soon.
But death in the darkness hurried him
ياO سائليْmy questioner... نصرٌa victory أضلَّled astray طريقَناour path
يا سائليْ... نصرٌ أضلَّ طريقَنا
تاهَتwent astray بَنادقُناour rifles ونَحنُwhile we are البوْصَلَهْthe compass
تاهَت بَنادقُنا ونَحنُ البوْصَلَهْ
O my questioner... a victory has led us off our path.
O my questioner... A victory that lost our way
Our rifles have gone astray, while we are the compass.
Our guns wandered while we are the onions
دَمُناour blood الحَرامُinviolable تَحلَّلتْهُdeemed it lawful to shed سُيوفُناour swords
دَمُنا الحَرامُ تَحلَّلتْهُ سُيوفُنا
أمْor أنَّthat سيفَthe sword of الخائفينَthe fearful تحلَّلَهْdeemed it lawful to shed؟!
أمْ أنَّ سيفَ الخائفينَ تحلَّلَهْ؟!
Our inviolable blood—did our swords deem it lawful to shed,
Was our forbidden blood dissolved by our swords
or did the sword of the fearful deem it lawful?!
Or did the sword of the fearful dissolve it?!
بغدادُBaghdad تسْكُنهاinhabits her الحياةَlife بعُسْرةٍwith difficulty
بغدادُ تسْكُنها الحياةَ بعُسْرةٍ
والموتُand death فيin جَنَباتهاher quarters ماhow أسهلَهْeasy it is
والموتُ في جَنَباتها ما أسهلَهْ
Baghdad—life inhabits her with difficulty,
Baghdad, life resides in it with difficulty
and death in her quarters—how easy it is!
And death in its flanks, how easy it is!
فيin كلّevery جَنْبٍquarter عُصْبةٌa faction... قرآنُهاits Quran
في كلّ جَنْبٍ عُصْبةٌ... قرآنُها
دَمُناour blood بـِمحرابِin the prayer niche of العُروبةِArabism رتَّلَهْrecited it
دَمُنا بـِمحرابِ العُروبةِ رتَّلَهْ
In every quarter, a faction whose Quran
In every side, a faction... its Qur'an
our blood has recited in the prayer niche of Arabism.
Our blood in the shrine of Arabism recited it
فَـso «يَزيدُYazid» إنْif ألقَىdelivered حديثًاa speech للهَوىfor desire's sake
فَـ «يَزيدُ» إنْ ألقَى حديثًا للهَوى
راحَwent الذيthe one who تَبِعَfollowed «الحُسينَHusayn» فأوَّلَهْand then interpreted it
راحَ الذي تَبِعَ «الحُسينَ» فأوَّلَهْ
So if Yazid delivers a speech for desire's sake,
So if "Yazid" spoke a word of passion
the one who followed Husayn goes and interprets it.
One who followed "al-Husayn" went and interpreted it
غُرَباءُstrangers واتَّفَقواand they agreed علىover جَسدٍa body لَهاbelonging to her
غُرَباءُ واتَّفَقوا على جَسدٍ لَها
فتقطّعتْso were torn apart أوصالُهاher limbs، والرأْسُand the head لَهْbelongs to him
فتقطّعتْ أوصالُها، والرأْسُ لَهْ
Strangers, and they agreed over her body,
Strangers conspired over her body
so her limbs were torn apart, and the head was his.
So her limbs were severed, and the head is hers
هذاthis is العِراقُIraq عِراقُناour Iraq، مَهْماno matter how عَلاrose
هذا العِراقُ عِراقُنا، مَهْما عَلا
صوتُthe voice of الطغاةِthe tyrants، فكلُّfor every صمْتٍsilence مرحَلَهْa phase
صوتُ الطغاةِ، فكلُّ صمْتٍ مرحَلَهْ
This is Iraq, our Iraq, no matter how high
This is our Iraq, no matter how loud
the tyrants' voice rises; for every silence is a phase.
The voice of tyrants, every silence has its exile
هذاthis النشيدُthe anthem لثائرٍfor a rebel، فيin صَدْرهِhis breast
هذا النشيدُ لثائرٍ، في صَدْرهِ
حَمَلَcarried العراقَIraq وذادَand defended عنهُon its behalf لِنحْمِلَهْso that we may carry it
حَمَلَ العراقَ وذادَ عنهُ لِنحْمِلَهْ
This anthem is for a rebel who, within his breast,
This is an anthem for a rebel, in whose chest
carried Iraq and defended it, so that we might carry it.
He carried Iraq and defended it to carry it
Sol 6.1