1. أنشد الشعر وحيَ الشهداءَ

    وأجُد فيهم اخا العرب الرثاء

    Recite poetry and salute the martyrs;

    And excel in lamenting them, O brother of the Arabs.

  2. واملأ الدنيا حنيناً وجوى

    وفم الدهر مديحاً وثناء

    And fill the world with longing and anguish,

    And the mouth of time with praise and acclaim.

  3. حيّ ذكراهم وقف في حيهم

    وتخيلهم صباحاً ومساء

    Honor their memory, and stand in their quarter;

    And picture them morning and evening.

  4. واسكب القلب على ارماسهم

    قطراتٍ واذرف الدمع دماء

    And pour your heart upon their graves,

    In droplets, and shed your tears as blood.

  5. انها تحوي جسوماً حملت

    في حناياها مضاء وإباء

    Indeed, they hold bodies that bore

    Within their breasts resolve and proud defiance.

  6. انها تحوي نفوساً أنفت

    ان ترى تحيا على الأرض هباء

    Indeed, they hold souls that disdained

    To be seen living on earth as mere dust.

  7. ارسل الشعر انيناً صامتاً

    وابعث اللحن نشيداً وحداء

    Send forth poetry as a silent moan,

    And send forth the melody as song and a camel-driver's chant.

  8. صعّد الزفرات لا تحبسها

    هدأة النفس واطلقها بكاء

    Raise your sighs; let them not be stifled

    By the soul's stillness; release them as weeping.

  9. وابتعث منها شكاة واسىً

    وأذب فيها حنيناً ونجاء

    And draw from them lamentation and sorrow,

    And dissolve in them longing and whispered confidences.

  10. وانفث الآلام حرى كبد

    ان في الآلام سلوى وعزاء

    And breathe out anguish from a burning liver;

    For in anguish lie solace and consolation.

  11. انشد الشعر وحي جثثاً

    مزقت اشلاء ظلما واعتداء

    Recite poetry, and salute the corpses

    Torn limb from limb by injustice and aggression.

  12. خلفت من بعدها افئدة

    صهرت حزناً وبؤساً وشقاء

    They left behind them hearts

    Melted by grief, misery, and suffering.

  13. هذه امّ صغار فقدت

    بعلها تبغي لأطفالٍ غذاء

    Here is a mother of little ones who has lost

    Her husband; she seeks food for her children.

  14. تسفك الدمعة من مهجتها

    زفرة حرى وناراً ودماء

    She sheds a tear from her heart's blood,

    As a burning sigh, and fire, and blood.

  15. يا لها بائسة حائرة

    تكتم البؤس وتخفيه حياء

    Alas for her, wretched and bewildered,

    She conceals her misery and hides it out of shame.

  16. كفكفي يا اخت دمعاً حائراً

    ان في الدنيا سواكِ بؤساء

    Wipe away, sister, your bewildered tears;

    For there are wretched people in this world besides you.

  17. عجب الدنيا قصارى همها

    ان ترى خير بنيها اشقياء

    Strange is the world: its utmost concern

    Is to see the best of its children wretched.

  18. ما لها تأتي بما نجهله

    بئس ما تأتي به الدنيا وساء

    What ails it, that it brings what we do not understand?

    Evil and vile is what the world brings.

  19. أَنشد الشعر اجب من نسبوا

    قومك العرب عبيداً واماء

    Recite poetry; answer those who called

    Your people, the Arabs, slaves and bondwomen.

  20. قل لهم قد طفح الكيل وقد

    ملّت الأنفس عيشاً وبقاء

    Tell them: the measure has overflowed, and already

    Souls have wearied of life and survival.

  21. قد خدعنا بكمُ لكنكم

    قد كشفتم عنكم ذاك الغطاء

    We were taken in by you, but you

    Have lifted that veil from yourselves.

  22. أيها القوم دخلتم حلفاء

    وملكتم فغدوتم خصماء

    O people, you entered as allies,

    And gained power, then became adversaries.

  23. نحن من يعرب فينا شمم

    وبرئنا مذ برئنا اوفياء

    We are of Ya'rub; proud dignity is in us,

    And we have been faithful since we were created.

  24. وسلوا التاريخ عن أمجادنا

    وبني الدنيا جميعاً والسماء

    And ask history about our glories,

    And all the world's children, and the sky.

  25. قد ملكنا الأرض بالعدل ولم

    نك إلا رحماءَ نبلاء

    We ruled the earth with justice, and were never

    Anything but merciful and noble.

  26. وانتشلنا الغرب من ظلمته

    وملأنا صفحة الكون ضياء

    And rescued the West from its darkness,

    And filled the page of the universe with light.

  27. أنشد الشعر أجب من نعتوا ال

    عرب نعتاً كان سخفاً وهراء

    Recite poetry; answer those who described the

    Arabs in terms that were folly and nonsense.

  28. زعموا أنا وحوش كذبوا

    وادعوا إفكا وزوراً وافتراء

    They claimed we are beasts—they lied,

    And asserted falsehood, lies, and fabrication.

  29. انهذا الزعم لا نعبا به

    نحن نوليه ازوراراً وازدراء

    Indeed, this claim—we pay no heed to it.

    We accord it aversion and contempt.

  30. هذه الصحراء كم قد انبتت

    من اسود بسلاء كرماء

    This desert has brought forth so many

    Lions, valiant and generous!

  31. عشتم الاحقاب في أكنافهم

    وطعمتم بينهم خبزاً وماء

    You lived for ages in their shelter,

    And tasted bread and water among them;

  32. وأجاروكم من القوم الألى

    أمعنوا فيكم نكالاً وجلاء

    And they protected you from those people who

    Went to extremes in punishing and expelling you.

  33. واذكروا ما كان في اندلس

    واقرأوا لتاريخ واستوحوا الاباء

    And recall what happened in al-Andalus,

    And read history, and draw inspiration from the forefathers.

  34. وتعالوا الان نبدي لكمو

    أننا اصفى نفوساً ودماء

    And come now: we shall show you

    That our souls and blood are purer.

  35. هذه يافا وذي احداثها

    ناطقات بالذي يجلو الخفاء

    Here is Jaffa, and these are its events,

    Speaking of what dispels concealment.

  36. قد غدرتم ونقضتم ذمما

    فجزيناكم وداداً وولاء

    You have betrayed and broken covenants,

    Yet we repaid you with affection and loyalty.

  37. وحرقتم دررنا آهلةً

    فأويناكم رجالاً ونساء

    And you burned our pearls, still inhabited,

    Yet we sheltered you, men and women.

  38. وزرعنا فيكم مرحمة

    فحصدنا منكم الشتم جزاء

    And we sowed compassion among you,

    But we reaped insults from you as our reward.

  39. دأبنا هذا وذا دأبكمو

    بعد الفرق وما نحن سواء

    This is our way, and that is yours;

    Vast is the difference, and we are not alike.

  40. يا يد الأقدار ظلي سجلي

    من بني العرب ضحايا شهداء

    O hand of the fates, keep recording

    From among the sons of the Arabs, martyred victims.