عودوا إلى حوض الرئيس وظلِّهِ

مستوثقين برأيه وبسبْلِهِ

Return to the President's council and his shade

Confident in his opinion and his ways

وتزودوا منه هدايتكم فقد

كاد الركاب يضل خلف مضله

And take wisdom from him, for nearly

Did the riders go astray behind his misguidance

إن الذي قاسيتمُ من بعده

قاسى سواكم مثله من قبله

Surely he who suffered after him

Suffered the like before him

يا غائبين وفي الضمائر وحشة

من هجره وغضاضة من عذله

O absent ones, and loneliness in consciences

From one who abandoned him and bitterness from one who blamed him

أغضبتموه عليكم وعداتكم

أولى بغضبته وفادح حمله

You angered him against you, and your criticism

More deserving of his anger and grievous his burden

وشغلتمُ بالعتب منه جانباً

وجدال خصمكمُ أحق بشغله

And you busied with reproach from him a side

And the disputation of your opponent more deserving of busyness

أيهم بالأسرى يفك قيودهم

بطل وفيهم من يهم بقتله

Which of them frees the prisoners of their shackles

A hero, and among them one who cares to kill him

إن الذي حمل الأذى من خصمه

أولى به حمل الأذى من أهله

Surely he who bears harm from his opponent

More deserving to bear harm from his own family

الشعب يجهل للنزاع نهاية

والشعب يخشى أن يموت بجهله

The people are ignorant of the feud's end

And the people fear that they may die in their ignorance

هذا أشق على الحمى وأشد من

جبروت حاميه ومن محتلِّه

This is hardest on defenders and greater than

The tyranny of its protector and its occupier

إني لأشفق منكمُ وعليكمُ

وأبث شكوى الواجد المتولِّه

I sympathize about you and for you

And tell the complaint of the loving protector

ومحرمين على الأبيِّ لضيفه

إعزازه وهمُ ضيوفُ مُذِلِّه

And forbidden to the hospitable their guest

To honor him, and they are guests of his disgracer

إن كان عذر القوم رسل منكمُ

فالوافدون اليوم أفضل رسله

If the people's excuse was messengers from you

Then today's arrivals are his best messengers

أيؤجج الغلاب في مغلوبه

غلّاً ويأبى عذره في غله

Does the victor enflame his defeated

With more fury? And refuse his excuse in his rage

ويسوق ذو البطش الأخيذ ويتقي

بالسيف صيحة موجع من أجله

And the owner of terrible might leads, and fears

The scream of the pained because of him

قرب المعاد وأين ما أعددتمُ

لغريمكم ولختله ولمطله

Judgment day is near, and where is what you prepared

For your enemy, his disorder and his request?

أيعيد كرته وفيكم خشية

من بأسه وتلهُّفٌ من دلِّه

Will he repeat his game while you have fear

Of his might and longing for his guidance?

وقد ابتليتم أمس وثبة ليثِهِ

هل تأمنون اليوم نفثةَ صلِّه

You have been tested by the leap of his lion

Do you feel safe today from the breath of his prayers?

ولقد قرأنا في عواصف صحفه

ما لا نسر بذكره وبنقله

And we read in the storms of his newspapers

What we do not delight to mention and convey

وأرابنا بعد اللقاء سكوتُكم

وهو الفخور بقوله وبفعله

And after the meeting, your silence disturbed us

And he is proud of his words and his actions

كيف السلامة منه وهو مرابط

حول البلاد بخيله وبرجله

How safety from him when he is stationed

Around the country, with his horses and his men?

ومن الكفيل بقسطها من نيلها

وهو المحيط بفرعه وبأصله

And who is able to distribute its shares of water

When he surrounds its branches and its roots?

أنسير من رق الزمان وأسره

شيعاً إلى جدب المكان ومحله

Shall I walk slowly from the passage of time and its flow

To the barrenness of space and its places?

ليس القوي بناره وحديده

مثل القوي بقلبه وبعقله

Not equal is the strong in his fire and iron

To the strong in his heart and mind

ومغالط من يدعي استقلالَهُ

إن لم يجد سبباً إليه كله

And mistaken is he who claims his independence

If he does not find a means to it, whole

وإذا أتى الحق الصريح تبرُّعاً

وتفضلاً فأجله كأقله

And if the clear truth comes volunteering

And generously, then treat it as you would the little

قد كان شمل الشعب أكبر عُدَّة

ووكيله المختار جامع شمله

Greater than all your resources was national unity

And your elected representative gathering your nation

عودوا إليه فكل شرط باطل

إن لم يمحصه وإن لم يُمْلِه

Return to him, for every condition is void

If he does not examine it and does not dictate it

إني لأدري والتجارب جمة

بالفرق بين سجلِّهم وسجلِّه

I know, and examples abound

Of the difference between their register and his register

أولى بهم ذاك المراس وإنه

لعقوبة المتجبر المتألِّه

More deserving of them is he of firmness, and he

Is the punishment of the arrogant pretender

ولكل عاتٍ جانبٌ من حزمه

ولكل حرٍّ جانب من فضله

And for every rebel is an aspect of his wisdom

And for every freeman an aspect of his excellence

يا سعد أعلاني رضاك بصدق ما

أتلو وأي مجاهد لم تُعْلِه

O Saad, declare my satisfaction with the truth of what

I recite, and which mujahid did you not raise?

أجزيك عن وطني وقومي خير ما

تجزي وألقَى ما صنعتَ بمثله

I reward you for my country and people the best reward

You give, and I present what you have made alike

شيم الوفي بعهده والمكتفي

بيقينه والمطمئن بعدله

It is the loyal's trait to keep his oath and be

Content in his certainty and reassured by his justice