قد أومضت حكمةُ الإنجيل عن رُسُلٍ
وحندسُ الكفر والطغيان جَنَّا
The wisdom of the Gospel has flashed from the Apostles,
While the blindness of disbelief and tyranny has darkened.
لقد هدَى مذ بدا بالشرع عاقلَه
وظل يخبط في عشواه من جُنَّا
It has guided the intelligent since it appeared with the Law,
While the madman continues stumbling in his folly.
قد سن للناس إيماناً شريعتُهُ
سَنِيَّةٌ وصحيحُ الأمر ما سنّا
Its religion established faith for people,
A tradition, sound in command, as it legislated.
به عقلنا كلامَ اللَه فانعقلت
عقولُنا بعقالٍ يَعقلُ الجِنّا
Through it our minds comprehended God's speech, so our minds
Were enlightened with an intellect that even jinn comprehend.
نصٌّ أمينٌ وثيقٌ جاء مفتدياً
نفوسَنا من ضلالٍ في الدجا كُنّا
A faithful, solid text came to redeem
Our souls from misguidance in the darkness where we were.
من جاءنا بحقيقتْهِ يجادلُنا
إن قال غَيَّرْتَهُ قولنْ له أنَّى
Whoever disputes us after the truth came to us,
If he says "You have altered it," say to him "How?"
هل يعلم الغربُ من في الشرق غيَّرَه
إن قال هل كاذبٌ ظنِّي فقل إنّا
Does the West know what one in the East altered?
If he says "I suspect lies," say "We are
سهمٌ يوجَّهُ والرامي بذي سَلَمٍ
نحو العراق لقد أبعدتَه منّا
An arrow directed and the archer is safe and sound
Toward Iraq - you have sent it far from us.
إن كان صدقُك ذا يلقاك فأتِ بما
قد كان من قبلُ متلوّاً كما كُنّا
If your claim is true, bring what
Was before as we recited.
إذ كلُّ قطرٍ من الدنيا له لغةٌ
إنجيلُها صادق المعنى وهو معْنا
Since every speck of the world has a language,
Its Gospel is of honest meaning, and it is with us,
قبلاً وبَعداً فلم يقنعك قائلُه
لغاتُه شاهدٌ في صحة المعنى
Before and after, yet its speaker did not convince you.
Its languages are proof of the correctness of the meaning.
أنى تشين كلامَ اللَه معتقداً
خلافَه ذاك خُلفٌ فيه يُتْجنَّى
How can you impugn God's speech, believing
Its contrary is a loss in which one is disgraced?
الحقُّ هذا كتابُ الله تَلحقُه
يهديك ثم ترانا فيه نَتْكَنَّى
This is the truth, God's book which
Will guide you, then you will see us cling to it.
خذ طالعَ الحق عن إنجيل مذهبنا
مبرهِناً ثم خذ تقليدَه عنّا
Take the rising of the truth from our denomination's Gospel,
Proving, then take its tradition from us.
هذا هو الشمس والأعدا ذوو رمَدٍ
والشمسُ في الأفق تخلو كلما عنّا
This is the sun, and the enemies have bleary eyes,
And the sun is in the horizon, always far from us.
لا عيب في الشمس إن رُدَّت نواظرُهم
خواسياً ثم قالوا نورها جُنّا
No flaw in the sun if their vision is
Turned in envy, then they said "Its light is madness."
فالمنهلُ العذبُ لا يَنفكُّ مزدحماً
أما الأجاجُ فبالإكراه يَتْمنَّى
The fresh spring does not cease to be crowded,
As for the bitter, it is desired with coercion.
صمتي عن الحق لا جهلاً ومعجزةً
لكن لأمرٍ دعاني فيه أَتْأنَّى
My silence on the truth is not ignorance or a miracle,
But for a matter that called me to be careful.
يا حكمةَ اللَه ما أغناكَ عن بشرٍ
لو يعقلونكَ ما كان الهدى ظنّا
O wisdom of God, how little you benefit mankind,
If they understood you, guidance would not be a notion.
ما كلُّ حُسنٍ يروق العينَ منظرُه
كلا ولا كل نظمٍ صوتُه حَنّا
Not all beauty pleases the eye in appearance,
No, nor does every poetry's sound become yearning.
اسمع مصيخاً لما يبديه مرتجلاً
مَتَّى ومَرقُسُ لوقا ثم يوحنا
Listen to the preaching of what he declares spontaneously -
Matthew, Mark, Luke, then John.
كلٌّ بإنجيله يروي حقيقتَه
عن روح قُدسٍ وما يرويه صدقنا
Each with his Gospel relates his truth,
From the Holy Spirit, and what he relates we believe.
صنّا تعاليمَهم من ذاك يُرشدُنا
إنجيلُهم ولغير الحق ما صُنّا
They protected their teachings from those who guide us.
Their Gospel, and we did not protect anything else.
قومٌ أناروا من الأقطار أربعةً
بأربعٍ ثم قالوا فانقلوا عنّا
A people who illuminated four regions
With four, then said "So convey from us."
إني غدوتُ مسيحيّاً بفضلهمِ
من دونهم كنتُ ضُلّاً أعبدُ الجِنّا
I have become Christian through them,
Without them I was lost, worshiping jinn.
