إِذا اِفتَخَرَ الشَرقُ القَديمُ بِسَيِّدٍ
تَميدُ بِذِكراهُ اِبتِهاجاً مَحافِلُه
When the ancient East boasts of a master
Whose mention fills its gatherings with joy,
وَنُصِتَ مَوازينُ الفِخارِ وَقَد أَتى
يُماتِنُ كُلُّ خَصمِهِ وَيُساجِلُه
And the scales of glory are set right, as he comes
To defeat all rivals and contend with them,
فَمَن كَصَلاحِ الدينِ تَعنو لِذِكرِهِ
رُؤوسَ أَعاديهِ وَمَن ذا يُعادِلُه
Who but Saladin are heads bowed to recall?
Who can equal him?
يُخالِطُ أَعماقَ القُلوبِ وَلاؤُهُ
وَتفعَلُ أَفعالَ الشُمولِ شَمائِلُه
His loyalty dwells deep in hearts
And his qualities enact all-encompassing deeds.
وَاُقسِمُ لَو في الحَيِّ نودِيَ بِاِسمِهِ
لَدى سَنَواتِ المَحلِ لا خُضرُ ماحِلُه
I swear if his name were called out today
In the abode of empire, not a blossom in its gardens would stay green.
لَهُ عامِلا حَربٍ وَسِلمٍ كِلاهُما
كَفيلٌ بِإِذلالِ العَدُوِّ وَقاتِلُه
He has agents of both war and peace, each
Able to humiliate the enemy and fight him.
مُهَنَّدُهُ في عُنقِ قَرنٍ مُساوِرٌ
وَمِنَّتُهُ في عُنقِ خَصمٍ يُجامِلُه
His glory humbles the neck of every foe
And his favor graces the neck of every rival appeasing him.
وَما قَتَل الحُرُّ الأَبِيُّ الَّذي زَكَت
سَجاياهُ كَالعَفوِ الَّذي هُوَ شامِلُه
The noble free man who purified
His nature never killed like the pardoning that included even him.
وَما كُلِّ يَوماً عَضبُهُ عَن كَريهَةٍ
وَلا مَلَّ مِن حِلمٍ وَلَو مَلَّ عامِلُه
Not every day does his anger flare over an outrage,
Nor does he ever tire of clemency, even if his agent did.
تَظَلُّ طَوالَ الوَقتِ تَندى سُيوفُهُ
دِماءً وَتَندى جانِبَيها فَواضِلُه
His swords drip blood for ages
As do their two edges, shedders of blood.
فَكَم مِن عَدُوٍّ قَد تَرَدّى بِحَربِهِ
قَتيلاً وَعاشَت مِن نَداهُ أَرامِلُه
So many a hostile foe has rushed into war
Only to die, leaving widows to live on his fame.
وَفي الحَربِ قَد تَخَطّى مَراميهِ مَرَّةً
وَفي كُلِّ حالٍ لَيسَ يُخطِئُ نائِلُه
In war, he once surpassed his aims
And always, his seeker attains his goal.
تَفيضُ عَلى بُؤسِ العِداةِ دُموعُهُ
وَلَم يُلفِ يَوماً سائِلُ الدَمعِ سائِلُه
For the misery of enemies, his tears pour down
Never has the tearful one lacked a tearful companion.
كَأَنَّ الوَرى كانوا أَهاليهِ جُملَةً
فَمَهما يَكُن مِن بائِسٍ فَهوَ كافِلُه
It is as though all people together
Were his family, so whoever suffers, he aids.
وَمَن فَهِمَ الإِنسانَ في الناسِ فَهمُهُ
رَأى أَنَّ كُلَّ العامِلينَ عوائِلُه
Whoever understands man among men understands him,
For he sees all people as his dependents.
كَذَلِكَ مَن كانض التَمَدُّنُ دَأبُهُ
سَجِيَّةَ صِدقٍ مَحضَةً لا تُزايِلُه
Thus is he whose habit is civilization,
Of sheer honesty, nothing makes him swerve.
وَلَيسَ كَمَن باتَ التَمَدُّنُ يَدَّعي
مَقاوِلُهُ قَد كَذَّبَتها مَفاعِلُه
Not like one who falsely claims civilization,
Whose words his actions have proven false.
تَعَلَّم أَهلَ الغَربِ طَراً قَضُّهُ وَقَضيضُهُ
وَفارِسُهُ رامَ النِزالَ وَراجِلُه
He learned from the West an aim whose cutting sharpness
Wounds, and whose rider and footman have come to fight us,
مِئاتُ أُلوفٍ وَالفَرَنسيسُ وَحدَهُ
غَداً أُمَّةً في الأَرضِ أَن صالَ صائِلُه
Hundreds of thousands, and the Frenchman alone,
Would tomorrow be a nation on earth if his seeker gained success.
وَريكارَد قَلبُ اللَيثِ في كُلِّ مَوقِفٍ
يُؤازِرُهُ في طولِهِ وَيُماثِلُه
And Richard, the lionheart, in every stance,
Backs him, equaling his height.
وَمِن أُمَّةِ الأَلمانِ جَيشٌ عَرَمرَمٌ
يَسيرُ بِهِ مِن أَبعَدِ الأَرضِ عاهِلُه
And from the German nation, a horde
Led from the furthest end of earth by its ruler.
هِيَ الأَرضُ الكُبرى وَما ثَمَّ قَيصَرٌ
سِواها وَلَم تَزحَف إِلَينا جَحافِلُه
It is the great land, and there is no Caesar
Except it, and never did its armies crawl towards us,
فَصادَمَهُم مِن نَجلِ أَيّوبَ وَحدَهُ
فَتىً بِهِم جَمعاً تَميلُ مَوائِلُه
Until one youth of the Ayyubid line faced them alone,
A man whose inclinations are swaying.
حَليفُ وَفاءٍ لا يُضامُ نَزيلُهُ
وَلَكِنَّهُ أَمسى يُضامُ مُنازِلُه
Ally of unwavering loyalty, he gives shelter to the guest
But now he finds his own dwellings threatened.
لَهُ ثِقَةُ اللَهِ لَيسَت بِغَيرِهِ
وَمَن يَرجُ غَيرَ اللَهِ فَاللَهُ خاذِلُه
He trusts in God, none other,
And whoever entrusts other than God, He will forsake him.
وَقالَ وَقَد تَعيى الجِبالُ جُموعُهُم
لِيَفعَلَ إِلَهي اليَومَ ما هُوَ فاعِلُه
He said, though their crowds made the mountains weary,
"My God shall do today what He will do!"
وَيَصطَدِمُ الجَمعانِ حَولَينِ كُلَّما
خَبتَ نارُ حَربٍ أَوقَدَتها مَشاعِلُه
The two groups clash around whenever
The fires of a war are kindled by those who lit its flames.
ذَرا بِرِجالِ الشامِ شُمَّ جُيوشِهِم
فَعادوا كَعَصفٍ بَدَّدَتهُ مَآكِلُه
He scattered the Syrian army, smell their troops!
They returned like gusts scattered by the east wind.
وَسَخَّرَ هاتيكَ المَعاقِلُ كُلَّها
وَلَيسَت سِوى آيَ الكِتابِ مَعاقِلُه
He subjected all those citadels
Though they are nothing but verses of the Book.
وَسَل عَنهُ في حِطينِ يَوماً عَقَبقَباً
غَداةَ لِواءِ الحَقِّ عُزِّزَ حامِلُه
Some asked about him at Hittin, chains jangling,
The morning after the banner of truth was raised by its bearer,
وَعَن مَلِكِ الإِفرِنجِ وَهوَ أَسيرُهُ
وَلِرناطِ إِذ تَبكي عَلَيهِ حَلائِلُه
And about the King of the Franks as his captive,
As Lanat wept for him, her ornaments jingling.
هُنا اِنتَصَفَ الشَرقُ الأَصيلُ مِنَ الَّذي
أَغارَ عَلَيهِ وَاِستَطالَت طَوائِلُه
Who had raided it and whose ropes had grown long.
Was there ever a fortress for a nation like Syria,
فَهَل كانَ مِثلُ الشامِ حِصناً لِأُمَّةٍ
تَمَشّى إِلَيها الغَربُ تَغلي مَراجِلُه
Towards which the West crawled, its cauldrons boiling?
Whoever aims for noble Syria
وَمِن قَصدِ الشامِ الشَريفِ فَإِنَّهُ
لِيَعرِفهُ قَبلَ التَوَغَّلِ ساحِلُه
Must know its coast before penetrating deep.
My homeland! We must not neglect prudence for a moment
فَيا وَطَني لا نَترُكِ الحَزمَ لَحظَةً
بِعَصرٍ أُحيطَت بِالزِحامِ مَناهِلُه
In an age whose rivers are choked with crowds.
Be vigilant, do not slumber at any trickery
وَكُن يَقِظاً لا تَستَنِم لِمَكيدَةٍ
وَلا لِكَلامٍ يُشبِهُ الحَقَّ باطِلُه
Or words that resemble truth but are false.
A deceit against the Turks, it is said, is aimed,
وَكَيدٌ عَلى الأَتراكِ قيلَ مُصَوَّبٌ
وَلَكِن لِصَيدِ الأُمَّتَينِ حَبائِلُه
But its ropes are to trap both our nations.
Remember the old times, and you will know the new:
تَذَكَّر قَديمَ الأَمرِ تَعلَم حَديثُهُُ
فَكُلٌّ أَخيَرُ قَد نَمَتهُ أَوائِلُه
For each latter stage grew out of its first steps.
If your brother has wronged you, surely
إِذا غالَتِ الجَلِيَّ أَخاكَ فَإِنَّهُ
لَقَد غالَكَ الأَمرُ الَّذي هُوَ غائِلُه
It is the matter causing it that misled him.
There is no way but unity for one who dreads
فَلَيسَت بِغَيرِ الاتِّحادِ وَسيلَةٌ
لِمَن عافَ أَن تَغشى عَلَيهِ مَنازِلُه
His home being shrouded by what crowds it.
We have no refuge but the crescent
وَلَيسَ لَنا غَيرَ الهِلالِ مَظَلَّةً
يَنالُ لَدَيها العِزُّ مَن هُوَ آمِلُه
Where glory is obtained by one who hopes in it.
Even if the fate of others does not caution us
وَلَو لَم يَفدِنا عِبرَةً خَطَبَ غَيرَنا
لَهانَ وَلَكِن عِندَنا مَن نُسائِلُه
We have one we can ask, so we are not devoid.
My people will know I do not cheat them,
سَيَعلَمُ قَومي أَنَّني لا أَغشَهُم
وَمَهما اِستَطالَ اللَيلُ فَالصُبحُ واصِلُه
And however long the night drags on, dawn will join it.
