عُبَيْرُك يَاقُدْس عِطْر الْفَنَن

أَيّا زَهْرَة فَوْق غُصْن الْزَّمَن

Your fragrance, O Jerusalem, is the scent of arts

Your scent, O Jerusalem, is the fragrance of the bough,

O flower above the branch of time

O blooming flower upon the branch of time,

أَرَيْجُك يَعْبَق مِنْه الْوُجُود

وَيَنْهَل أَسْرَار تِلْك الْدِّمَن

Your aroma permeates existence

Your aroma fills existence with sweet perfume,

And the secrets of that treasure are obtained

Drawing deep from the secrets of ancient ruins.

قَصِيْدَة شِعْر رَوَاهَا الْزَّمَان

بِقَافِيَة الْدَّهْر خَلَف الْوَكْن

A poem of poetry told by time

A poem of verse narrated by the ages,

In the rhyme of fate behind the fold

In the rhyme of eternity, sheltered and secure.

وَرَنَّمَهَا نَغْمَة حُلُّوْة

بِهَا الْعِشْق كَم لِخَيَال فِتَن؟

And sang in a sweet melody

Time chanted it, a melody so sweet,

With it, how many imaginations has love seduced?

Where love holds charms that captivate the mind.

يُغْنِي بِهَا بَلْبَل فِي الْهَزِيِع

فَيُوْقِظ فِي الْنَّفْس غَافِي الْشَّجَن

A nightingale sings it in the bushes

A nightingale sings it in the deep of night,

Awakening the dormant passion in the soul

Waking within the soul a slumbering grief.

بَشَامِخ أَسْوَارِك الْعَالِيَات

تُحَاط قلْاع الْهَدْى مِن وَهَن

With your towering walls

By your towering ramparts, high and proud,

The fort of guidance is protected from weakness

The citadels of guidance are guarded from decay.

وَمَن قُبَّة الْصَّخْرَة الْمُغْتَدِى

لِرِحْلَة اسْرَاء حَابِي الْمِنَن

And from the Dome of the Rock

And from the Dome of the Rock, he set forth,

For the journey of Isra, the Bringer of Bounties

On a Night Journey, graced by the Giver of Boons.

بِعَبْد لَه قَد دَعَاه الْحَنِيْن

الَي رَحْلِه الْعَالَم الْمُقْتَرِن

To a servant of His who yearning called him

A servant called by longing deep and true,

To his footing paired with the world

To journey through the realms, entwined and vast.

غَدَاة الَيْه دَعَاه الْحَبِيْب

لَأَرْض الْخَلِيْل فَقَاد الْرَّسَن

In the morning, the Beloved called him

When the Beloved called him to His side,

To the land of Hebron, so he led the horse

To the land of the Friend, he held the reins.

بِلَيْلَة اسَرَائِه لِلْسَّمَاء

وَمَعْرَاجِه فَوْق أَعْلَى الْفَنَن

On the night of his ascension to the sky

On the night of his ascension to the skies,

And his ascension above the highest of heights

Rising above the highest boughs of heaven.

بِسِدْرَة اشْرَاقِة الْمُنْتَهَى

بِمَقْدَمِه بِالْأَمَان اقْتَرَن

At the Lote Tree of the extreme end

By the Lote Tree of the Limit, radiant and bright,

At his arrival, he was paired with safety

Where his arrival was joined with peace and grace.

وَعَاد الَي مَكَة فِي الْصَّبَاح

وَوَحْي الْسَّمَاء بسَمْع يَرِن

And he returned to Mecca in the morning

Then he returned to Mecca at the dawn,

And the revelation of heaven rang in his hearing

With heaven's revelation ringing in his ears.

رَأى عَجَبا فِي مَجَال الْعَلِي

وَمَاضَم مِن سُرَّه وَالْعَلَن

He saw wonder in the high domain

He witnessed wonders in the Realm on High,

And whatever was concealed of his secrets and the manifest

Encompassing the secret and the seen.

رَأْى ادَم الْخَلْق فِي أَفْقَه

وَمُوَسَى وَعِيْسَى ثَوَى فِي بَدَن

He saw Adam, the creation in his horizon

He saw Adam, father of creation, in his view,

And Moses and Jesus residing in a body

And Moses, and Jesus embodied there.

وَكَلِمَه رَبَّه فِي عُلَاه

وَفِي الْنُّوْر زُج لَاعَلَى فَنَن

And he spoke to his Lord in His highness

His Lord addressed him in the Heights Sublime,

And in the Light, a merging, no higher arts

Cast into light, atop the highest peak.

نبي الْهَدْى خَاتَم الْمُرْسَلِيْن

وَهَادِم اّلَهَة مِن وَثَن

The Prophet of guidance, seal of the Messengers

The Prophet of Guidance, Seal of Messengers,

And demolisher of idols from idolatry

Shatterer of idols and false gods.

إلى مَسْجِد جِئْت مِن مَسْجِد

وَجِبْرِيْل يَحْدُو بِرّاقا حَرَن

To a mosque I came from a mosque

From Sacred Mosque to Farthest Mosque you came,

And Gabriel trotting with Burāq swift

While Gabriel urged the Buraq, momentarily still.

فَقَال لَه مَه رُوَيْدَا بُرَاق

فَأَنْت حَمَلَت نَبِي الْزَّمَن

So he said to him: wait, O Burāq

He said, "Be gentle, Buraq, take heed,"

For you carried the Prophet of time

"For you bear the Prophet of the Age."

وَأَنْت لَه مُرَكَّب لِلْثَّرِى

بِلَيْل سِرّى فِي عُرُوْق الْدِّمَن

And you are for him a mount to the earth

"You are his steed ascending from the earth,"

In a secret night in the veins of time

"On a night journeying through the veins of time."

عَلَى مُد أُفُق جُنَاح لَه

سفينته دُوْن كُل الْسُّفُن

On the expanse of his horizon a wing for him

With wings that span the stretching of the view,

His ship beyond all ships

A vessel unlike any other ship.

وَأَنِّى ترى سُفُن لْلْفَضَاء

لِغَيْر الْنَّبِي لَانَّس وَجُن؟

And where do you see ships for space

How could one compare the vessels of the void,

Except for the Prophet, no human or Jinn?

Made for men or Jinn, to the Prophet's steed?

وَإن تَك كَانَت فَلَيْسَت لِخَيْر

كرِحِلْتِه بَل لِجَلْب الْمِحَن

And if there were any, they are not for good

If such exist, they bring no blessed good,

Like his footing, but to bring tribulations

Like his journey did—but only bring distress.

عناية رَب الْوَرَى حَوْلَه

وَمِن فَوْقِه مَابَدَا أَو بَطْن

The care of the Lord of the worlds around him

The care of the Lord of Worlds embraced him there,

And above him, openly or secretly

Shielding him from what was seen and unseen.

تَذَكَّرْت يَا قُدْس اسَرَاءَه

وَإذ قَاسى شَدِيْد الْأَحَن

I remembered, O Jerusalem, his ascension

I remembered, O Jerusalem, his Night Journey,

And when he suffered severe distress

And the bitter trials he endured with patience.

وَحِيْن تَحَدَّاه قَوْم لَه

أَبَر لَه وَوَقَاه الْأَفِن

And when a people of his challenged him

When his own people rose to challenge him,

He prevailed for him and protected the helpless

God vindicated him and saved him from their scorn.

وَاذ أنت لِي يَاقُدْس لِي قَد ذكَرْت

هَمِّي الْدَّمْع مِن مُهْجَتِي وَالْحَزَن

And when you, O Jerusalem, you reminded me

And now, O Jerusalem, you bring to mind for me,

My tears from my agony and sorrow overflowed

The flowing tears of my soul and deep despair.

أَبَيْت الْسَّلَام يَغَار عَلَيْه

وَيُهْدَم مِن صَرْحِه المغتبن؟

Do you refuse peace envying it

Is the House of Peace now an object of envy,

And from its fortress the wronged are demolished?

Its structure cheated, broken, and destroyed?

وَيُحَرِّم مِنَه ذوو قُرْبِه

وَرَايات إسْلَامَه تُؤْتَفن؟

And those near to it are forbidden from it

Are its own people forbidden from its grounds,

And the banners of its Islam folded?

And the banners of its faith wrapped in shrouds?

وَيُخْرِس صَوْت حَمَام الهدى

فَيَا بِئْس بَاغ لَحَق غَبَن!

And the voice of the doves of guidance muted

Is the voice of the dove of guidance silenced?

So miserable is the garden that was wronged!

Woe to the tyrant who deals in unjust theft!

اذَا عَاد شَعْب فِلِسْطِيْنِه

لِغَزَّته أَو أَرِيْحَا سَكَن

When the people of its Palestine return to it

If Palestine's people should return one day,

To its glory or Jericho they settle

To dwell in Gaza or in Jericho again,

فَفِي الْقُدْس رُوْح لِجِسْم ثَوَى

وَهَل دَوَّن رُوْح يَعِيْش الْبَدَن؟

In Jerusalem there is a soul for the body that resides

Yet Jerusalem remains the soul within the form;

And can a soul live without a body?

And can a body live without its soul?

أَيَا قُدْس يَامَوَطِن الْخَالِدِيْن

مُضى عَنْك قَيْصَر وَالْغَرْب جَن

O Jerusalem, O homeland of the eternal

O Jerusalem, homeland of the deathless ones,

Caesar and the West have passed from you

Caesar has passed from you; the West went mad.

وَعُيِّن ابْن ايُّوْب فَاضَت أُسّى

غَدَاة رَأْى فِيْك مَجْدَا دُفِن

And the son of Ayyoub's eyes overflowed with sorrow

The Son of Ayyub watched, tears flowing in grief,

When at dawn he saw in you a vanished glory

When he saw your glory buried in the dust.

وَقَد كَان حَرَّر أَرْض الْخُلُوْد

وَرِيَتْشَارْد قَلْب الْأُسِّى قَد وَهَن

And he had liberated the land of eternity

Yet he it was who freed the eternal land,

And Richard, the heart of the most sorrowful weakened

While Richard, the Lionheart, grew weak and frail.

وَقَد ذرَف الْدَّمْع مِنْه دَمَا

عَلَي أنه لَم يَجِدْهَا وَطَن

And he shed bloodied tears

He wept tears that fell like drops of blood,

That he did not find it a homeland

That he could not claim this place as home.

إذا دَقَّت الْقُدُس أَجْرَاسُهَا

وَصَوْت الْأَذان لَهَا قَد حَضَن

When Jerusalem rings its bells

When Jerusalem tolls her ancient bells,

And the call to prayer for it is embraced

And the call to prayer embraces her skies,

وَوَدَعَهَا تَارِكَا حُزْنِهَا

وَعَار الْهَزِيمَة مِنْه احْتَجَن

And he left it forsaking its sorrow

He bade farewell, leaving her sorrow there,

And the disgrace of defeat from it withdrew

Carrying away the shame of his defeat.