خُلقتَ طَليقاً كَطَيفِ النَّسيمِ

وحُرًّا كَنُورِ الضُّحى في سَمَاهْ

You were created free like the breeze’s wafting,

You were created free, like the drifting breeze,

And free like the light of dawn in its sky.

And unbound, like the morning light in its sky,

تُغَرِّدُ كالطَّيرِ أَيْنَ اندفعتَ

وتشدو بما شاءَ وَحْيُ الإِلهْ

You sing like a bird wherever you go,

Singing like a bird wherever you take flight,

And chant what the divine revelation inspires.

Chanting whatever divine inspiration decrees,

وتَمْرَحُ بَيْنَ وُرودِ الصَّباحِ

وتنعَمُ بالنُّورِ أَنَّى تَرَاهْ

You frisk amidst the flowers of dawn

Frolicking among the blossoms of the dawn,

And delight in light wherever you see it.

Delighting in the light wherever you behold it,

وتَمْشي كما شِئْتَ بَيْنَ المروجِ

وتَقْطُفُ وَرْدَ الرُّبى في رُبَاهْ

You walk as you wish amid the meadows

Walking as you please through the open meadows,

And pluck rosebuds in the thickets.

Gathering the hill-flowers from their heights.

كذا صاغكَ اللهُ يا ابنَ الوُجُودِ

وأَلْقَتْكَ في الكونِ هذي الحيَاهْ

God made you so, O child of existence,

Thus God fashioned you, O child of existence,

And cast you into this life.

And Life cast you forth into this universe.

فما لكَ ترضَى بذُلِّ القيودِ

وتَحْني لمنْ كبَّلوكَ الجِبَاهْ

Why then do you accept the humiliation of shackles

Why then do you settle for the humiliation of chains,

And bow to those who put halters on you?

And bow your forehead to those who bound you fast?

وتُسْكِتُ في النَّفسِ صوتَ الحَيَاةِ

القويَّ إِذا مَا تغنَّى صَدَاهْ

Why smother in your soul the loud voice of life

Silencing within your soul the very voice of Life,

When it sings its anthem?

That potent voice, when its echo begins to sing,

وتُطْبِقُ أَجْفانَكَ النَّيِّراتِ عن الفجرِ

والفجرُ عَذْبٌ ضيَاهْ

Why close your bright eyelids to the dawn

You shut your radiant eyelids against the dawn,

When dawn is sweet and luminous?

Though the dawn is sweet and its light is fair,

وتَقْنَعُ بالعيشِ بَيْنَ الكهوفِ

فأَينَ النَّشيدُ وأينَ الإِيَاهْ

Why be content to live in caves

Content to dwell within the hollow caves—

Where are the songs and where are the paeans?

Where then is the anthem? Where is the radiance?

أَتخشى نشيدَ السَّماءِ الجميلَ

أَتَرْهَبُ نورَ الفضَا في ضُحَاهْ

Do you fear the lovely hymn of the skies?

Do you fear the sky’s beautiful song?

Does the light in open space terrify you?

Do you dread the vast light of the high noon?

ألا انهضْ وسِرْ في سبيلِ الحَيَاةِ

فمنْ نامَ لم تَنْتَظِرْهُ الحَيَاهْ

Arise and go on the path of life.

Arise! And march upon the path of Life,

Those who sleep, life does not wait for them!

For Life does not wait for those who slumber.

ولا تخشى ممَّا وراءَ التِّلاعِ

فما ثَمَّ إلاَّ الضُّحى في صِبَاهْ

Have no fear of what lies behind the ridges,

Fear not what lies beyond the ridges,

There is nothing beyond them but the lovely dawn.

For nothing is there but the daylight in its youth,

وإلاَّ رَبيعُ الوُجُودِ الغريرُ

يطرِّزُ بالوردِ ضافي رِدَاهْ

There is only the burgeoning existence’s spring

And the innocent Spring of existence,

Embroidering its hem with roses.

Embroidering its flowing mantle with roses,

وإلاَّ أَريجُ الزُّهُورِ الصُّبَاحِ

ورقصُ الأَشعَّةِ بَيْنَ الميَاهْ

There is only the fragrance of dawning blossoms

And the fragrance of the morning blooms,

And sunbeams dancing among the water brooks.

And the dance of sunbeams upon the waters,

وإلاَّ حَمَامُ المروجِ الأَنيقُ

يغرِّدُ منطلِقاً في غِنَاهْ

There is only the elegant, singing pigeon

And the elegant doves of the meadow,

Warbling freely in full-throated ease.

Warbling freely in their song,

إلى النُّورِ فالنُّورُ عذْبٌ جميلٌ

إلى النُّورِ فالنُّورُ ظِلُّ الإِلهْ

Toward the light! The light is sweet and beautiful.

To the light! For the light is sweet and beautiful,

Toward the light! The light is God’s shade.

To the light! For the light is the shadow of God.