أبداً أرى والغدرُ طَبعٌ فيكِ

خَطراً على أهليَّ من أهليك

I always see treason as your nature

A danger to my people from your people

يا بنتَ سفَّاكِ الدّماءِ زكيَّةً

مَهلاً فإنَّ الله فوقَ أبيك

O daughter of the shedder of the pure blood Zakiyya

Wait, for God is above your father

أكذا نقَضتِ عُهودَ أشرَفِ أُمّةٍ

وبَعثتِ أشراراً لخيرِ مَليك

Is this how you broke the covenants of the noblest nation?

And sent evildoers against the kingdom's best king

لستِ الملومةَ والمليمونَ الأُلى

أَمِنوا لعهدِكِ أو لعهدِ ذَويك

You're not to be blamed, nor are the treacherous ones

Who secured your covenant or your people's covenant?

ولدتكِ زَرقاءُ العيونِ عدَّوةً

فالبغضُ يَقطُرُ سمُّهُ من فيك

Zarqa'a al-Ayn gave birth to you as an enemy

So hatred drips its poison from your mouth

هذي العَداوةُ بَيننا أبديّةٌ

تَسكينُها يَدعو إلى التَحريك

This enmity between us is eternal

Its appeasement calls for provocation

من عَهدِ مَن تخَذوا الصّليبَ شِعارَهم

للنّهبِ والتَقتيلِ والتَّهتيك

From the covenant of those who took the cross as their banner

For looting, killing and violation

حتى اجتياحِ المَغربِ الباكي على

أبنائهِ من مَيِّتٍ ونهيك

Until the invasion of the crying Maghreb

Over its dead and moaning sons

فاسٌ وتونُسُ والجزائر جمّةٌ

فيها الفرائسُ مُذ عدا ضاريك

Fez, Tunis and Algiers altogether

Where prey abounded since your rider attacked

أموالُها لم تُغنِ عن أرواحِها

فجَماجمُ القَتلى حَصى واديك

Their money did not avail their souls

The skulls of the killed are pebbles in your valley

فُولاذُكِ استَثمَرتِه من هامِها

وفَرشتِ من أفلاذِها ناديك

You made your refuge of their protection

And furnished from their ribs your club

إنَّ الشَّهيداتِ الثَّواكِلَ صارخٌ

دَمُهُنَّ يومَ الحَشرِ من أيديك

The bereaved mothers crying out

Their blood on the Day of Resurrection is on your hands

زَعَمَ الذين تَعشَّقوكِ ضلالةً

أَنّ الهُدى والحقَّ عند بَنيك

Those who passionately loved you, erroneously claimed

That guidance and truth are with your sons

نَظروا إِلى أقلامِ كُتّابٍ وما

نَظروا إِلى أسيافِ جلاديك

They looked at the pens of writers, and did not

Look at the swords of your executioners

تاللهِ كم مِن أُمةٍ أرهَقتِها

أنّى يُكَذّبُ شاكرٌ شاكيك

By God, how many a nation you exhausted

Can a grateful one deny your complainant?

بعد التحرُّرِ لم تزالي عَبدة

والحالُ شاهدةٌ على ماضيك

After independence, you remain worshipers

And the case witnesses your past

الظلمُ من شِيَمِ الذين قد ادَّعوا

حريّةَ التفّكيرِ والتمليك

Oppression is the trait of those who claimed

Freedom of thought and ownership

أيكونُ منهم بعدَ ظلم نُفوسِهم

عَدلٌ وإنصافٌ لِمظلوميك

Can there be justice and equity from them

After the injustice of their souls?

لو كُنتِ أو كانوا من الأحرارِ لم

يَسعوا إِلى تَقييدِ كلّ فكيك

If you or they were free, they would not

Seek to restrict all your jaws

الحرُّ يأنَفُ من عُبودةِ غَيرهِ

ويُنيله من حظِّهِ كَشرِيك

The free one disdains others' servitude

And gains his share as a partner

حتّامَ دَعوى البطلِ يَسمَعُها الوَرى

ويغِضُّ طَرفاً عن أذى جابيك

The hero's claim must be heard by all

And ignore the harm of your tax collector

لا تدّعي حرَيةً وعدالةً

فعلى مَظالِمهِ بنى بابيك

Do not claim freedom and justice

For your oppressions built your door

وصَحائفُ التاريخِ قد خَضَّبتِها

بدمٍ زكيٍّ حِملُهُ يوهيك

And the pages of history you stained

With pure blood carried by your victims

هلا اعتبَرت بهَولِ آخرِ نَكبةٍ

وعليكِ يَطلعُ جَحفَلاً غازيك

Why don't you learn from the horrors of the last catastrophe

And your invaders ascend upon you in droves?

سِرعانَ ما تَنسِينَ والألمانُ ما

بَرِحَت سَنابكُ خَيلهم تُدميك

You quickly forget, while the Germans

Have not stopped watering you with their horses' nostrils

يا مَن أتيتِ إِلى الشآمِ وَصيَّةً

مَن ذا الذي أوصاكِ أو يُوصيك

O you who came to Damascus entrusted

Who entrusted you or will entrust you?

بئسَ الوِصايةُ بالحديدِ وباللّظى

حَيثُ اليتامى مالهم يُغريك

Miserable is the mandate with iron and harshness

Where are the orphans who will entice you?

بُلدانُهم مَهدومةٌ ودِماؤهم

مَهدورةٌ هَل ذاكَ لا يَكفيك

Their countries are destroyed and their blood spilled

Is that not enough for you?

أتُحارِبينَ الأعزلينِ بجَحفَلٍ

جَمَّعتِ فيهِ حديدَ حدّاديك

Do you fight the unarmed with an army

In which you gathered your blacksmiths' iron?

واللهِ ما هذا الفخارُ ولا العلى

لكنَّه العارُ الذي يَعرِيك

By God this is not pride nor highness

But the disgrace that strips you naked

أرضُ الشآمِ شهيدةٌ مقهورةٌ

بدمائها ودُموعِها ترميك

The land of Damascus is a martyred land, oppressed

With its blood and tears it throws you off

ظمأٌ يَزيدُ حَشاكِ ماءُ جُفونِها

وزَفيرُها نارٌ بها تُلظيك

A thirst that increases, the water of its eyes

And its sighs are a fire that scorches you

بعدَ الأمانِ غدَرتِها وفَجَعتِها

فَلِغي دماً من أهلِها يَشفيك

After trust, you betrayed and distressed it

Shed blood from its people to heal you

لا تَنعمي بخرابها وهَلاكِهم

ما خِلتهِ أمناً غداً يُرديك

Do not enjoy its ruin and their destruction

What's left is not safe tomorrow will finish you off

أرواحُهم ودِماؤُهم وعِظامُهم

تَشكو إلى اللهِ الذي يجزيك

Their souls, blood, and bones complain to God

Who will reward you

وعليكِ من لعناتِهم ما تلتظي

مِنهُ مياهُكِ أو يَهي راسيك

And upon you are their curses that will scorch

Your waters or confuse your mind

المسلِمونَ ضرَبتِهم في جَهلِهم

بالمُسلِمينَ وخانهم غاويك

The Muslims, in their ignorance, struck them

With the Muslims, and your seducer betrayed them

أرضاكِ منهم من أغاظَ محمداً

فالكافِرُ الزّنديقُ مَن يُرضيك

Whoever among them aggravated Muhammad pleased you

For the infidel heretic is who gratifies you

شُلَّت يمينُ المُسلم العادي على

إخوانهِ في الشَامِ كي يفديك

The hand of the ordinary Muslim is paralyzed

From his brothers in Damascus to ransom you

أو ليسَ يَذكُرُ ما فعلتِ بقومهِ

أوَ لا يَرَى كم مضَّهم ماضيك

Or does he not recall what you did to his people?

Or does he not see how much its past took from them?

أو ليسَ يَعلمُ أنَّهُ من دينهِم

ونجارِهم فيكِفُّ أو يعصيك

Or does he not know that he is of their religion

And carpenter, so he refrains or disobeys you?

أو ليسَ يُدركُ أنهم إن يَظفروا

يَظفُر وأنَّ سَقوطَهُ يُعليك

Or does he not realize that if they win

He wins, and that their fall elevates you?

لكنَّهُ العَبدُ الذّليلُ مُضَلَّلاً

وكذا يُضَلِّلُ قَومَهُ هاديك

But he is the despicable misguided slave

And thus he misguides his people, your guide

قد شِئتِ بالعُبدانِ أن تَستَعبدي

أحرارَنا والعبدُ لا يَحميك

You wanted with the slaves to enslave

Our free ones, and a slave will not protect you

فَقَذَفتِ منهم كلَّ أسودَ فاجرٍ

مُذ أصبحوا غنماً لجزّاريك

So you brought out from them every debauched black

Since they became sheep for your butchers

للهِ درُّ أخي الحفيظَةِ والنّدى

هذا أخو العرَبِ الذي يُقليك

Praise be to my sharp-tongued brother

This is the brother of the Arabs who fries you

الحِقدُ يُلهِبُ قَلبَهُ وحسامَهُ

حتى يُخلِّفَ سافلاً عاليك

Hatred inflames his heart and his sword

To leave your heights low

فرضٌ على العربيّ بغضُكِ ما بدا

قوّادُ جَيشكِ بعدَ قوَّاديك

It is incumbent upon the Arab to hate you as long as

Your army commanders appeared after your commanders

والثأرُ منكِ ومن بنيكِ ذمامةٌ

للجاهِدِ المَوتورِ من باغيك

And revenge from you and your sons is a duty

For the tormented mujahid from your tyrants

هذا صلاحُ الدّينِ يَطلعُ ظافراً

وأمامَهُ يُلقى سلاحُ الديك

This is Salah al-Din emerging victoriously

And before him lies the weapon of your rooster

حطّينُ ليست يا غدارِ بَعيدةً

أو ليسَ في التّذكارِ ما يُنهيك

Hattin is not far, O traitor

Or is there nothing in remembrance that warns you?

الشّامُ مَقبرةٌ لجيشِكِ فانبُشي

بيدَيكِ أجداثاً لسفّاحيك

Damascus is a grave for your army, so dig

With your hands trenches for your slaughterers

هؤلاء ضمّيهم بلا أسفٍ إِلى

ما في ثراها من صَليبييك

Gather them without sorrow into

What lies in its soil of your crusaders