مالي خَلَعْتُ ثيابي وانْطَلَقْتُ إِلى

سِواي أَسأَلهُ الأثوابَ و الحُلَلا

Why have I taken off my clothes and headed

To my sword, asking it for garments and wrappings?

قَدْ كانَ لي حُلَلٌ أزْهو بِبْهجَتها

عِزّاً وَيزْهو بِها مَنْ حَلَّ وارْتحَلا

I used to have wrappings I adorned with their splendor,

With honor, and he who donned and traveled adorned with them.

أَغْنى بِها ، وَتمدُّ الدفْءَ في بَدَني

أَمْناً وتُطْلِقُ مِنّي العزْمَ والأَمَلا

They enriched me, and spread warmth in my body,

Safety, and unleashed from me determination and hope.

تموجُ فيها الّلآلي مِنْ مآثِرها

نوراً وتبْعَثُ مِنْ لآلاِئها الشُّعَلا

The beauties surge in them from their influences,

Light, and their ornaments unleash flames.

حتى أفاءتْ شُعوبُ الأرْضِ تَسألُها

ثوباً لتستُرَ مِنْها السُّوءَ و العِلَلا

Until the peoples of the earth came asking them

A garment, to cover with it ills and defects.

مدَّت يَدَ الجودِ كَنْزاً مِنْ جَواهِرها

فَزَيَّنتْهُم وكانوا قبلها عُطُلا

It stretched out the hand of generosity, a treasure of its jewels,

It adorned them, and before it they were bereft.

جادتْ عليهم وأوفَتْ كلَّ مسْألةٍ

بِرّاً تَوالى ، وأوْفَتْ كلَّ مَنْ سَألا

It was generous to them and fulfilled every request

With righteousness, continuous, and fulfilled all who asked.

هذا البيانُ وقدْ صاغتْهُ معْجِزةً

تمضي مع الدّهرِ مجْداً ظلَّ مُتَّصلا

This statement which a miracle crafted,

Proceeding with time, continuous glorious.

تكسو مِنَ الهدْيِ ، مِنْ إعجازِهِ حُللاّ

أو جَوْهَراً زيَّنَ الأعطافَ والعُطَلا

It clothes guidance, from its eloquence wrappings,

Or a jewel that adorned shoulders and bereft.

نسيجُه لغةُ القَرآنِ ، جَوْهرُهُ

آيٌ منَ اللهِ حقّاً جَلّ واكْتَملا

Its fabric is the language of the Quran, its essence

Verses from God, truly majestic and complete.

نبعٌ يفيضُ على الدّنيا فيملؤُها

رَيّاً وَيُطلقُ مِنْ أحواضِهِ الحَفَلا

A spring that overflows upon the world and fills it

With water, and from its pools unleashes floods.

أو أنه الروّضُ يُغْني الأرْضَ مِنْ عَبَقٍ

مِلْءَ الزَّمانِ نديّاً عودُهُ خَضِلا

Or it is the garden that enriches the land with fragrance

Filling time, its willow fresh and green.

تَرِفُّ مِنْ هَدْيِهِ أنداءُ خافِقَةٍ

معَ البكورِ تَمُدُّ الفَيْءَ و الظُّلَلا

From its guidance the cooing of turtledoves billows

At dawn, spreading shade and shadows.

وكلُّ مَنْ لوّحتْه حَرُّ هاجِرةٍ

أوى إليه ليلْقى الرّيَّ و البَلَلا

And all who are scorched by the heat of departure

Seek refuge in it, to find water and dampness.

عجبتُ !! ما بالُ قومي أدْبَروا وجَرَوْا

يرْجونَ ساقطةَ الغاياتِ والهَمَلا

I wonder! Why have my people turned back and fled,

Seeking fallen hopes and dreams?

لمْ يأخذوا مِنْ ديارِ الغرْبِ مكرُمةً

مِنَ القناعةِ أوْ علماً نَما وَعَلا

They did not take from the lands of the West any honor,

Or knowledge that grew and ascended.

لكنّهمْ أخذوا لَيَّ اللّسانِ وقدْ

حباهُمُ اللهُ حُسْنَ النُّطْقِ مُعْتدِلا

But they took the mispronunciation of my tongue when

God had granted them excellence in proper speech.

يا ويحهمْ بدَّلوا عيّاً بِفصحِهمُ

وبالبيانِ الغنيِّ استبدلوا الزَّلَلا

Oh woe to them! They substituted impropriety for their eloquence

And for clear rhetoric they substituted stumbling speech.

إن اللّسانَ غذاءُ الفكرِ يحْملُهُ

عِلْماً وفنّاً صواباً كانَ أو خَطَلا

The tongue is the food of thought, it carries it

Knowledge and craft, right or wrong.

يظلُّ ينسلُّ منه الزّادُ في فِطَرٍ

تلقى به الخَيْرَ أو تلقى بِهِ الزَّللا

It continues to breed from it provision in instincts

That meet goodness or meet misguidance.

الأَعْجَمِيُّ لِسانٌ زادُهُ عَجَبٌ

تَراهُ يَخْلطُ في أَوْشابِهِ الجدَلا

Foreign speech has wonder for its provision,

You see it mixing in its clouding confusion and arguments.

لمْ يَحْمِلِ الهدْيَ نوراً في مَصادِرِهِ

ولا الحقيقة إلا كانت الوَشلا

It did not carry guidance as a source,

Nor truth except it would be crooked and winding.

فحسبُنا مِنْ لِسانِ الضّادِ أنّ له

فيضاً من النّور أو نبعاً صَفا وجَلا

It suffices us from the tongue of proper Arabic that it has

An outpouring of light or a clear, pure spring.

وأنه اللغة الفصحى نمت وزهتْ

تنزّلتْ وبلاغاً بالهُدى نزلا

That it is the eloquent language that grew and became brilliant,

Revealed, and with guidance it descended.

وأنه ، ورسول الله يُبلغه

ضمَّ الزمان وضمَّ الآيَ وَالرُّسلا

That it, and God’s messenger delivering it,

Embraced time, verses, and messengers.

وأنه الكنزُ لا تفنى جواهرهُ

يُغْني اللياليَ ما أغْنى بِهِ الأُوَلا

That it is the treasure whose jewels do not perish,

Enriching the nights as it enriched the ancients.

يظلُّ يُطْلِقُ من لأْلائِهِ دُرراً

على الزمان غنيَّ الجودِ متصلا

It continues unleashing from its beauties pearls

Upon time, generous continuously.

فعُدْ إلى لغةِ القرآنِ صافيَة

تَجْلو لكَ الدَّربَ سهْلاً كانَ أو جبلا

So return to the language of the Quran pure,

It will make clear to you the path, easy or hard.

تجلو صراطاً سويّاً لا ترى عِوجاً

فيه ولا فتنةً تَلْقى ولا خَللا

It makes clear a straight path you see no crookedness in,

No tribulation you meet, no defect.

تجلو سبيلاً تراهُ واحداً أبداً

وللمُضلّين تْلقى عندهُمْ سُبُلا

It makes clear a way you see one, forever,

And for the misguided you meet at their hands misguidance.