أَتِلكَ مَصارِعُ المُستَضعَفينا
فَما بالُ الهُداةِ المُصلِحينا
Are those the graves of the oppressed?
Why then do the righteous reformers slumber?
أَجيبي دنشوايَ فَإِن تَكوني
عَييتِ عَنِ الجَوابِ فَما عَيينا
Answer me, Dúnashwáy, though to answer
Would bring you pain, do not refuse to answer.
مُلِئتِ أَسىً فَلَن تَجِدي عَزاءً
وَلَن تَدَعي التَوَجُّعَ وَالأَنينا
You are filled with grief, and will find no comfort,
No longer will you moan and groan in pain.
هُمو أَخَذوكِ بِالنَكَباتِ حَرّى
وَبِالأَهوالِ شَتّى يَرتَمينا
Misfortune seized you suddenly,
And terrors on all sides assail you.
تَذوقينَ العَذابَ وَهُم نَشاوى
يُغَنّونَ المَشانِقَ ناعِمينا
You suffer torment while your foes rejoice,
Singing merrily as they tighten the noose.
إِذا طَرِبتَ أَهابَ بِها مِراحٌ
تُجاوِبُهُ نُفوسُ الهالِكينا
When it sounds, the professional mourners flock to it,
Their breasts echoing the cries of the dying.
تَطوفُ بِها الأَرامِلُ وَاليَتامى
تَضُجُّ وَتَذرِفُ الدَمعَ السَخينا
The widows and orphans circle round it,
Weeping copiously, their tears flowing.
وَتَعطِفُها السِياطُ عَلى رِجالٍ
بِمُطَّرَحِ الهَوانِ مُمَزَّقينا
The whips make it the concern of men
Thrown down in abasement, their skins torn.
تَعاوَرَهُم أَكُفُّ القَومِ صَرعى
تَطيرُ جُلودُهُم مِمّا لَقينا
Their hands tied behind them by the enemy,
Their skins peel off from the blows they receive.
إِذا اِنسابَ الدَمُ المُهراقُ مِنهُم
رَأيتَ ثِيابَهُم حُمراً وَجونا
When their blood flows in streams from them
Their garments seem red, though formerly white.
عَلى أَجسامِهِم أَثَرٌ مُبينٌ
تُريكَ سُطورُهُ الظُلمَ المُبينا
On their bodies are visible traces
Revealing to you the injustice manifest.
صَحائِفُ بِالسِياطِ تَخُطُّ فَاِقرَأ
وَقُل لِلَهِ أَيدي الكاتِبينا
Pages written with scourges, read them
And say: “This is the work of the scribes!”
وَقائِلَةٍ أَما لِلقَومِ حامٍ
يَقيهِم ما نُشاهِدُ أَو يَقينا
And I say: “Is there no protector for the people
To save us from what we are witnessing?”
رُوَيدَكِ إِنَّ رَبَّكِ قَد وَعاها
فَظُنّي الخَيرَ وَاِنتَظِري اليَقينا
Restrain yourself, for your Lord has undertaken
To aid you; hope for good, await the certainty!
أَفاطِمَ إِنَّ لِلضُعَفاءِ رَبّاً
يُديلُ لَهُم مِنَ المُتَجَبِّرينا
O Fáṭima, the weak have a Lord
Who will retaliate on the tyrants for them.
رَضينا بِالحَمامِ يَكونُ صَيداً
فَما قَنَعَ الرُماةُ بِما رَضينا
We were content to be hunted birds,
But the hunters were not content with what we agreed.
أَبَوا إِلّا النُفوسَ فَما اِستَطَعنا
سِوى شَكوى الضِعافِ العاجِزينا
They would accept nothing but our souls. Being weak,
We could only complain of our helpless state.
يُديرونَ الحُتوفَ عَلى أُناسٍ
وَيَقضونَ العَذابَ لِآخَرينا
They inflict punishment on some
And decree chastisement for others.
أَذابوا الأُمَّهاتِ أَسىً وَوَجداً
وَطاحوا بِالأُبُوَّةِ وَالبَنينا
They have plunged the mothers into sorrow and grief,
Destroying fatherhood and sonship.
قَضاءٌ طاشَ مِن فَزَعٍ وَخَوفٍ
وَيَحسَبُهُ الأُلى فَزِعوا رَزينا
A verdict borne of panic and fear,
Though fools think it wise and proper.
قَتيلُ الشَمسِ ليسَ لَهُ سِوانا
فَمَرحى لِلقُضاةِ العادِلينا
The murdered Sun has no equal—
So there is no redress for the unjust judges.
أَمِن دَعوى التَعَصُّبِ وَهيَ زورٌ
تُباحُ دِماؤُنا لِلغاصِبينا
Their claim of zealotry is an imposture,
Allowing our blood to be shed by brigands.
يَقولُ القَومُ إِصلاحٌ وَعَدلٌ
لَعَمرُ المُصلِحينَ لَقَد شَقينا
They say reform and justice, but, by the life of the reformers,
We are utterly wretched!
بَني التاميزَ كونوا كَيفَ شِئتُم
فَلَم نَدَعَ الكِفاحَ وَلَن نَلينا
O sons of privilege, be as you wish to be,
We shall not abandon the struggle nor be cowed.
خُذوا أَنصارَكُم إِنّا نَراهُم
لَنا وَلِقَومِنا الداءَ الدَفينا
Take whatever allies you please, for we see them
As a plague and pestilence upon us and our people.
هُمُ الأَعداءُ لَسنا مِن ذَويهِم
وَلَيسوا في الشَدائِدِ مِن ذَوينا
They are our enemies, we are not their partisan,
Nor they ours in time of distress.
ذَمَمنا عَهدَكُم فَمَتى نَراكُم
تَشُدّونَ الرِحالَ مُوَدِّعينا
We have dissolved our pact with you, so when will we see you
Strike your tents and bid us farewell?
دَعوا ذِكرَ الوِفاقِ وَما يَليهِ
فَما نَسِيَ الحَمامُ وَلا نَسينا
Leave off talk of concord and what it entails,
For we have not forgotten, nor have you.
زَعَمتُم أَنَّ مَوعِدَكُم قَريبٌ
كَذَبتُم أُمَّةً تُحصي السِنينا
You claimed your departure was imminent—
Liars, who count out the years!
