أَمِن عَرشِ الشَآمِ إِلى أَثينا

لَقَد هانَت عُروشُ المالِكينا

From the throne of Syria to Athens

Surely the thrones of kings have become disgraced

أَفَيصَلُ في بَني الأَعرابِ آناً

وَفِنزيلوسُ في اليونانِ حينا

Will Pisanello reach the Bedouin tribes one day

And Pisanello in Greece another day

لِكُلٍّ مَصرَعٌ جَلَلٌ وَخَطبٌ

يَرِنُّ صَداهُ في الدُنيا رَنينا

Each has an august destiny and critical times

Whose echo rings out in the world with a tune

أَمِن مَلِكٍ يُطاعُ إِلى شَريدٍ

تُحَيّيهِ الخَلائِقُ ساخِرينا

From a king who is obeyed to a wretch

Whom people deride with scorn

يَجوبُ الأَرضَ يَنشُدُ في بَنيها

أولي القُربى وَيَلتَمِسُ المُعينا

Who traverses the earth seeking among its people

The closest of kin and asking for help

أَفَنزيلوسُ إِن تَنزِل بِمِصرٍ

فَقَد عَرَفَتكَ بَينَ النازِلينا

If Pisanello descends upon Egypt

You have known him among those who descend

وَما جَهِلَت مَكانَكَ حينَ تُزجي

جُيوشَكَ في المَمالِكِ فاتِحينا

And you did not fail to know his place when

He dispatched his armies in the kingdoms as conquerors

أَبادَت في قُرى إِزميرَ قَوماً

وَغالَت في أَدَرنَةَ آخِرينا

They destroyed a people in the villages of Izmir

And vanquished others in Adrianople

تُغيرُ على البِلادِ فَتَحتَويها

وَتَستَلِبُ المَعاقِلَ وَالحُصونا

You raid the countries and seize them

And plunder the fortresses and citadels

كَتائِبُ لَم تَدَع لِلتُركِ ذِكراً

بِفَرسالا وَلا جَبَلَي مَلونا

Battalions that left no mention for the Turks

In Pharsalus or the two Meloun mountains

فَمَن يَنسى الفُتوحَ مُحَجَّلاتٍ

بَلاريسا فَإِنّا ما نَسينا

Who can forget the glorious conquests

Of Balearics, for we have not forgotten

تُعيدُ بِها شَبابَ المُلكِ غَضّاً

وَتَمنَعُ أَن يَذِلَّ وَأَن يُهونا

You restore through them the vigor of the young kingdom

And prevent it from being disgraced and diminished

وَتَحمي مِن بِلادِكَ ما اِستَباحَت

بِحَدِّ السَيفِ أَيدي الغاصِبينا

And protect from your lands what the hands

Of usurpers have ransacked with the sword

وَدائِعُ في بَني عُثمانَ حَلَّت

بِأَيدي الباسِلينَ حِمىً أَمينا

And deposits in the Ottoman people have settled

In the hands of the valiant, a faithful protector

بَلَغتَ بِها المَدى وَطَلَبتَ شَأواً

يَفوتُ مَدى القَياصِرِ أَجمَعينا

You have reached the goal and sought glory

That surpasses the reach of all Caesars combined

فَلَم تَرَ غَيرَ مُلكِ النَجمِ شَيئاً

وَلَم تَرَ مِنكَ حينَ هَمَمتَ لينا

You have not seen anything but the kingdom of the stars

And when you aspire, you have not been flexible from it

تَظُنُّ مَنالَهُ أَمَلاً كَذوباً

وَتَطمَعُ أَنتَ وَحدَكَ أَن يَكونا

You reckon its attainment a false hope

While you alone covet that it becomes

أَبَت وَأَبَيتَ فَاِقتَحَمَتكَ غَضبى

وَكانَ فِرارُكَ النَصرَ المُبينا

I refused and you refused, so my wrath assaulted you

And your fleeing was the clear victory

وَما بَرَحَ الغُزاةُ ذَوي فِرارٍ

إِذا كَرِهَت نُفوسُهُم المَنونا

The invading army did not remain after

Their souls disliked death

يَرى الحُكَماءُ أَمضى الناسِ بَأساً

غَداةَ الحَربِ أَكثَرَهُم جُنونا

The wise see the most resolute of people

On the morrow of war are mostly insane

وَما مِن حِكمَةٍ في الأَرضِ إِلّا

لِقَومِكَ فَضلُها في العالَمينا

There is no wisdom on earth but

Its superiority belongs to your people over all worlds

فَدَع ما أَحدَثَ العُلَماءُ وَاِرجِع

إِلى عِلمِ الثِقاتِ الأَوَّلينا

So leave what the scholars have innovated and return

To the knowledge of the early trusted ones

وَلا تُؤمِن بِساسَتِهِ زَماناً

يَعُدُّ سِياسَةَ الجُهَلاءِ دينا

And do not believe the politics of an era

That counts the politics of ignoramuses as religion

شَهادَةُ مُفسِدِ الأَحداثِ مُؤذٍ

يَرى الإِصلاحَ دَأبَ المُفسِدينا

The testimony of the corrupter of events is harmful

He sees reform as the habit of corrupters

هُمُ السُمُّ المَشوبُ يُظَنُّ شَهداً

وَتَفضَحُهُ مَنايا الشارِبينا

They are adulterated poison, assumed to be honey

And its true nature is exposed by the deaths of those who drink it

أَلَم تَرَ لِلشُعوبِ وَكَيفَ أَمسَت

تُقَلِّبُهُم أَكُفُّ اللاعِبينا

Have you not seen what has become of the peoples

Tossed by the palms of players

إِذا دارَت بِهِم ذَهَبوا وَجاءوا

أَذِلّاءَ النُفوسِ مُسخَّرينا

When they are spun around, they came and went

Wretched souls made to dance

إِذا كانَ السَلامُ بَقوا مَتاعاً

فَإِن تَكُنِ الوَغى ذَهَبوا طَحينا

If there is peace they remain as goods

And if there is chaos they are gone like flour

إِذا نَظَرَ الفَتى شَعباً جَريحاً

أَصابَ حِيالَهُ شَعباً دَفينا

When a young man sees a wounded people

He feels for it a buried people

جِنايَةُ مَعشَرٍ غَلَبَت عَلَيهِم

نُفوسُ جَبابِرٍ ما يَرعَوينا

The crime of a group overcame them

Souls of tyrants who do not shepherd

مَلَأنَ مَآتِمَ الهَلكى عَويلاً

وَزِدنَ مَصارِعَ الجَرحى أَنينا

They filled the places of death with wailing

And increased the abodes of the wounded with moaning

مَلَكنَ الأَرضَ فَاِستَعلَينَ فيها

وَأَحدَثنَ الحَوادِثَ وَالشُؤونا

They ruled the earth, so they became tyrannical in it

And brought about events and affairs

كَأَنَّ اللَهَ لَيسَ بِذي مِحالٍ

يَهُدُّ عَزائِمَ المُتَجَبِّرينا

As if God is not capable

Of guiding the resolves of the arrogant

لَهُ الآياتُ تَصدَعُ كُلَّ شَكٍّ

وَتَعصِفُ بِالأُلى جَهِلوا اليَقينا

To Him belong the signs that crack every doubt

And storm against delusions with certainty

رَأَيتُ ذَوي العَمى في الناسِ هَلكى

وَلا مِثلَ القُلوبِ إِذا عَمينا

I have seen those blind in perception among the people destroyed

And nothing is like hearts when they are blind

وَمَن زَعَمَ الغَوائِلَ غافِلاتٍ

فَقَد ظَلَمَ المَزاعِمَ وَالظُنونا

Whoever claims catastrophes are unforeseen events

Has wronged claims and conjectures

وَإِنَّ حَقائِقَ الحِدثانِ تَأتي

فَتَدمَعُ تُرَّهاتِ الجاهِلينا

The realities of events come

To make those who are ignorant of the certain truth weep

سَلِ الدُنيا عَنِ الماضينَ وَاِنظُر

إِلى الدُوَلِ الخَوالي هَل بَقينا

Ask the life about those who passed and look

At perished states, did any remain?

وَقُل لِرِوايَةِ الأَجيالِ ماذا

وَعَيتِ عَنِ الكِرامِ الكاتِبينا

And say to the narration of generations, what

Have the writers comprehended about the generous ones?

طَوَتهُم حادِثاتُ الدَهرِ فيها

فَهُم صُحُفٌ بِأَيدي القارِئينا

The events of time have folded them in it

So they are pages in the hands of readers

كَذَلِكَ نَحنُ نُصبِحُ بَعدَ حينٍ

صَحائِفَ عِبرَةٍ لِلغابِرينا

Likewise, after a while, we will become

Pages of lessons for those who come after

شَقينا بِالحَياةِ وَأَيُّ شَعبٍ

تَطيبُ لَهُ حَياةُ المُسلِمينا

We were miserable in life, and which people

Are content with the life of Muslims?

أَنُنكَبُ في الشُعوبِ بِكُلِّ خَطبٍ

وَنَذهَبُ في البِلادِ مُشَرَّدينا

That we fall into hardships among the peoples

And go in the lands scattered

نَعوذُ بِباعِثِ المَوتى وَنَرجو

عَوارِفَهُ رَجاءَ العامِلينا

We seek refuge in the Resurrected of the dead and hope

For His favors, the hope of the workers

وَلَيسَ بِمُفلِحٍ شَعبٌ جَهولٌ

تُخادِعُهُ أَماني العاجِزينا

No ignorant nation can succeed

Deceived by the wishes of the incapable

يَظَلُّ بِمُستَقَرِّ الهونِ مُلقىً

يُناجي الطَيرَ أَو يُحصي السِنينا

Remaining in the abode of disgrace, discarded

Conversing with birds or counting years

يُرَوِّعُهُ الذُبابُ فَإن تَمَنّى

رَمى الرِئبال وَاِستَلَبَ العَرينا

Terrified by flies, so if he wishes

He shoots at ghosts and steals the nest

وَسالَ البَرُّ مِن فَمِهِ جُنوداً

وَماج البَحرُ في يَدِهِ سَفينا

The land flowed from his mouth as armies

And the sea surged in his hand as ships

حَنانَكَ رَبَّنا إِنّا أَنَبنا

إِلَيكَ فَنَجِّنا مِمّا لَقينا

Your mercy, our Lord! We have certainly wronged

Ourselves, so save us from what we have encountered