ذَهَبَ السُرورُ وَوَلَّتِ الأَعيادُ
فَالعَيشُ هُمٌّ وَالحَياةُ حِدادُ
Joy has departed, and the feasts have ended,
Life is now sorrow, and living is mourning.
طُف بِالمَشارِقِ وَالمَغارِبِ هَل تَرى
دَعَةً تُرامُ وَغَبطَةً تُرتادُ
Roam the east and west, do you see
Any rest to yearn for, any happiness to seek?
في كُلِّ مَمسى لَيلَةٍ وَصَبيحَةٍ
يَنهاضُ شَعبٌ أَو تَطيحُ بِلادُ
Every evening and every dawn
A people rise or nations fall.
الناسُ حُزنٌ دائِمٌ وَشِكايَةٌ
وَالأَرضُ شَرٌّ شامِلٌ وَفَسادُ
Constant sorrow for people, and endless plaints,
The earth is full of evil and corruption.
أَودى بِأَعراسِ المَمالِكِ مَأتَمٌ
طاحَت لَهُ المُهجاتِ وَالأَكبادُ
It has ruined the festivals of kingdoms,
For it hearts and minds have fallen.
تَتَفَزَّعُ الأَجيالُ مِن أَهوالِهِ
وَتَضُجُّ مِن صَعَقاتِهِ الآبادُ
Generations shudder from its horrors,
And settlements quake from its tremors.
كَيفَ القَرارُ وَما تَزالُ تَروعُنا
نِوَبٌ تَهُدُّ الراسِياتِ شِدادُ
How can there be calm when disasters still shake us,
Misfortunes that demolish firmly rooted pillars?
ما بالُنا نَبغي الحَياةَ شَهِيَّةً
فَنُرَدُّ عَن ساحاتِها وَنُذادُ
Why do we crave an easy life,
Then shy away from its arenas and cower?
وَمَتى أَرى أُمَمَ البَسيطَةِ أُخوَةً
كُرَماءَ لا إِحَنٌ وَلا أَحقادُ
When will I see the simple nations as brothers,
Noble, without malice or grudges?
رُحَماءَ لا حَربٌ تَشُبُّ وَلا دَمٌ
يَجري وَلا ظُلمٌ وَلا اِستِعبادُ
Merciful, with no war breeding, or blood spilling,
No injustice or tyranny.
شَعبٌ يَزولُ وَأُمَّةٌ يَعتادُها
مِن رائِعِ الحِدثانِ ما يَعتادُ
A people passes, and a familiar nation vanishes,
Swept by the winds of events as they pass.
أَو كُلَّما طارَت بِتاجٍ نَزوَةٌ
نَزَتِ السُيوفُ وَطارَتِ الأَجنادُ
Whenever a whim dons a crown,
Down come the swords and out march the soldiers.
أَفَتِلكَ أَنعامٌ تُساقُ جُموعُها
لِلنَحرِ أَم بَينَ الجُنوبِ جَمادُ
Are these cattle herded to slaughter,
Or just inanimate bodies between trenches?
يا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ في سَمائِكَ ناظِرٌ
ما يَصنَعُ الذَبّاحُ وَالجَلّادُ
O Lord, You watch from Your heavens,
What the slaughterer and executioner do.
رُحماكَ يا رَبَّ المَمالِكِ إِنَّها
أُمَمٌ تُساقُ إِلى الرَدى وَتُقادُ
Have mercy, O Lord of the kingdoms, they are
Nations driven to ruin and decay.
أَدرِك عِبادَكَ إِنَّهُم إِن يُترَكوا
ذَهَبوا كَما ذَهَبَت ثَمودُ وَعادُ
Save Your servants, if left alone
They will perish like Thamud and Aad.
أَجَزَيتَهُم سوءَ العَذابِ بِظُلمِهِم
أَم ذاكَ شَيءٌ بِالشُعوبِ يُرادُ
You punished them with torment for their injustice,
Or is that what You intend for peoples?
عَصَفَت أَعاصيرُ الوَغى فَتَطايَرَت
شُمُّ الحُصونِ وَزالَتِ الأَطوادُ
Storms of chaos blew, scattering
The splinters of fortresses and foundations.
قَدَرٌ أُتيحَ وَنَكبَةٌ ما لِاِمرِئً
في الدَهرِ مِنها مَوئِلٌ وَمَصادُ
Fate unfolds and disaster befalls the helpless,
No refuge or shelter for anyone in life.
تَمضي الفَيالِقُ وَالمَنايا تارَةً
تَطَأُ الصَعيدَ وَتارَةً تَنطادُ
Death takes turns walking the barrens
And climbing the peaks.
تَمشي بِإِنجيلِ السَلامِ وَعِندَها
أنَّ السَلامَ تَناحُرٌ وَجِلادُ
It walks with the Gospel of Peace, though to it
Peace is slaughter and torture.
وَيَقولُ قَومٌ تِلكَ آيَةُ مُلكِنا
تُملَى وَتُكتَبُ كُلُّها وَتُزادُ
And some say this is proof of our kingdom -
Dictated, recorded, and verified.
كُتِبَت بِأَيدي الفاتِحينَ صَحيفَةٌ
وَدَمُ الكُماةِ الهالِكينَ مِدادُ
Written by conquering hands, a manifesto
In the blood of the vanquished its ink.
تِلكَ الحَضارَةُ لا حُكومَةُ مَعشَرٍ
مَلَكوا بِعدلِهِمُ الرِقابَ وَسادوا
This is no just government of the people,
Who ruled by their justice, freed necks, prevailed,
ساسوا فَلا صَلَفٌ وَلا جَبرِيَّةٌ
وَرَعَوا فَلا خَسفٌ وَلا اِستِبدادُ
Judged fairly - no tyranny or despotism,
Revered - no decadence or dictatorship.
رَفَعوا عَلى هامِ القَياصِرِ مُلكَهُم
وَالعَدلُ رُكنٌ قائِمٌ وَعِمادُ
They held up their kingdom over the heads of monarchs,
Justice a firm pillar and foundation.
دَرَجوا فَلَم تَصفُ الحَياةُ وَلَم تَزَل
تَشقى بِناقِعِ سُمِّها الوُرّادُ
They trod a straight path - life was not warped,
Nor did it remain miserable under its toxic arrows.
غالَت سَلامَ العالَمينَ جَوانِحٌ
ما لِلنُفوسِ وَلا لَهُنَّ نَفادُ
The souls of the peaceful have been tempted away,
Without limit or remorse to restrain them.
فَمَتى تَثوبُ إِلى السُيوفِ حُلومُها
وَيَكُفُّ غَيَّ المُرعِداتِ رَشادُ
When will their violence return to the swords,
And the roaring of the thunderbolts cease?
عامانِ ما عَطَفَ المَمالِكَ فيهِما
حُبٌّ وَلا جَمَعَ الشُعوبَ وِدادُ
Two years in which affection drew not the kingdoms,
Nor did harmony gather the nations.
حَربٌ نُريدُ لَها الخُمولَ وَقَد أَبى
صَلَفٌ يَشُبُّ ضِرامَها وَعِنادُ
A war we want lulled to sleep, yet stubborn
Arrogance fans its embers and adds fuel.
الصُلحُ أَجمَلُ وَالجُنودُ أَعِزَّةٌ
وَالسِلمُ أَفضَلُ وَالسُيوفُ حِدادُ
Peace is more beautiful, and truce nobler,
While swords rest in their sheaths.
يا عيدُ أَسعِد ذا الهُمومِ إِذا اِشتَكى
إِنَّ الحَزينَ يُعينُهُ الإِسعادُ
O Joy of the sorrowful, lift their gloom when they complain,
For the depressed - joy can cheer them.
وَعُدِ العَليلَ مُؤاسِياً وَمُعَلِّلاً
إِنَّ العَليلَ تُريحُهُ العُوّادُ
Comfort the sick with hope and compassion,
For the ailing - care can soothe them.
وانْهَ اليَتيمَ عَنِ البُكى مُتَرَفِّقاً
إِنَّ اليَتيمَ تَهيجُهُ الأَعيادُ
Distract the orphan from tears gently,
For the orphan - feasts can provoke them.
عَزِّ الفَقيرَ وَعِدهُ مَوفورَ الغِنى
إِنَّ الَّذي يَهَبُ الغِنى لَجَوادُ
Honor the poor and promise abundant riches,
For He who grants wealth is Generous.
ضَمِّد جِراحاتِ القُلوبِ فَرُبَّما
نَفَعَ القُلوبَ الدامِياتِ ضِمادُ
Dress the wounds of hearts, for perhaps
Bandages may benefit the bleeding hearts.
طُف بِالرُقادِ عَلى سَهارى أَعيُنٍ
أَلوى بِنَضرَتِها أَسىً وَسُهادُ
Check on those awake through the nights,
Twisted in pain and sleepless.
لا يَجزَعِ العاني فَكُلٌّ زائِلٌ
وَلِكُلِّ دَولَةِ مَعشَرٍ ميعادُ
Let not the suffering despair, all passes,
And for every nation is an appointed time.
