كَنيسَةٌ صارَت إِلى مَسجِدِ
هَدِيَّةُ السَيِّدِ لِلسَيِّدِ
A church became a mosque
A gift from lord to lord
كانَت لِعيسى حَرَماً فَاِنتَهَت
بِنُصرَةِ الروحِ إِلى أَحمَدِ
It was Jesus' sanctuary, but ended up
With Ahmed's victory and the Spirit's support
شَيَّدَها الرومُ وَأَقيالُهُمُ
عَلى مِثالِ الهَرَمِ المُخلَدِ
The Romans built it, and their masters
In the image of the eternal pyramid
تُنبِئُ عَن عِزٍّ وَعَن صَولَةٍ
وَعَن هَوىً لِلدينِ لَم يَخمُدِ
It tells of might, sublimity
And passion for the religion that never fades
مَجامِرُ الياقوتِ في صَحنِها
تَملُؤُهُ مِن نَدِّها الموقَدِ
Its ruby galleries are filled
With its overflowing light
وَمِثلُ ما قَد أودِعَت مِن حُلىً
لَم تَتَّخِذ داراً وَلَم تُحشَدِ
And the treasures it contained
Were housed nowhere else, nor amassed
كانَت بِها العَذراءُ مِن فَضَّةٍ
وَكانَ روحُ اللَهِ مِن عَسجَدِ
In it was the Virgin of silver
And the Spirit of God of chrysolite
عيسى مِنَ الأُمِّ لَدى هالَةٍ
وَالأُمُّ مِن عيسى لَدى فَرقَدِ
Jesus by the halo of his mother
And the mother by the bed of her son
جَلّاهُما فيها وَحَلّاهُما
مُصَوِّرُ الرومِ القَديرُ اليَدِ
The skillful Roman artist immortalized them
And embedded in the walls from his art
وَأَودَعَ الجُدرانَ مِن نَقشِهِ
بَدائِعاً مِن فَنِّهِ المُفرَدِ
Unique works from his singular craft
So an angel in the darkness coming
فَمِن مَلاكٍ في الدُجى رائِحٍ
عِندَ مَلاكٍ في الضُحى مُغتَدي
To an angel in the light trespassing
And a plant that lived like a parrot
وَمِن نَباتٍ عاشَ كَالبَبَّغا
وَهوَ عَلى الحائِطِ غَضٌّ نَدي
Green and fresh on the wall
Say to whoever rivaled the powers
فَقُل لِمَن شادَ فَهَدَّ القُوى
قُوى الأَجيرِ المُتعَبِ المُجهَدِ
Of the tired, exhausted laborer
As if he were Pharaoh when he built
كَأَنَّهُ فِرعَونُ لَمّا بَنى
لِرَبِّهِ بَيتاً فَلَم يَقصِدِ
A house for his Lord but did not intend
Is God worshipped with the toil of people
أَيُعبَدُ اللَهُ بِسَومِ الوَرى
ما لا يُسامُ العَيرُ في المِقوَدِ
When the camel's litter cannot pass through the eye of a needle?
A church like an imposing citadel
كَنيسَةٌ كَالفَدَنِ المُعتَلي
وَمَسجِدٌ كَالقَصرِ مِن أَصيَدِ
And a mosque like a palace of the hunt
But God is needless of this and that
وَاللَهُ عَن هَذا وَذا في غِنىً
لَو يَعقِلُ الإِنسانُ أَو يَهتَدي
If man understands or is guided
The conqueror came with a band
قَد جاءَها الفاتِحُ في عُصبَةٍ
مِنَ الأُسودِ الرُكَّعِ السُجَّدِ
Of kneeling, bowing lions
They battered its structure like
رَمى بِهِم بُنيانَها مِثلَما
يَصطَدِمُ الجَلمَدُ بِالجَلمَدِ
Two rocks colliding
They glorified God in it, and the enemies prayed
فَكَبَّروا فيها وَصَلّى العِدا
وَاِختَلَطَ المَشهَدُ بِالمَشهَدِ
And the spectacle mingled with the spectacle
The Romans did not hesitate to ransom it
وَما تَوانى الرومُ يَفدونَها
وَالسَيفُ في المُفدِيِّ وَالمُفتَدي
While the sword was upon the ransomer and the ransomed
But their Caesar disappointed them
فَخانَها مِن قَيصَرٍ سَعدُهُ
وَأُيِّدَت بِالقَيصَرِ الأَسعَدِ
While the more fortunate Caesar supported it
With a conqueror who sheathed his sword
بِفاتِحٍ غازٍ عَفيفِ القَنا
لا يَحمِلُ الحِقدَ وَلا يَعتَدي
Who bore no malice or transgressed
Who gave amnesty to those who surrendered
أَجارَ مَن أَلقى مَقاليدَهُ
مِنهُم وَأَصفى الأَمنَ لِلمُرتَدي
And secured safety for the defectors
He turned away from the ornaments
وَنابَ عَمّا كانَ مِن زُخرُفٍ
جَلالَةُ المَعبودِ في المَعبَدِ
The majesty of the Worshipped in His temple
So what a vengeance between us after him
فَيا لِثَأرٍ بَينَنا بَعدَهُ
أَقامَ لَم يَقرُب وَلَم يَبعُدِ
He established, neither coming close nor going far
Remaining like the vengeance of Jerusalem before him
باقٍ كَثَأرِ القُدسِ مِن قَبلِهِ
لا نَنتَهي مِنهُ وَلا يَبتَدي
We never end it nor does it begin
So do not be fooled by the calm water
فَلا يَغُرَّنكَ سُكونُ المَلا
فَالشَرُّ حَولَ الصارِمِ المُغمَدِ
For evil encircles the sheathed, drawn sword
The Romans will not abandon their worship
لَن يَترُكَ الرومُ عِباداتِهِم
أَو يَنزِلَ التُركُ عَنِ السُؤدَدِ
Nor will the Turks descend from the highlands
This, for them, is a house upon their house
هَذا لَهُم بَيتٌ عَلى بَيتِهِم
ما أَشبَهَ المَسجِدَ بِالمَسجِدِ
How similar the mosque is to the mosque!
If they come back for its keys
فَإِن يُعادوا في مَفاتيحِهِ
فَيا لِيَومٍ لِلوَرى أَسوَدِ
What a black day it will be for all people!
On it the infant will grow gray in his cradle
يَشيبُ فيهِ الطِفلُ في مَهدِهِ
وَيُزعَجُ المَيتُ مِنَ الَمرقَدِ
And the dead will be disturbed from their graves
So oh God, be for us in our past
فَكُن لَنا اللَهُمَّ في أَمسِنا
وَكُن لَنا اليَومَ وَكُن في غَدِ
And be for us today and be for us tomorrow
If not for preceding misguidance, the people
لَولا ضَلالٌ سابِقٌ لَم يَقُم
مِن أَجلِكَ الخَلقُ وَلَم يَقعُدِ
Would not have stood up or sat down
So every evil or harm between them
فَكُلُّ شَرٍّ بَينَهُم أَو أَذى
أَنتَ بَراءٌ مِنهُ طُهرُ اليَدِ
You are innocent of it, Most Pure of Hands
