رَكَزوا رُفاتَكَ في الرِمالِ لِواءَ

يَستَنهِضُ الوادي صَباحَ مَساءَ

They buried your remains in the sands, a banner

That rouses the valley, morning and evening alike,

يا وَيحَهُم نَصَبوا مَناراً مِن دَمٍ

توحي إِلى جيلِ الغَدِ البَغضاءَ

Alas for them! They erected a minaret of blood

That inspires coming generations with hatred,

ما ضَرَّ لَو جَعَلوا العَلاقَةَ في غَدٍ

بَينَ الشُعوبِ مَوَدَّةً وَإِخاءَ

It would not have harmed them to make relations

Between peoples, affection and brotherhood,

جُرحٌ يَصيحُ عَلى المَدى وَضَحِيَّةٌ

تَتَلَمَّسُ الحُرِّيَةَ الحَمراءَ

A wound cries out afar, a sacrifice

Groping for crimson freedom,

يا أَيُّها السَيفُ المُجَرَّدُ بِالفَلا

يَكسو السُيوفَ عَلى الزَمانِ مَضاءَ

O naked sword, wearing epochs

With the swords over time erased,

تِلكَ الصَحاري غِمدُ كُلِّ مُهَنَّدٍ

أَبلى فَأَحسَنَ في العَدُوِّ بَلاءَ

Those wilds are the scabbard of every polished sword

That did its duty against the enemy flawlessly,

وَقُبورُ مَوتى مِن شَبابِ أُمَيَّةٍ

وَكُهولِهِم لَم يَبرَحوا أَحياءَ

And the graves of Umayyad youth and elders

Who did not cease to live,

لَو لاذَ بِالجَوزاءِ مِنهُم مَعقِلٌ

دَخَلوا عَلى أَبراجِها الجَوزاءَ

Had Maqil taken refuge in al-Jawza

They would have entered its citadels unopposed,

فَتَحوا الشَمالَ سُهولَهُ وَجِبالَهُ

وَتَوَغَّلوا فَاِستَعمَروا الخَضراءَ

They opened its plains and mountains in the north

And penetrated deep to colonize the Green,

وَبَنَوا حَضارَتَهُم فَطاوَلَ رُكنُها

دارَ السَلامِ وَجِلَّقَ الشَمّاءَ

And built their civilization, its pillar grew high

The Abode of Peace overshadowed Syria,

خُيِّرتَ فَاِختَرتَ المَبيتَ عَلى الطَوى

لَم تَبنِ جاهاً أَو تَلُمَّ ثَراءَ

You were given the choice and chose to camp on the hills

Not to build glory or amass wealth,

إِنَّ البُطولَةَ أَن تَموتَ مِن الظَما

لَيسَ البُطولَةُ أَن تَعُبَّ الماءَ

True heroism is to die of thirst

Heroism is not to exhaust water,

إِفريقيا مَهدُ الأُسودِ وَلَحدُها

ضَجَّت عَلَيكَ أَراجِلاً وَنِساءَ

Africa, cradle and grave of lions

Cried out for you, men and women,

وَالمُسلِمونَ عَلى اِختِلافِ دِيارِهِم

لا يَملُكونَ مَعَ المُصابِ عَزاءَ

And Muslims, however far their lands

Can offer no solace for the bereaved,

وَالجاهِلِيَّةُ مِن وَراءِ قُبورِهِم

يَبكونَ زيدَ الخَيلِ وَالفَلحاءَ

While behind their graves, the Age of Ignorance

Weeps for Zayd’s horses and horsemen,

في ذِمَّةِ اللَهِ الكَريمِ وَحِفظِهِ

جَسَدٌ بِبُرقَةَ وُسِّدَ الصَحراءَ

In the care of the Noble, the Preserver

A body in Barqah sealed off the desert,

لَم تُبقِ مِنهُ رَحى الوَقائِعِ أَعظُماً

تَبلى وَلَم تُبقِ الرِماحُ دِماءَ

The harsh turns of fate did not destroy

Weapons wear out but do not shed blood,

كَرُفاتِ نَسرٍ أَو بَقِيَّةِ ضَيغَمٍ

باتا وَراءَ السافِياتِ هَباءَ

Like the remains of an eagle or a fossil

Spent the night behind the SUV forgotten,

بَطَلُ البَداوَةِ لَم يَكُن يَغزو عَلى

تَنَكٍ وَلَم يَكُ يَركَبُ الأَجواءَ

The hero of Badawah did not raid

On a tank, or ride the skies,

لَكِن أَخو خَيلٍ حَمى صَهَواتِها

وَأَدارَ مِن أَعرافِها الهَيجاءَ

Rather, a brother to horses who protected their pastures

And managed their heated zeal,

لَبّى قَضاءَ الأَرضِ أَمسِ بِمُهجَةٍ

لَم تَخشَ إِلّا لِلسَماءِ قَضاءَ

He answered the decree of the land with devotion

Fearing only the decree of Heaven,

وافاهُ مَرفوعَ الجَبينِ كَأَنَّهُ

سُقراطُ جَرَّ إِلى القُضاةِ رِداءَ

He came with head held high, as if

Socrates dragged to face the judges,

شَيخٌ تَمالَكَ سِنَّهُ لَم يَنفَجِر

كَالطِفلِ مِن خَوفِ العِقابِ بُكاءَ

A sheikh who restrained his years, he did not burst out

Like a child weeping in fear of punishment,

وَأَخو أُمورٍ عاشَ في سَرّائِها

فَتَغَيَّرَت فَتَوَقَّعَ الضَرّاءَ

And a brother in ordeals who lived through them

So he expected the worst in the trials,

الأُسدُ تَزأَرُ في الحَديدِ وَلَن تَرى

في السِجنِ ضِرغاماً بَكى اِستِخذاءَ

The lion roars in chains but you will never see

In prison, a hyena weep pleadingly,

وَأَتى الأَسيرُ يَجُرُّ ثِقلَ حَديدِهِ

أَسَدٌ يُجَرِّرُ حَيَّةً رَقطاءَ

The captive came dragging his heavy fetters

A lion dragging a groveling snake,

عَضَّت بِساقَيهِ القُيودُ فَلَم يَنُؤ

وَمَشَت بِهَيكَلِهِ السُنونَ فَناءَ

The shackles bit at his legs but he did not flinch

And the years walked off with his body to its end,

تِسعونَ لَو رَكِبَت مَناكِبَ شاهِقٍ

لَتَرَجَّلَت هَضَباتُهُ إِعياءَ

Ninety, if they rode the backs of lofty camels

Their highlands would crawl away spent,

خَفِيَت عَنِ القاضي وَفاتَ نَصيبُها

مِن رِفقِ جُندٍ قادَةً نُبَلاءَ

Hidden from the judge, she was deprived of the kindness

Of officers, noble leaders,

وَالسُنُّ تَعصِفُ كُلَّ قَلبِ مُهَذَّبٍ

عَرَفَ الجُدودَ وَأَدرَكَ الآباءَ

And the years blow fiercely at every refined heart

That knew its ancestors and forefathers,

دَفَعوا إِلى الجَلّادِ أَغلَبَ ماجِداً

يَأسو الجِراحَ وَيُعَتِقُ الأُسَراءَ

They handed the glorious one to the executioner

To treat wounds and free captives,

وَيُشاطِرُ الأَقرانَ ذُخرَ سِلاحِهِ

وَيَصُفُّ حَولَ خِوانِهِ الأَعداءَ

To share the reserve of his weapons with his comrades

And hold the enemies around them at bay,

وَتَخَيَّروا الحَبلَ المَهينَ مَنِيَّةً

لِلَّيثِ يَلفِظُ حَولَهُ الحَوباءَ

And they chose the shameful noose as the death

Of a lion spewing foam around him,

حَرَموا المَماتَ عَلى الصَوارِمِ وَالقَنا

مَن كانَ يُعطي الطَعنَةَ النَجلاءَ

They denied the death by swords and spears

Of one who could deliver the most valiant blow,

إِنّي رَأَيتُ يَدَ الحَضارَةِ أولِعَت

بِالحَقِّ هَدماً تارَةً وَبِناءَ

I saw the hand of civilization set aflame

With truth, destroying and building both,

شَرَعَت حُقوقَ الناسِ في أَوطانِهِم

إِلّا أُباةَ الضَيمِ وَالضُعَفاءَ

It laid down people's rights in their homelands

Except the obstinate victims and weak,

يا أَيُّها الشَعبُ القَريبُ أَسامِعٌ

فَأَصوغُ في عُمَرَ الشَهيدِ رِثاءَ

O people close by, listening,

Let me compose an elegy for the martyr's life,

أَم أَلجَمَت فاكَ الخُطوبُ وَحَرَّمَت

أُذنَيكَ حينَ تُخاطَبُ الإِصغاءَ

Or have disasters muted you, depriving

Your ears when addressed to hear?

ذَهَبَ الزَعيمُ وَأَنتَ باقٍ خالِدٌ

فَاِنقُد رِجالَكَ وَاِختَرِ الزُعَماءَ

The leader passed away but you remain eternal

So rouse your men and choose leaders,

وَأَرِح شُيوخَكَ مِن تَكاليفِ الوَغى

وَاِحمِل عَلى فِتيانِكَ الأَعباءَ

Relieve your elders of war's burdens

And lay its weights on your youth,