اللَهُ أَكبَرُ كَم في الفَتحِ مِن عَجَبٍ
يا خالِدَ التُركِ جَدِّد خالِدَ العَرَبِ
God is the Greatest! What wonders are there in this victory!
O Khalid, hero of the Turks, renew Khalid, hero of the Arabs!
صُلحٌ عَزيزٌ عَلى حَربٍ مُظَفَّرَةٍ
فَالسَيفُ في غِمدِهِ وَالحَقُّ في النُصُبِ
A precious peace after a triumphant war,
The sword back in its sheath and right in its proper place.
يا حُسنَ أُمنِيَّةٍ في السَيفِ ما كَذَبَت
وَطيبَ أُمنِيَّةٍ في الرَأيِ لَم تَخِبِ
O beautiful wish through the sword not proved false,
And good wish through resolve not led into disappointment!
خُطاكَ في الحَقِّ كانَت كُلُّها كَرَماً
وَأَنتَ أَكرَمُ في حَقنِ الدَمِ السَرِبِ
Your steps in truth have all been generosity,
And you are most generous in staunching the shedding of blood.
حَذَوتَ حَربَ الصَلاحِيّينَ في زَمَنٍ
فيهِ القِتالُ بِلا شَرعٍ وَلا أَدَبِ
You took up the war of the righteous in an age
When fighting is without law, without manners.
لَم يَأتِ سَيفُكَ فَحشاءً وَلا هَتَكَت
قَناكَ مِن حُرمَةِ الرُهبانِ وَالصُلُبِ
Your sword came not to commit indecency nor tore away
The sanctity of monks and crosses.
سُئِلتَ سِلماً عَلى نَصرٍ فَجُدتَ بِها
وَلَو سُئِلتَ بِغَيرِ النَصرِ لَم تُجِبِ
You were asked for peace through victory, so you responded,
And had you been asked for aught but victory, you'd not have answered.
مَشيئَةٌ قَبِلَتها الخَيلُ عاتِبَةٌ
وَأَذعَنَ السَيفُ مَطوِيّاً عَلى عَضَبِ
A desire which the horses accepted though piqued,
And the sword obeyed though sheathed and fretful.
أَتَيتَ ما يُشبِهُ التَقوى وَإِن خُلِقَت
سُيوفُ قَومِكَ لا تَرتاحُ لِلقُرُبِ
You did what resembles piety though your people's swords
Will not rest content with truces.
وَلا أَزيدُكَ بِالإِسلامِ مَعرِفَةً
كُلُّ المُروءَةِ في الإِسلامِ وَالحَسَبِ
I'll not increase you in knowledge of Islam—
All manliness is in Islam and good breeding.
مَنَحتَهُم هُدنَةٌ مِن سَيفِكَ اِلتُمِسَت
فَهَب لَهُم هُدنَةٌ مِن رَأيِكَ الضَرِبِ
You granted them a truce from your sword, then do grant
A truce of your resolve that lands blows.
أَتاهُمُ مِنكَ في لَوزانَ داهِيَةٌ
جاءَت بِهِ الحَربُ مِن حَيّاتِها الرُقُبِ
At Lausanne came to them your shrewdness
Brought there by war from its pit of snakes.
أَصَمٌّ يَسمَعُ سِرَّ الكائِدينَ لَهُ
وَلا يَضيقُ بِجَهرِ المُحنَقِ الصَخِبِ
A deaf man who hears the plotting of those who conspire against him
Yet is vexed not by the loud vain talk of the braggart.
لَم تَفتَرِق شَهَواتُ القَومِ في أَرَبٍ
إِلا قَضى وَطَراً مِن ذَلِكَ الأَرَبِ
The people's whims did not divide you into factions—
Rather you cut across those whims however they cleaved.
تَدَرَّعَت لِلِقاءِ السِلمِ أَنقَرَةٌ
وَمَهَّدَ السَيفُ في لوزانَ لِلخُطَبِ
Ankara donned armor for the meeting of peace,
And at Lausanne the sword smoothed the path for discourse.
فَقُل لِبانٍ بِقَولٍ رُكنَ مَملَكَةٍ
عَلى الكَتائِبِ يُبنى المُلكُ لا الكُتُبِ
Say to Venizelos with words that buttress a kingdom:
On cohorts not books is sovereignty built.
لا تَلتَمِس غَلَباً لِلحَقِّ في أُمَمٍ
الحَقُّ عِندَهُمُ مَعنىً مِنَ الغَلَبِ
Seek not to conquer right among nations—
To them right is but booty for the conqueror.
لا خَيرَ في مِنبَرٍ حَتّى يَكونَ لَهُ
عودٌ مِنَ السُمرِ أَو عودٌ مِنَ القُضُبِ
No good in a pulpit unless it has a rod
Of Syrian oak or else a branch of palm.
وَما السِلاحُ لِقَومٍ كُلُّ عُدَّتِهِم
حَتّى يكونوا مِنَ الأَخلاقِ في أُهُبِ
And arms are not for a people whose every implement
Till their manners are of the finest mettle.
لَو كانَ في النابِ دونَ الخُلقِ مَنبَهَةٌ
تَساوَتِ الأُسدُ وَالذُؤبانُ في الرُتَبِ
Were there in the leopard, apart from character, any glory,
Then lions and jackals would be equal in rank.
لَم يُغنِ عَن قادَةِ اليونانَ ما حَشَدوا
مِنَ السِلاحِ وَما ساقوا مِنَ العُصَبِ
Of no avail to Greece's leaders was all they mobilized
Of arms and all the allies they brought together.
وَتَركُهُم آسِيا الصُغرى مُدَجَّجَةً
كَثُكنَةِ النَحلِ أَو كَالقُنفُذِ الخَشَبِ
Leaving Asia Minor bristling,
Like a hive of bees or a porcupine of quills.
لِلتُركِ ساعاتُ صَبرٍ يَومَ نَكبَتِهِم
كُتِبنَ في صُحُفِ الأَخلاقِ بِالذَهَبِ
The Turks have hours of patience in their adversity,
Inscribed in the books of character in gold.
مَغارِمٌ وَضَحايا ما صَرَخنَ وَلا
كُدِّرنَ بِالمَنِّ أَو أُفسِدنَ بِالكَذِبِ
Spoils and victims—they shrieked not nor
Were led astray by flattery or corrupted by lies.
بِالفِعلِ وَالأَثَرِ المَحمودِ تَعرِفُها
وَلَستَ تَعرِفُها بِاِسمٍ وَلا لَقَبِ
By deed and praised effect you know them,
Not by any name or title.
جُمِعنَ في اِثنَينِ مِن دينٍ وَمِن وَطَنٍ
جَمعَ الذَبائِحِ في اِسمِ اللَهِ وَالقُرَبِ
In two brought together—religion and nation—
Like sacrifices gathered in God's name and brought near.
فيها حَياةٌ لِشَعبٍ لَم يَمُت خُلُقاً
وَمَطمَعٌ لِقَبيلٍ ناهِضٍ أَرَبِ
In them a life for a people whose character died not,
And hopes for a clan newly risen and growing.
لَم يَطعَمِ الغُمضَ جَفَنُ المُسلِمينَ لَها
حَتّى اِنجَلى لَيلُها عَن صُبحِهِ الشَنِبِ
Sleep visited not the Muslims' eyes for them
Till the darkness of their night shone with the dawn.
كُنَّ الرَجاءَ وَكُنَّ اليَأسَ ثُمَّ مَحا
نورُ اليَقينِ ظَلامَ الشَكِّ وَالرَيَبِ
They were hope and they were despair, then the light
Of certainty erased the shadows of doubt and fear.
تَلَمَّسَ التُركُ أَسباباً فَما وَجَدوا
كَالسَيفِ مِن سُلَّمٍ لِلعِزِّ أَو سَبَبِ
The Turks felt out means, but found none
Like the sword, a ladder to glory or cause.
خاضوا العَوانَ رَجاءً أَن تُبَلِّغَهُم
عَبرَ النَجاةِ فَكانَت صَخرَةَ العَطَبِ
They braved the seas hopeful of reaching
The far shore of salvation—but met only the rocks of denial.
سَفينَةُ اللَهِ لَم تُقهَر عَلى دُسُرٍ
في العاصِفاتِ وَلَم تُغلَب عَلى خُشُبِ
God's ship cannot be defeated though tossed
By storms, nor overcome though its planks be shattered.
قَد أَمَّنَ اللَهُ مَجراها وَأَبدَلَها
بِحُسنِ عاقِبَةٍ مِن سوءِ مُنقَلَبِ
God secured her course and substituted
For an evil outcome a goodly conclusion.
وَاِختارَ رُبّانَها مِن أَهلِها فَنَجَت
مِن كَيدِ حامٍ وَمِن تَضليلِ مُنتَدَبِ
And chose as her captain one of her own, so she survived
The schemes of envy and the wiles of duplicity.
ما كانَ ماءُ سَقارَيّا سِوى سَقَرٍ
طَغَت فَأَغرَقَتِ الإِغريقَ في اللَهَبِ
The waters of Smyrna were but hellfire
Which drowned the Greeks in flame.
لَمّا اِنبَرَت نارُها تَبغيهُمُ حَطَباً
كانَت قِيادَتُهُم حَمّالَةَ الحَطَبِ
When its fire blazed seeking them for fuel,
Their leadership was but bearers of kindling.
سَعَت بِهِم نَحوَكَ الآجالُ يَومَئِذٍ
يا ضَلَّ ساعٍ بِداعي الحَينِ مُنجَذِبِ
The appointed times led them towards you that day,
O lost hour lured by the summons of fate!
مَدّوا الجُسورَ فَحَلَّ اللَهُ ما عَقَدوا
إِلّا مَسالِكَ فِرعَونِيَّةَ السَرَبِ
They built bridges God undid what they tied,
Save the ways of Pharaoh, arrogant and unyielding.
كَربٌ تَغَشّاهُم مِن رَأيِ ساسَتِهِم
وَأَشأَمُ الرَأيِ ما أَلقاكَ في الكُرَبِ
Ruin covered them from their leaders' schemes—
And the unluckiest scheme was the one that led to you.
هُم حَسَّنوا لِلسَوادِ البُلهِ مَملَكَةً
مِن لِبدَةِ اللَيثِ أَو مِن غيلِهِ الأَشِبِ
They considered sovereign for the mindless masses
Some scraps from the lion's feast or a wolf's leftovers.
وَأَنشَئوا نُزهَةً لِلجَيشِ قاتِلَةً
وَمَن تَنَزَّهَ في الآجامِ لَم يَؤُبِ
And founded a park of leisure for the army
Bringing death—and none who strolled there returned.
ضَلَّ الأَميرُ كَما ضَلَّ الوَزيرُ بِهِم
كِلا السَرابَينِ أَظماهُم وَلَم يَصُبِ
Prince and vizier both went astray with them,
Both mirages which they pursued but never reached.
تَجاذَباهُم كَما شاءا بِمُختَلِفٍ
مِنَ الأَمانِيِّ وَالأَحلامِ مُختَلِبِ
They dragged them to and fro arbitrarily
With their fickle dreams and fanciful hopes.
وَكَيفَ تَلقى نَجاحاً أُمَّةٌ ذَهَبَت
حِزبَينِ ضِدَّينِ عِندَ الحادِثِ الحَزِبِ
How can a nation torn apart in two rival factions
Meet with success when disaster strikes?
زَحَفتَ زَحفَ أَتِيٍّ غَيرِ ذي شَفَقٍ
عَلى الوِهادِ وَلا رِفقٍ عَلى الهِضَبِ
You marched like a relentless foe, without mercy
Upon the plateau—no gentleness on the slopes.
قَذَفتَهُم بِالرِياحِ الهوجِ مُسرَجَةً
يَحمِلنَ أُسدَ الشَرى في البَيضِ وَاليَلَبِ
You hurled them on raging winds bearing
The lion of havoc in claws and fangs.
هَبَّت عَلَيهِم فَذابوا عَن مَعاقِلِهِم
وَالثَلجُ في قُلَلِ الأَجبالِ لَم يَذُبِ
The winds bore down on them, and they melted from their fortresses,
While the snow on the mountain peaks did not melt.
لَمّا صَدَعتَ جَناحَيهِم وَقَلبَهُمُ
طاروا بِأَجنِحَةٍ شَتّى مِنَ الرُعبِ
When you broke their wings and overturned them,
They fled in scattered feathers gripped by fear.
جَدَّ الفِرارُ فَأَلقى كُلُّ مُعتَقَلٍ
قَناتَهُ وَتَخَلى كُلُّ مُحتَقِبِ
Escape made haste, and every held-back place
Cast off its armor, and every ambush forsook its lair.
يا حُسنَ ما اِنسَحَبوا في مَنطِقٍ عَجَبٍ
تُدعى الهَزيمَةُ فيهِ حُسنَ مُنسَحَبِ
O lovely was their withdrawal in its astonishing logic!—
Defeat called there a fine retreating maneuver.
لَم يَدرِ قائِدُهُم لَمّا أَحَطَّت بِهِ
هَبَطتَ مِن صُعُدٍ أَم جِئتَ مِن صَبَبِ
When you encircled their commander, he knew not
If you descended from a mountain or came up from a lowland.
أَخَذتَهُ وَهوَ في تَدبيرِ خُطَّتِهِ
فَلَم تَتِمَّ وَكانَت خُطَّةَ الهَرَبِ
You seized him while planning his strategy—
So it was not completed, and his plan was for flight.
تِلكَ الفَراسِخُ مِن سَهلٍ وَمِن جَبَلٍ
قَرَّبتَ ما كانَ مِنها غَيرَ مُقتَرِبِ
Those leagues of plains and hills
You brought near what had been distant and remote.
خَيلُ الرَسولِ مِنَ الفولاذِ مَعدِنُها
وَسائِرُ الخَيلِ مِن لَحمٍ وَمِن عَصَبِ
The Prophet's horses, their origin is steel,
While other horses are of flesh and sinew.
أَفي لَيالٍ تَجوبُ الراسِياتُ بِها
وَتَقطَعُ الأَرضَ مِن قُطبٍ إِلى قُطُبِ
On nights the steeds course them, crossing earth
From pole to pole—which forts have not been broached?
سَلِ الظَلامَ بِها أَيُّ المَعاقِلِ لَم
تَطفِر وَأَيُّ حُصونِ الرومِ لَم تَثِبِ
Which of the Romans' bastions have not collapsed?—
Resolved: if they come not to Izmir then nowhere do they camp,
آلَت لَئِن لَم تَرِد أَزميرَ لا نَزَلَت
ماءً سِواها وَلا حَلَّت عَلى عُشُبِ
Nor settle except it and nowhere graze but it—
And in them and their horsemen patience is their nature,
وَالصَبرُ فيها وَفي فُرسانِها خُلُقٌ
تَوارَثوهُ أَباً في الرَوعِ بَعدَ أَبِ
Inherited father to son in frightful events
After father.
كَما وُلِدتُم عَلى أَعرافِها وُلِدَت
في ساحَةِ الحَربِ لا في باحَةِ الرَحَبِ
As you were born in its heights, so were they born
In war's arena, not in the courtyard of ease.
حَتّى طَلَعتَ عَلى أَزميرَ في فَلَكٍ
مِن نابِهِ الذِكرِ لَم يَسمُك عَلى الشُهُبِ
Till you rose over Izmir in an orbit
Of memorable fame—its name not tamed upon the flames.
في مَوكِبٍ وَقَفَ التاريخُ يَعرِضُهُ
فَلَم يُكَذِّب وَلَم يَذمُم وَلَم يُرِبِ
In a procession where history stopped to display it
Yet neither falsified nor blemished nor found fault.
يَومٌ كَبَدرٍ فَخَيلُ الحَقِّ راقِصَةٌ
عَلى الصَعيدِ وَخَيلُ اللَهِ في السُحُبِ
A day like Badr—the steeds of truth exultant
Upon the plain, and God's horses in the clouds.
غُرٌّ تُظَلِّلُها غَرّاءُ وارِفَةٌ
بَدرِيَّةُ العودِ وَالديباجِ وَالعَذَبِ
A canopy shaded by the thick and spreading
date palms of victory and brocade and perfume.
نَشوى مِنَ الظَفَرِ العالي مُرَنَّحَةٌ
مِن سَكرَةِ النَصرِ لا مِن سَكرَةِ النَصَبِ
Reeling from the lofty, overwhelming victory,
Intoxicated by the rapture of triumph, not fraud.
تُذَكِّرُ الأَرضُ ما لَم تَنسَ مِن زَبَدٍ
كَالمِسكِ مِن جَنَباتِ السَكبِ مُنسَكِبِ
The ground is reminded what it has not forgotten
Of scum like musk dripping from the pouring vessels.
حَتّى تَعالى أَذانُ الفَتحِ فَاِتَّأَدَت
مَشيَ المُجَلّي إِذا اِستَولى عَلى القَصَبِ
Until the call to prayer of opening was raised, and melted
The proud gait when seizure has descended on the reeds.
تَحِيَّةً أَيُّها الغازي وَتَهنِئَةً
بِآيَةِ الفَتحِ تَبقى آيَةُ الحِقَبِ
Greetings and congratulations, O raider,
On the sign of opening which remains the sign of eras.
وَقَيِّماً مِن ثَناءٍ لا كِفاءَ لَهُ
إِلّا التَعَجُّبُ مِن أَصحابِكَ النُجُبِ
And praise beyond match except to marvel
At your esteemed companions.
الصابِرينَ إِذا حَلَّ البَلاءُ بِهِم
كَاللَيثِ عَضَّ عَلى نابَيهِ في النُوَبِ
Steadfast when tested with adversity
Like lions biting down in the moment of assault.
وَالجاعِلينَ سُيوفَ الهِندِ أَلسِنَهُم
وَالكاتِبينَ بِأَطرافِ القَنا السُلُبُ
Taking the Indian swords for their tongues
And writing with the tips of their spears.
لا الصَعبُ عِندَهُمُ بِالصَعبِ مَركَبُهُ
وَلا المُحالُ بِمُستَعصٍ عَلى الطَلَبِ
Nothing is hard when with hardship interwoven,
Nor impossible with the unassailable in quest.
وَلا المَصائِبُ إِذ يَرمي الرِجالُ بِها
بِقاتِلاتٍ إِذا الأَخلاقُ لَم تُصَبِ
Nor strokes of fate when men hurl them
With slaying blows when their manners are unperturbed.
قُوّادُ مَعرَكَةٍ وُرّادُ مَهلَكَةٍ
أَوتادُ مَملَكَةٍ آسادُ مُحتَرَبِ
Captains of battle, repellers of havoc,
Pillars of kingdom, rebuilders of ruins.
بَلَوتُهُم فَتَحَدَّث كَم شَدَدتَ بِهِم
مِن مُضمَحِلٍّ وَكَم عَمَّرتَ مِن خُرَبِ
I tested them—speak of how you restored through them
What was in demise, and gave long life to many a wreck,
وَكَم ثَلَمتَ بِهِم مِن مَعقِلٍ أَشِبٍ
وَكَم هَزَمتَ بِهِم مِن جَحفَلٍ لَجِبِ
And how you cleft with them many an impregnable fortress,
And broke with them many a stubborn host.
وَكَم بَنَيتَ بِهِم مَجداً فَما نَسَبوا
في الهَدمِ ما لَيسَ في البُنيانِ مِن صَخَبِ
And how you built through them a glory to which they laid
No claim of clamor unlike what is clamor in building.
مِن فَلِّ جَيشٍ وَمِن أَنقاضِ مَملَكَةٍ
وَمِن بَقِيَّةِ قَومٍ جِئتَ بِالعَجَبِ
From the refuse of an army and wreck of a kingdom,
And remnant of a people you brought wonder.
أَخرَجتَ لِلناسِ مِن ذُلٍّ وَمِن فَشَلٍ
شَعباً وَراءَ العَوالي غَيرَ مُنشَعِبِ
You brought forth for the people from meanness and failure
A folk behind high places without fissure.
لَمّا أَتَيتَ بِبَدرٍ مِن مَطالِعِها
تَلَفَّتَ البَيتُ في الأَستارِ وَالحُجُبِ
When you brought victory from its first light,
The house turned in its veils and curtains,
وَهَشَّتِ الرَوضَةُ الفَيحاءُ ضاحِكَةً
إِنَّ المُنَوَّرَةَ المِسكِيَّةَ التُرُبِ
And the fragrant garden laughed gleefully—
The scented, musky, well-tended garden.
وَمَسَّتِ الدارُ أَزكى طيبِها وَأَتَت
بابَ الرَسولِ فَمَسَّت أَشرَفَ العُتُبِ
And the house touched its choicest perfume, and came
To the Prophet's door where it kissed the noble threshold.
وَأَرَّجَ الفَتحُ أَرجاءَ الحِجازِ وَكَم
قَضى اللَيالِيَ لَم يَنعَم وَلَم يَطِبِ
And victory perfumed the precincts of Hejaz, and how many
Nights were not content though time passed them by!
وَاِزَّيَّنَت أُمَّهاتُ الشَرقِ وَاِستَبَقَت
مَهارِجُ الفَتحِ في المُؤشِيَّةِ القُشُبِ
And its maiden mother cities adorned themselves, vying
For the triumphs of victory in all their finery.
هَزَّت دِمَشقُ بَني أَيّوبَ فَاِنتَبِهوا
يَهنَئونَ بَني حَمدانَ في حَلَبِ
Damascus shook the sons of Ayyub awake—
Congratulations to the Hamdanids in Aleppo!
وَمُسلِمو الهِندِ وَالهِندوسُ في جَذَلٍ
وَمُسلِموا مِصرَ وَالأَقباطُ في طَرَبِ
The Muslims of India, the Hindus in misery,
The Muslims of Egypt, the Copts in torment.
مَمالِكٌ ضَمَّها الإِسلامُ في رَحِمٍ
وَشيجَةٍ وَحَواها الشَرقُ في نَسَبِ
Kingdoms united by Islam in a single womb,
Gathered by the East in lineage and ancestry—
مِن كُلِّ ضاحِيَةٍ تَرمي بِمُكتَحَلٍ
إِلى مَكانِكَ أَو تَرمي بِمُختَضَبِ
From every flourishing suburb they cast a passionate glance
Toward your place, or cast one darkened with kohl.
تَقولُ لَولا الفَتى التُركِيُّ حَلَّ بِنا
يَومٌ كَيَومِ يَهودٍ كانَ عَن كَثَبِ
Saying: without the Turkish youth, a day would have befallen us
Like the Jews' day right nearby them.
