التُركُ إِن لَبِسوا يَوماً تَرائِكَهُم
عَلى الدُّروعِ وَأَلقَوا بِالشَرابيشِ
If the Turks one day don their helmets
The Turks, if one day they don their coats of mail
over their armor and cast aside their caps,
And cast aside their robes,
أَلفَيتَ أُسداً عَلى الأَعداءِ واثِبَةً
إِذا اِنحَنَوا في قَرابيسِ الأَكاديشِ
you would find lions leaping upon their foes,
You would find a lion pouncing on the foe
when they bend over the saddle-bows of their non-Arabian horses.
When they bend low in the saddles of their steeds.
تَلقى مَلائِكَةً قَد أَرسَلَت شُهُباً
عَلى العَفاريتِ مِن أُفقِ التَراكيشِ
You meet angels who have hurled shooting stars
You would see angels who have hurled flames
at demons from the horizon of their quivers:
Upon the demons from the horizon of the Turks.
بُدورُ تِمٍّ تَمَطّى في الأَهِلَّةِ تَر
مي بِالكَواكِبِ لا العيدانِ وَالرّيشِ
full moons stretching amid crescents, shooting
Pure stars - not firebrands or feathers -
stars, not wooden shafts and feathers.
Adorn their Sickles during the Crescent festival.
شاموا جَداوِلَ لَمّا اِستَلأَموا غُدُراً
فَأَوقَدوا بِمِياهٍ نارَ شاليشِ
They unsheathed streams when they armored themselves in pools,
They have forbidden wine when they embraced Islam,
and with water kindled the fire of battle.
So they kindled with water the fire of alliance.
عادوا أجادِلَ دَجنٍ صَيدُها أُسُدٌ
مُرَدَّفينَ بِها فَوقَ الكَبابيشِ
They returned as falcons of the gloom, their quarry lions,
They have returned as arguing knights whose prey is a lion,
with these seated behind them upon the saddlecloths.
Mounted atop their saddled horses.
فَلَيسَ يُطرِبُهُم إِلا اِستِماعُهُم
دُعاءَ مُستَصرِخٍ أَو صَوتَ شاويشِ
Nothing delights them but hearing
They are delighted by nothing
the plea of one crying for help, or a sergeant's voice.
Except hearing the scream of a supplicant or the sound of a prowler.
أَبصارُ أَعدائِهِم تَعشى بِنورِهم
أَنّى تَرى الشَمسَ أَبصارُ الخَفافيشِ
Their enemies' eyes are dazzled by their light:
The eyes of their enemies are blinded by their light;
how can bats' eyes behold the sun?
How can the eyes of bats bear the sun?
مَتى رَنَوا وَمَتى اِفتَرّوا حَنَوا وَحَبَوا
بِالسِحرِ مِن بابِلٍ وَالدُرِّ مِن كيشِ
Whenever they gaze, and whenever they smile, they show affection and bestow gifts:
When did they sleep or take a break? They care and love
magic from Babylon and pearls from Kish.
With magic from Babylon and pearls from Cush.
هُمُ الأُلى غَرَّقَ الإِفرَنجَ سَيلُهُم
فَأَشبَهوا عُنصُلاً بادي الأَنابيشِ
They are those whose flood drowned the Franks,
They are the flood which drowned the Franks,
so they resembled squill with its roots laid bare.
And so resembled vines with broken stems.
هُمُ مَمالِكُ موسى وَهوَ إِن ذُكِرَ ال
مُلوكُ أَفضَلُ ذي تاجٍ وَشَربوشِ
They are Musa's mamluks; and he, when the
They are the kingdoms of Moses, and if he is mentioned,
kings are named, is the finest wearer of crown and cap.
They are the best kings with crown and turban.
لا زالَ بِالنصرِ مَعقودَ اللِواءِ وَفي
ظِلٍّ ظَليلٍ بِعَرشِ المُلكِ مَعروشِ
May his banner ever be bound to victory, and may he dwell
The banner of victory is still tied to them, and beneath
in deep shade, canopied by the throne of kingship,
The shade of the royal throne they are sheltered.
ما غَنَّتِ الوُرقُ في الأَغصانِ صادِحَةً
تَهُزُّهُنَّ صَبا نَجدٍ بِتَحريشِ
as long as gray doves sing aloud among the branches,
The leaves have not sung in the branches,
as Najd's east wind stirs them, urging them on.
Stirred by the Najdi breeze with rustling.
Sol 6.1