أُنشودَةٌ في ضَميري كَم أُواريها

وَما شِفائِيَ إِلّا أَن أُغَنّيها

A song in my conscience, how I conceal it

There is a hymn within my conscience; how often I conceal it,

And my cure is only to sing it

Yet my only cure lies in singing it aloud.

وَلّى الشِتاءُ وَنَفسي في كَآبَتِها

وَاِستَضحَكَ الصَيفُ إِلّا في نَوحيها

Winter has passed and my soul in its gloom

Winter has departed, while my soul remains in its gloom,

Summer has laughed except in its weeping

And summer has laughed, everywhere but in my soul's wailing grounds.

كَأَنَّها زَهرَةٌ في الظِلِّ نابِتَةٌ

لا نورَ يَغمُرُها لا ماءَ يَسقيها

It's as if it's a flower in the shade growing

As though it were a flower sprouting in the shadows,

No light inundates it, no water waters it

No light floods over it, no water quenches its thirst.

كَأَنَّها الحَربُ في قَلبي زَلازِلُها

وَبَعضُ أَهلِيَ أَقوامٌ تُعانيها

It's as if it's the war in my heart, its quakes

As though it is war—its earthquakes shaking my heart,

And some of my family are folks who endure it

While some of my own kin are people suffering its toll.

حِكايَةٌ أَتَقَلّى حينَ أَسمَعُها

وَيَأكُلُ الحُزنُ قَلبي حينَ أَرويها

A tale I waver when I hear it

It is a tale over which I writhe in pain when I hear it,

And sorrow eats my heart when I recount it

And grief consumes my heart whenever I narrate it.

وارَحمَتاهُ لِأُرُبّا فَما فَتَكَت

أَفعى بِأَفعى كَأَهليها بِأَهليها

And His compassion to Urubba, it did not destroy

Oh, what pity for Europe! For never has a viper slaughtered

A viper with a viper like its people with its people

Another viper, the way its people have slaughtered one another.

لَم يَبقَ غَيرُ الضَواري في خَلائِقِها

وَمِن حَضارَتِها إِلّا مَخازيها

Nothing remained but the beasts among its creatures

Nothing remains in its nature but predatory beasts,

And of its civilization except its privies

And nothing of its civilization but its shameful disgraces.

كانَت تَعُدُّ الدَواهي في مَصانِعِها

لِغَيرِها فَأَصابَتها دَواهيها

It used to count plots in its factories

It used to prepare calamities within its factories,

For others, so its plots befell it

Intended for others, yet its own calamities struck it down.

وَكُلُّ طابِخِ سُمٍّ سَوفَ يَأكُلُهُ

وَكُلُّ حافِرِ بِئرٍ واقِعٌ فيها

And every cook of poison will eat it

For every cook who brews poison shall eventually eat of it,

And every digger of a well will fall in it

And every digger of a pit is bound to fall inside.

لَو دامَ إيمانُها لَم تَنطَلِق سَقَرٌ

بِدورِها وَالأَفاعي في مَغانيها

Had its faith endured, Hellfire would not have blazed

Had its faith endured, Hellfire would not have erupted

With its homes and snakes in its burrows

Within its homes, nor would serpents dwell in its abodes.

لَكِن أَكَبَّت عَلى الآلاتِ تَعبُدَها

وَتَستَعينُ بِها مِن دونِ باريها

But it bent to machines, worshipping them

But it bent itself over machines, worshipping them,

And seeking help through them besides its Creator

Seeking their aid instead of the aid of its Creator.

فَصارَ مالِكُها عَبداً لِسُلطَتِها

وَصارَ كُلُّ ضَعيفٍ مِن أَضاحيها

So its owner became a slave to its authority

So its master became a slave to their authority,

And every weak one became one of its victims

And every weak person became one of their sacrifices.

وَصارَ إِنسانُها لِلحَلبِ آوينَةً

وَالذَبحِ مِثلَ المَواشي في مَراعيها

And its human became for milking a bucket

Its humanity became merely for milking at times,

And slaughter like livestock in its pastures

And for slaughter at others, like cattle in their pastures.

يا نَفسُ سُرّي وَيا أُنشودَتي اِنطَلِقي

مَن عَلَّمَ الصَمتَ إِنَّ الصَمتَ يُؤذيها

Oh self, walk softly, and oh my song, set forth

Oh soul, rejoice, and oh my song, break free!

Who taught silence? Silence hurts it

Who taught you silence? For truly, silence causes harm.

أَيُشرِقُ الأُفقُ لَم يُطلِع كَواكِبَهُ

وَتَجمُلُ الأَرضُ لَم تُخرِج أَقاحيها

Does the horizon shine without its planets arising?

Does the horizon shine if it does not reveal its stars?

And the earth beautify without producing its blooms?

Does the earth turn beautiful if it does not bring forth its daisies?

اليَومَ يَومُ القَوافي تَهتُفينَ بِها

لا يَشرَبُ الناسُ خَمراً لَم تَصُبّيها

Today is the day of rhymes, chanting them

Today is the day of rhymes for you to chant aloud;

People don't drink wine unless you pour it

People drink no wine that you have not poured out for them.

هَذا هُوَ العيدُ قَد لاحَت مَواكِبُهُ

يا قَلبُ هَلِّل لَها يا شِعرُ حَيِّها

This is the feast, its processions have appeared

This is the festival; its processions have now appeared,

Oh heart, rejoice for it, oh poetry, cheer it

Oh heart, cheer for them! Oh poetry, bid them welcome!