أَلا نَبي لَو طَبَعنا الشَمسَ يَوماً

وَقَلَّدناكَها سَيفاً صَفيحا

O Prophet, if we had stamped the sun one day,

Nay, O Prophet, even if we were to forge the sun one day,

And forged it into a blade of steel,

And gird you with it as a broad, flat blade,

وَرَصَّعناهُ بِالشُهبِ الدَراري

لَما زُدناكَ فَخراً أَو مَديحا

And studded it with shooting stars,

And encrust it with brilliant, shining stars,

We would not have added to your glory or praise,

We would add nothing to your glory or your praise.

لِأَنَّكَ أَشجَعُ الأَبطالِ طُرّاً

وَأَعظَمُ قادَةِ الدُنيا فُتوحا

For you are the bravest of heroes in battle,

For you are the bravest of all heroes, without exception,

And the greatest conquerors in the world.

And the greatest of the world’s commanders in conquest.

إِذا ما مَرَّ ذِكرُكَ بَينَ قَومٍ

رَأَيتَ أَشَدُّهُم عِيّاً فَصيحا

When your name passes among people,

Whenever your name is mentioned among a people,

You see the strongest among them vociferously cheer.

You see the most inarticulate among them turn eloquent.

فَكَم داوَيتَ سورِيّاً مَريضاً

وَكَم أَسقَمتَ تُركِيّاً صَحيحا

How many ailing Syria have you cured,

For how many an ailing Syrian have you healed,

And how many healthy Turkey have you sickened,

And how many a healthy Turk have you struck with sickness?

وَكَم قَد صُنتَ في بَيروتَ عِرضاً

وَكَم أَمَّنتَ في الشَهباءِ روحا

And how much honor have you protected in Beirut,

How often in Beirut have you safeguarded honor,

And how many souls have you secured in the Levant.

And how many souls have you granted safety in Aleppo?

غَضِبتَ عَلى الهِلالِ فَخَرَّ ذُعراً

وَلُحتَ لَهُ فَحاذَرَ أَن يَلوحا

You were angry at the crescent so it cowered in fear,

You raged against the Crescent, and it collapsed in terror,

And you glared at it so it was wary to appear.

You loomed before it, and it dared not shine again.

عَصَفتَ بِهِم فَأَمسى كُلُّ حِصنٍ

لِخَيلِ النَصرِ مَيداناً فَسيحا

You stormed them until every fortress

You stormed through them, until every fortress became

Became an open plain for the horses of victory.

A wide, open field for the steeds of victory.

مَشَت بِكَ هِمَّةٌ فَوقَ الثُرَيّا

فَزَلزَلَتِ المَعاقِل وَالصُروحا

Zeal beyond ambition moved you

An ambition marched with you high above the Pleiades,

So you made the strongholds and palaces quake.

Shaking the strongholds and towering citadels.

مِنَ الوادي إِلى صَحراءِ سينا

إِلى أَن زُرتَ ذَيّاكَ الضَريحا

From the valley to the Sinai desert,

From the Valley to the desert of Sinai,

Until you visited that shrine,

Until you paid a visit to that hallowed shrine,

إِلى بَحرِ الجَليلِ إِلى دِمَشقٍ

تُطارِدُ دونَكَ التُركي القَبيحا

To the Sea of Galilee, to Damascus,

To the Sea of Galilee, and on to Damascus,

Chasing the wretched Turks ahead of you.

Chasing the vile Turk before you.

فَكانَ الجُندُ كُلُّهُمُ يَشوعاً

وَكانَت كُلُّ سورِيّا أَريحا

And so all the soldiers were fervent

So that all your soldiers seemed as Joshua,

And all of Syria was at peace.

And all of Syria became their Jericho.

فَإِن يَكُنِ المَسيحُ فِدى البَرايا

فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ أَنقَذتَ المَسيحا

If Christ is the sacrifice for all mankind,

For if Christ gave Himself to ransom mankind,

Then you are the one who saved the Christ.

Then you are surely the one who rescued Christ.