لِلَّهِ ما أَحلى البَشيرَ وَقَولَهُ

سَقَطَ الهِلالُ إِلى الحَضيضِ وَدالا

How sweet the herald and his words were,

By God, how sweet is the herald and his words:

The crescent has fallen to the lowest valley.

"The Crescent has fallen to the abyss and waned."

بُشرى نَسَينا كُلَّ شَيءٍ قَبلَها

الناسَ وَالدَولاتَ وَالأَجيالا

Good tidings made us forget all before it,

Good tidings that made us forget everything before them—

People and states and generations.

The people, the empires, and the generations.

رَدَّت عَلى الشَيخِ المُسِنِّ شَبابَهُ

وَعَلى الحَزينِ اليائِسِ الآمالا

It restored to the aged elder his youth,

They restored youth to the elderly sheikh,

And to the despairing despondent one hopes.

And gave hope back to the sad and despairing,

وَعَلى الصَديقِ صَدِقُهُ وَعَلَيهِما

أَبَوَيهِما وَعَلى الأَبِ الأَطفالا

And to the friend his friendship and both of them

And returned the friend to his friend, and to both,

Their parents and to the father children.

Their parents, and restored the children to the father.

لَو ساوَمَ الخَلقَ الَّذي وافى بِها

بَذَلوا لَهُ الأَرواحَ وَالأَموالا

Had people been asked with what it came

Had the one who brought these tidings bargained with creation,

They would have given their souls and wealth.

They would have sacrificed for him their souls and wealth.

مَن مُبلِغُ الأَبطالِ عَنِيَّ أَنَّني

أَهوى القُرومَ الصيدَ وَالأَبطالا

Who will tell the brave about me that

Who will convey to the heroes on my behalf that I

I love raids, hunting, and the brave.

Love the noble chiefs and the valiant heroes?

بَِلأَمسِ قَطَّعَتِ الجَزيرَةَ قَيدَها

وَرَمَت بِوَجهِ الغاشِمِ الأَغلالا

Yesterday, the peninsula cut its ties

Yesterday, Al-Jazira shattered its shackles,

And flung the shackles in the tyrant’s face.

And flung the chains in the face of the oppressor.

وَاليَومَ وَدَّعَتِ المَظالِمَ أُختُها

وَمَشَت تَجُرُّ ذُيولُها إِدلالا

And today it bade farewell to grievances

And today, its sister bade farewell to injustices,

Walking trailing its gowns in allure.

And walked, trailing her robes in pride and glory.

أَبَناتِ أورشَليمَ ضَمِّخنَ الثَرى

بِالطيبِ وَاِملَأنَ الدُروبَ جَمالا

Daughters of Jerusalem soaked the soil

O daughters of Jerusalem, anoint the soil

With perfume and filled the roads with beauty

With perfume, and fill the paths with beauty,

حَتّى يَمُرَّ الفاتِحونَ فَإِنَّهُم

كَشَوا الأَذى عَنكُنَّ وَالإِذلالا

That the liberators may pass, for they

So the conquerors may pass, for they

Removed harm from you and humiliation.

Have swept away harm and humiliation from you.

فَاِخلَعنَ أَثوابَ الكَآبَةِ وَالأَسى

وَاِلبِسنَ مِن نورُ الضُحى سِربالا

So take off the clothes of gloom and sorrow

Cast off the garments of gloom and sorrow,

And wear the gowns of dawn’s light.

And don a raiment woven from the morning light.

وَاِنفَحنَ بِالبَسَماتِ كُلَّ شُمَيذَعٍ

خاضَ العَجاجَ وَوَجهُهُ يَتَلالا

And smile with each shining sun

And bestow your smiles upon every noble warrior

That waded through the tumult, his face gleaming.

Who plunged into the battle dust with a beaming face.

هَذا مَجالٌ لِلفَتى أَن يَزدَهي

فيهِ وَلِلحَسناءِ أَن تَختالا

This is a chance for the youth to shine

This is a realm for the young man to boast,

And for the beautiful one to sway.

And for the beauty to walk with pride.

يا قائِدَ الصَيدِ الغَطارِفَةِ الأُلى

تُحنى الرُؤوسُ لِذِكرِهِم إِجلالا

O leader of the daring eagle hunt

O leader of the proud, noble chiefs,

Heads bow down when you are remembered.

Before whose mention heads bow in reverence,

ظَنَّ المَغولُ جُنودَهُم تَحميهُمُ

وَالقِردُ يَحسَبُهُ أَبوهُ غَزالا

The Mongols thought their armies protect them

The Mongols thought their soldiers would protect them,

And the monkey deems its father a gazelle.

Just as the monkey appears a gazelle to his father.

فَتأَلَّبوا وَتَهَدَّدوا وَتَوَعَّدوا

حَتّى طَلَعتَ فَأَجفَلوا إِجفالا

They growled and threatened and intimidated

They rallied, they threatened, and they vowed,

Until you rose so they cowered in fright.

Until you appeared, and they fled in panic.

ذُعِرَ الطُيورِ سَطا عَليهِم باشِقٌ

وَبَناتِ آوى أَبصَرَت رِئبالا

The birds were startled when a falcon pounced,

Like the panic of birds attacked by a hawk,

And the daughters of caves saw wolves.

Or jackals catching sight of a lion.

كَم جَحفَلٍ بَعَثوا إِلَيكَ مَعَ الدُجى

لاقاهُ جَيشُكَ وَالصَباحُ فَزالا

How many hordes did they send you at night

How many legions did they send against you in the dark?

Your army met them and dawn was gone.

Your army met them, along with the morning, and they vanished.

طارَدتَهُم فَوقَ الجِبالِ وَتَحتَها

كَاللَيثِ يَطرُدُ دونَهُ الأَوعالا

You chased them over and under the mountains

You chased them over the mountains and below,

Like a lion chasing his prey.

Like a lion chasing ibexes before him.

فَمَلَأتَ هاتيكَ الأَباطِحِ وَالرُبى

بِجُسومِهِم وَمَلَأتَهُم أَهوالا

So you filled those plains and hills

You filled those valleys and hills

With their bodies and filled them with horrors.

With their bodies, and filled their hearts with terror.

وَحَمَيتُ إِلا السُهدَ عَن أَجفانِهِم

وَمَنَعتَ إِلّا عَنهُمُ الأَوجالا

You prevented anything but unconsciousness

You barred everything but insomnia from their eyelids,

And anything but calamities from reaching them.

And kept away everything but fear from their souls.

ساقوا إِلَيكَ مِئنَهُم وَأُلوفَهُم

فِرَقاً وَسُقتَ إِلَيهِمُ الآجالا

They were driven to you in groups and thousands

They drove their hundreds and thousands toward you

And death was driven to them.

In droves, and you drove their dooms toward them.

وَصَنَعتَ مِن أَسيافِهِم وَدُروعِهِم

لِرِقابِهِم وَزُنودِهِم أَغلالا

And you made their swords and armors

You fashioned from their swords and shields

Into shackles and neck-irons for them.

Shackles for their necks and wrists.

لَو لَم تُساقِطهُم إِلَيكَ جِبالُهُم

عِندَ الضُحى زَلزَلتَها زِلزالا

Had their mountains not sent them to you

Had their mountains not cast them down to you,

At dawn, you would have shaken them with quakes.

By mid-morning, you would have shaken them to rubble.

إِن يَأمَنوا وَجَدوا المَنايا يومنَةً

أَو يَأسِروا وَجَدوا الجُيوشَ شِمالا

Whether they feel secure, death takes them suddenly,

If they sought safety, they found death on the right,

Or they are taken captive, armies are merciless.

And if they turned left, they found armies lying in wait.

وَشَكَت خُيولُكَ في المَيادينِ الوَجى

فَجَعَلتَ أَرأُسَهُم لَهُنَّ نِعالا

Your horses complained of the heavy burden,

Your horses complained of soreness in the fields,

So you made their heads shoes for them.

So you made the enemy's heads into horseshoes for them.

وَرَأَوكَ قَد عَرَّضتَ صَدرَكَ لِلظُبى

عِندَ الحُصونِ فَعَرَّضوا الأَكفالا

And they saw you expose your chest to attacks

They saw you expose your chest to the blades

At the citadels, so they turned their shoulders.

At the forts, so they turned their backs in flight.

هُنِّئتَ بِالنَصرِ المُبينِ فَإِنَّهُ

نَصرٌ يَعُزُّ عَلى سِواكَ مَنالا

You were congratulated for the obvious victory,

Congratulations on this clear victory, for it is

A victory hard for anyone but you to attain.

A triumph that no one but you could attain.

هَذي القُلوبُ نَسَجتُها لَكَ أَحرُفاً

لَو أَستَطيعُ صَنَعتُها تِمثالا

These hearts wove verses for you,

I have woven these hearts into letters for you;

If I could, I would have made them a statue.

If I could, I would have forged them into a statue.

أَرَضيتَ موسى وَالمَسيحَ وَأَحمَداً

وَالناسَ أَجمَعَ وَالإِلَهَ تَعالى

You pleased Moses, Jesus, and Ahmad

You have pleased Moses, Christ, and Muhammad,

And all people and Exalted God.

And all mankind, and God the Almighty.