لَو أَستَطيعُ كَتَبتُ بِالنيرانِ
فَلَقَد عَيِّتُ بِكُم وَعَيَّ بَياني
If I had the power, I would write with fire,
For I have grown weary of you, and my speech has failed me.
وَلَكِدتُ أَستَحيِ القَئيضَ وَأَتَّقي
أَن يَستَريبَ يَراعَتي وَجَناني
I have come to feel shame before the parchment, and I dread
That my pen and my heart might view me with suspicion.
أَمسى يُعاصيني لَمّا جَشَّمتُهُ
فيكُم وَكُنتُ وَكانَ طَوعَ بَناني
It began to disobey me when I burdened it with a task
Concerning you—though it was once obedient to my fingertips.
يَشكو إِلَيَّ وَأَشتَكي إِعراضُكُم
اللَهَ في عانٍ يَلوذُ بِعانِ
It complains to me, and I complain of your indifference;
By God, look at a sufferer seeking refuge in another sufferer.
عاهَدتُهُ أَن لا أُثيرَ شُجونُهُ
أَو يَستَثيرَ كَوامِنَ الأَشجانِ
I pledged to it that I would not stir its sorrows,
Nor would it provoke the hidden depths of grief.
يا طالَما اِستَبكَيتُهُ فَبَكى لَكُم
لَولا الرَجاءُ بَكَيتُهُ وَبَكاني
How often I beseeched it to weep, and it wept for your sake;
Were it not for hope, I would have wept for it, and it for me.
كَم لَيلَةً أَحيَيتُها مُتَمَلمِلاً
طَرفي وَطَرفُ النَجمِ مُلتَقِيانِ
How many a night I spent awake, tossing in restlessness,
While my gaze and the gaze of the stars remained fixed upon each other.
تَحنو عَلى قَلَمي يَميني وَالدُجى
حانٍ عَلى الفَتَياتِ وَالفِتيانِ
My right hand tends gently to my pen, while the darkness
Wraps itself tenderly around the young women and men.
أَجلو عَرائِسَهُ لَكُم وَأَزُفُّها
ما بَينَ بِكرٍ كاعِبٍ وَعَوانِ
I unveil the brides of my thought for you, presenting them
Some like untouched virgins, others like experienced matrons.
مُتَأَلِّماً فيكُم وَفي أَبنائِكُم
وَهُمُ وَأَنتُمُ نائِمو الأَحزانِ
Suffering on your behalf and for the sake of your children,
While you and they sleep through the sorrows.
ما غالَ نَومي حُبُّ مَعسولِ اللِمى
مَمنوعِهِ لَكِن هَوى الأَوطانِ
It was not love for honeyed lips that stole my sleep,
Nor forbidden passion, but the love of my homeland.
أَنفَقتُ أَيّامَ الشَبابِ عَلَيكُمُ
في ذِمَّةِ الماضي الشَبابُ الفاني
I have squandered the days of my youth upon you,
And fleeting youth now belongs to the custody of the past.
كَم تَسأَلوني أَن أُعيدَ زَمانَهُ
يا قَومُ مَرَّ زَمانُهُ وَزَماني
How often you ask me to restore its era,
O people, its time has passed, and so has mine.
هانَ اليوَراعُ عَلى البَواتِرِ وَالقَنا
ما تَصنَعُ الأَقلامُ بِالمُرّانِ
The reed pen counts for little against sharp swords and spears;
What can pens achieve against lances of tough wood?
لَيسَ الكَلامُ بِنافِعٍ أَو تَغتَدي
حُمرُ المَضارِبِ خَلفَ كُلِّ لِسانِ
Words are of no avail, unless the red blades
Stand ready behind every tongue spoken.
وَالشَعبُ لَيسَ بِمُدرِكٍ آمالَهُ
حَتّى يَسيرَ عَلى النَجيعِ القاني
A nation will not attain its hopes
Until it marches upon deep crimson blood.
صَلَّ الحَديدُ وَشَمَّرَت عَن ساقِها
وَتَنَكَّرَ الإِخوانُ لِلإِخوانِ
Iron has clashed, and War has bared her leg in earnest;
And brothers have turned against their own brothers.
فَالخَيلُ غاضِبَةٌ عَلى أَرسانِها
وَالبيضُ غاضِبَةٌ عَلى الأَجفانِ
The horses are furious at their bridles,
And the white swords rage against their sheaths.
وَالمَوتُ مِن قُدّامِهِم وَوَرائِهِم
وَالهَولُ كُلَّ ثَنِيَّةٍ وَمَكانِ
Death looms before them and behind them,
And terror fills every mountain pass and every place.
بَسَطَت جَناحَيها وَمَدَّت ظِلَّها
فَإِذا جَناحا السِلمِ مَقصوصانِ
War has spread her wings and cast her long shadow,
While the wings of peace lie clipped and broken.
تَغشى مَواكِبُها ثَلاثَ غَياهِبٍ
مِن قَسطَلٍ وَدُجُنَّةٍ وَدُخانِ
Her processions are shrouded in three layers of darkness:
Of battle-dust, gloom, and thick smoke.
وَيَرُدُّ عَنها كُلَّ خائِضٍ لُجَّةٍ
سَيلانِ مِن ماءٍ وَمِن نيرانِ
And two torrents repel any who dare to wade the abyss:
A torrent of water and a torrent of fire.
أَنّى اِلتَفَتُّ رَأَيتَ رَأساً طائِراً
أَو مُهجَةً مَطعونَةَن بِسِنانِ
Wherever I turn, I see a severed head flying,
Or a heart pierced through by a spearhead.
يَمشي الرَدى في إِثرِ كُلِّ قَذيفَةٍ
فَكَأَنَّما تَقتادُهُ بِعَنانِ
Destruction walks in the wake of every shell,
As though it leads Death by the reins.
فَالجَوُّ مِمّا فاضَ مِن أَرواحِهِم
لا تَستَبينُ نُجومُهُ عَينانِ
The air is so thick with their departing souls
That no eyes can distinguish the stars above.
وَالنَهرُ مِمّا سالَ مِن مُهَجاتِهِم
يَجري عَلى أَرضٍ مِنَ المُرجانِ
And the river, swollen with their flowing life-blood,
Flows over a bed that looks like red coral.
وَالأَرضُ حَمراءُ الأَديمِ كَأَنَّها
خَدُّ الحَيِّيَةِ أَو خَضيبُ بَنانِ
The earth's surface is dyed red, as if it were
The blushing cheek of a maiden or fingers dyed with henna.
كَم مِن مُبيحٍ لِلضُيوفِ طَعامَهُ
أَمسى طَعامَ الأَجدَلِ الغَرثانِ
How many a generous host who once fed his guests
Has now become food for the famished hawk.
وَمُقاتِلٍ ناشَ الكَتيبَةَ ناشَهُ
ظُفرُ العُقابِ وَمِخلَبُ السَرجانِ
And a warrior who once ravaged battalions is now ravaged
By the eagle's talon and the wolf's claw.
وَمُحَلِّقٍ بَينَ المَجَرَّةِ وَالسُها
صَعَدَ الحِمامُ إِلَيهِ في الطَيَرانِ
And an aviator soaring between the Milky Way and the stars,
Death climbed up to meet him in mid-flight.
وَمُشَيِّدٍ وَقَفَ الزَمانُ حَيالَهُ
مُتَخَيِّراً بِجَمالِهِ الفَتّانِ
And a mighty structure before which Time stood in awe,
Bewildered by its captivating beauty—
أَخنى عَلى ذِكرِ الخَوَرنَقِ ذِكرُهُ
وَسَما عَلى الحَمراءِ وَالإِيانِ
Its fame eclipsed the legendary palace of Khawarnaq,
And it towered over the Alhambra and the Great Arch of Ctesiphon.
وَقَضى العُصورَ الناسُ في تَشِيّدِهِ
أَودَت بِهِ مَقذَفَةٌ وَثَوانِ
People spent ages constructing it,
Yet a single shell and mere seconds destroyed it.
وَمَدينَةٍ زَهراءَ آمِنَةِ الحِمى
هُدِمَت مَنازِلُها عَلى السُكّانِ
And a flourishing city, once a secure sanctuary,
Had its homes brought down upon its inhabitants.
خُرِسَت بَلابِلُها الشَوادي في الضُحى
وَعَلا صِياحُ البومُ وَالغِربانِ
Its nightingales, singing in the morning light, were silenced,
While the screeching of owls and crows grew loud.
وَتَعَطَّلَت جَنّاتُها وَقُصورُها
وَلَقَد تَكونُ بِغَبطَةٍ وَأَمانِ
Its gardens and palaces fell into ruin,
Where once there was bliss and safety.
حَربٌ أَذَلَّ بِها التَمدُّنُ أَهلُهُ
وَجَنى الشُيوخُ بِها عَلى الشُبّانِ
A war in which Civilization humiliated its own people,
And the old committed crimes against the young.
سَحَقَ القَوِيُّ بِها الضَعيفَ وَداسَهُ
وَمَشى عَلى أَرضٍ مِنَ الأَبدانِ
In it, the strong crushed and trampled the weak,
Walking upon a ground paved with human bodies.
بِئسَ الوَغى يَجني الجُنودُ حُتوفَهُم
في ساحِها وَالفَخرُ لِلتيجانِ
Wretched is the war where soldiers harvest their deaths
On the battlefield, while the glory goes to the crowns.
ما أَقبَحَ الإِنسانَ يَقتُلُ جارَهُ
وَيَقولُ هَذي سُنَّهُ العِمرانِ
How hideous is man, killing his neighbor,
And claiming this is the law of civilization.
بَلِيَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ مِثلَكَ قَبلَهُ
يا شِرعَةً قَد سَنَّها الجِدّانِ
Time has aged, yet you remain as you always were,
O law of bloodshed enacted by the ancients.
فَالقاتِلُ الآلافِ غازٍ فاتِحٌ
وَالقاتِلُ الجاني أَثيمٌ جانِ
The killer of thousands is hailed as a conquering hero,
While the lone killer is condemned as a sinful criminal.
لا حَقَّ إِلّا ما تُؤَيِّدُهُ الظُبى
ما دامَ حُبُّ الظُلمِ في الإِنسانِ
There is no justice but that which the swords support,
So long as the love of tyranny resides in man.
لَو خُيِّرَ الضُعَفاءُ لَاِختاروا الرَدى
لَكِنَّ عَيشَ الأَكثَرينَ أَماني
If the weak were given a choice, they would choose death,
But the life of the majority is built on mere wishes.
ما بالُ قَومي نائِمينَ عَنِ العُلى
وَلَقَد تَنَبَّهَ لِلعُلى الثَقَلانِ
Why do my people sleep, ignoring the call to greatness,
While all other beings have awakened to seek glory?
تُبّاعُ أَحمَدَ وَالمَسيحَ هَوادَةً
ما العَهدُ أَن يَتَنَكَّرَ الأَخَوانِ
O followers of Ahmad and the Messiah, let there be peace!
It is not in the covenant for brothers to disown one another.
اللَهُ رَبُّ الشَرعَتَينِ وَرَبُّكُم
فَإِلى مَتى في الدينِ تَختَصِمانِ
God is the Lord of both faiths and the Lord of you all,
So how long will you quarrel over religion?
مَهما يَكُن مِن فارِقٍ فَكِلاكُما
يُنمى إِلى قَحطانِ أَو غَسّانِ
Whatever differences may exist, both of you
Trace your lineage to Qahtan or Ghassan.
فَخُذوا بِأَسبابِ الوِفاقِ وَطَهِّروا
أَكبادَكُم مِن لَوثَةِ الأَضغانِ
So seize the means of unity and purify
Your hearts from the stain of deep-seated hatred.
في ما يُحيقُ بِأَرضِكُم وَنُفوسِكُم
شُغلٌ لِمُشتَغِلٍ عَنِ الأَديانِ
In the dangers encircling your land and your souls
There is trouble enough to distract you from religious strife.
نِمتُمُ وَقَد سَهَر الأَعادي حَولَكُم
وَسَكَنتُمُ وَالأَرضُ في جَيشانِ
You slept while enemies around you remained awake,
And you remained still while the earth shook in commotion.
لا رَأيَ يَجمَعُكُم إِذا اِختَلَفَ القَنا
وَتَلاقَتِ الفُرسانُ بِافُرسانِ
No common resolve unites you when spears clash,
And horsemen meet horsemen in battle.
لا رايَةٌ لَكُم يُدافِعُ دونَها
مُردُ العَوارِضِ وَالحُتوفُ دَواني
You have no banner to be defended by
Brave youths when death draws near.
لا ذَنبَ لِلأَقدارِ في إِذلالِكُم
هَذا جَزاءُ الغافِلِ المُتَواني
Fate is not to blame for your humiliation;
This is the reward of the heedless and the slacker.
لَو لَم يَعِزَّ الجَهلُ بَينَ رُبوعِكُم
ما هانَ جَمعُكُمُ عَلى الحَدَثانِ
Had ignorance not grown strong within your lands,
Your collective strength would not have crumbled before misfortune.
المَرءُ قيمَتُهُ المَعارِفُ وَالنُهى
ما نَفعُ باصِرَةٍ بِلا إِنسانِ
A man's worth lies in his knowledge and intellect;
What use is an eye without the light of the mind?
ما بالُكُم لا تَغضَبونَ لِمَجدِكُم
غَضَباتِ مَلطومِ الجَبينِ مُهانِ
Why do you not rage for the sake of your glory,
With the fury of one slapped across the face and insulted?
أَوَ لَستُمُ كَالناسِ أَهلَ حَفائِظٍ
أَم أَنتُمُ لَستُم مِنَ الحَيانِ
Are you not, like other men, possessed of dignity?
Or do you not belong to the race of the living?
أَبناأُكُم لَهَفي عَلى أَبنائِكُم
يَلهو بِهِم أَبناءُ جِنكيز خانِ
Your sons—oh, my sorrow for your sons!—
Are mere playthings for the sons of Genghis Khan,
النازِعونَ المُلكَ مِن أَيديكُمُ
العابِثونَ بِكُم وَبِالقُرآنِ
Who strip the sovereignty from your hands,
Making a mockery of you and of the Quran.
أَو كُلَّما طَلَعَت عَلَيهِم أَزمَةٌ
هاجوا ضَغائِنَكُم عَلى الصُلبانِ
Whenever a crisis arises to confront them,
They incite your hatred against the Christians.
لا تَخدَعَنَّكُمُ السِياسَةُ إِنَّها
شَتّى الوُجوهِ كَثيرَةُ الأَلوانِ
Do not let politics deceive you, for it
Wears many faces and changes many colors.
لَو تَعقِلونَ عَمِلتُمُ لِخَلاصِكُم
مِن دَولَةِ القَيناتِ وَالخِصيانِ
If you were wise, you would work for your own liberation
From this empire of songstresses and eunuchs.
عارٌ عَلى نَسلِ المُلوكِ بَني العُلى
أَن يَستَذِلَّهُم بَنو الرُعيانِ
It is a disgrace for the descendants of kings and nobles
To be subjugated by the sons of shepherds.
ثوروا عَلَيهِم وَاِطلُبوا اِستِقلالَكُم
وَتَشَبَّهوا بِالصِربِ وَاليونانِ
Rise up against them and demand your independence;
Follow the example of the Serbs and the Greeks!
ماذا يَروعُ نُفوسَكُم ما فيكُمُ
وَكُلٌّ وَلا في التُركِ غَيرُ جَبانِ
What strikes fear into your souls? Among you,
There are none but the brave, while the Turks are cowards.
وَهَبوهُمُ الرومانَ في غَلوائِهِم
أَفَما غَلَبتُم أُمَّةَ الرومانِ
Even if you imagine them to be Romans at their peak—
Did you not once defeat the nation of the Romans?
ما المَوتُ ما أَعيا النُطاسي رَدَّهُ
مَوتُ الذَليلِ وَعَيشُهُ سِيّانِ
True death is not that which the physician fails to cure;
For the humiliated soul, life and death are one and the same.
