يا لَوعَةً حارَ النُطاسِيُّ فيكِ
كَم يَشتَكي غَيري وَكَم أُخفيكِ
Oh anguish that has baffled the skilled physician, how often others complain while I conceal you.
If I were to reveal my complaint, it would be the last resort of an exhausted soul; you have left me no heart to harbor you.
إِن بُحتُ بِالشَكوى فَغايَةُ مُجهَدٍ
لَم تُبقي لي كَبِداً فَأَستَبقيكِ
Oh crime of the kohl-rimmed eye against my vitals, God is sufficient for me regarding this shed blood.
There is nothing in religious laws, nor among their people, that permits exacting retribution from the one who wounded you.
أَجِنايَةَ الطَرفِ الكَحيلِ عَلى الحَشا
اللَهُ حَسبي في الدَمِ المَسفوكِ
Oh you who sharpen the sword's edge, how long will you whet it? Do you not fear its sharpness might hurt you?
Oh sister of the gazelle of the plain, had you granted him your glances, your brother would have hunted his own hunters.
ما في الشَرائِعِ لا وَلا في أَهلِها
مَن يَستَحِلُّ الأَخذَ مِن جانيكِ
My soul is a ransom for your eyes, no matter how they tyrannize my lifeblood, and my father is a ransom for yours.
They shot their arrows, so every determined sword and straight spear recoiled, and every chainmail and woven armor failed.
يا هَذِهِ كَم تَشحَذينَ غِرارَهُ
أَوَ ما خَشيتِ حَدَّهُ يُؤذيكِ
Fear God regarding the victims of your eyelids, for they wronged themselves, they did not wrong you.
If you see me guarding against their lethal strikes, know that I usually charge against interlocked spears.
يا أُختَ ظَبيِ القاعِ لَو أَعطَيتِهِ
لَحظَيكِ صادَ الصائِديهِ أَخوكِ
How often you deny shedding my blood, though you have seen it as a rose upon your cheeks, devoid of thorns.
Return my life to me, for it lies in a glance, a visit, or a sip from your mouth.
روحي فِدى عَينَيكِ مَهما جارَتا
في مُهجَتي وَأَبي فِداءُ أَبيكِ
If you were to look at your victim in the darkness, watching the stars and begging you to watch over him,
While the night, anxious about the morning and its light, is bewildered like a scandalized lover.
رَمَتا فَكُلُّ مُصَمِّمٍ وَمُقَوِّمٍ
نابٍ وَكُلُّ مُسَرَّدٍ وَحَبيكِ
You would have marveled at the falsehood of slanderers and their lies, and at what I have endured in your love.
Around me, when darkness lowers its curtains, are two nights: a night of gloom and a night of doubts.
اللَهُ في قَتلى جُفونِكِ أَنَّهُم
ظَلَموا نُفوسَهُم وَما ظَلَموكِ
In it, depression and sorrow extend within me, just as a vowel sound prolongs a letter.
What is wrong with me? When I wish to move on from this love, and have the power to forget you, I do not forget you.
إِن تُبصِريني أَتَّقي فَتَكاتِها
فَلَقَد أَصولُ عَلى القَنا المَشبوكِ
Unshackle me, for behind me is a distressed nation in a distressed world,
And loved ones for whom despair and fear have blocked every paved path.
كَم تَجحَدينَ دَمي وَقَد أَبصَرتِهِ
وَرداً عَلى خَدَّيكِ غَيرَ مَشوكِ
Do not ask me how their condition has become; I fear that speaking of them will grieve you.
They spent the night against their will as the enemies wished; their sorrow is neither weak nor feeble.
رُدّي حَياتي إِنَّها في نَظرَةٍ
أَو زَورَةٍ أَو رَشفَةٍ مِن فيكِ
They possess nothing but regret; it is the utmost effort of the weak, the suffering, the destitute.
Tears shimmer upon their cheeks; oh, who has ever seen pearls without a string?
لَو تَنظُرينَ إِلى قَتيلِكِ في الدُجى
يَرعى كَواكِبَهُ وَيَستَرعيكِ
Humiliation has seized the noble by his collar, and hunger takes the lifeblood of the pauper.
Say to the one squandering his wealth on amusements: 'What have you left for the sorrowful, abandoned one?'
وَاللَيلُ مِن هَمِّ الصَباحِ وَضَوإِهِ
حَيرانُ حيرَةَ عاشِقٍ مَهتوكِ
Does he spend the night drinking from the spring of his tears, while you spend the night sipping wine clear as a rooster's eye?
He wanders in his rags, while you strut in a garment woven for days of joy.
لَعَجِبتِ مِن زَورِ الوُشاةِ وَإِفكِهِم
وَمِنَ الَّذي قاسَيتُ في حُبّيكِ
If you refuse to share anything with him but the comforts of life, then you are no true partner.
Oh sister-in-sorrow to Belgium, even the nation of Belgium weeps for you.
حَولي إِذا أَرخى الظَلامُ سُجوفَهُ
لَيلانِ لَيلُ دُجى وَلَيلُ شُكوكِ
You have borne a burden that would exhaust towering mountains; would that what you bore had been placed on those who hate you.
The tyrants unsheathed their red swords against you, though neither you nor your people were criminals.
تَمتَدُّ فيهِ بِيَ الكَآبَةُ وَالأَسى
مِثلَ اِمتِدادِ الحَرفِ بِالتَحريكِ
Fate went mad, and its ugliness destroyed your beauty, and the sons of riffraff humiliated your sons.
I do not complain of the world nor its events; this is the will of the Wielder of Will regarding you.
مالي إِذا شِئتُ السُلُوَّ عَنِ الهَوى
وَقَدِرتُ أَن أَسلوكِ لا أَسلوكِ
If I controlled the fates or their course, I would have commanded them to flow with what pleases you.
And if they knew and understood, they would have turned to shoot their arrows at the one who shoots you.
فُكّي إِساري إِنّنَ خَلفِيَ أُمَّةً
مَضنوكَةً في عالَمٍ مَضنوكِ
If the wealthy man ransoms you with his gold, then with my dirham and my lifeblood I ransom you.
The homes of the miserable are most deserving of generosity, and you are the most deserving of your kin's wealth.
وَأَحِبَّةً سَدَّ القُنوطُ عَلَيهِمُ
وَالخَوفُ كُلَّ مُعَبِّدٍ مَسلوكِ
Oh nation in the West, half of which lives in luxury, have mercy on a miserable, exhausted half.
It gave to you before you came to be; so be generous now with some of your molten gold.
لا تَسأَليني كَيفَ أَصبَحَ حالُهُم
إِنّي أَخافُ حَديثُهُم يُشجيكِ
باتوا بِرَغمِهِم كَما شاءَ العِدى
لا حُزنُهُم واهٍ وَلا بِرَكيكِ
لا يَملِكونَ سِوى التَحَسُّرِ إِنَّهُ
جَهدُ الضَعيفِ الواجِدِ المَفلوكِ
تَتَرَقرَقُ العَبَراتُ فَوقَ خُدودِهِم
يا مَن رَأى دُرَراً بِغَيرِ سُلوكِ
أَخَذَ العَزيزَ الذُلُّ مِن أَطواقِهِ
وَالجوعُ يَأخُذُ مُهجَةَ الصُعلوكِ
قُل لِلمُبَذِّرِ في المَلاهي مالَهُ
ماذا تَرَكتَ لِذي الأَسى المَتروكِ
أَيَبيتُ يَشرَبُ مِن مَعينِ دُموعِهِ
وَتَبيتُ تَحسوها كَعَينِ الديكِ
وَيَروحُ في أَطمارِهِ وَتَميسُ في
ثَوبٍ لِأَيّامِ الهَناءِ مَحوكِ
إِن كُنتَ تَأبى أَن تُشارِكُهُ سِوى
نُعمى الحَياةِ فَأَنتَ غَيرُ شَريكِ
يا ضَرَّةَ البَلجيكِ في أَحزانِها
تُبكيكَ حَتّى أُمَّةُ البَلجيكِ
حَمَلتُ ما يُعيِ الشَواهِقَ حَملُهُ
يا لَيتَ ما حُمِلتِ في شانيكِ
سَلَّ البُغاةُ عَلَيكِ حُمرَ سُيوفِهِم
لا أَنتِ جانِيَةٌ وَلا أَهلوكِ
جُنَّ القَضاءُ فَغالَ حُسنَكِ قُبحُهُ
وَأَذَلَّ أَبناءُ الطَغامِ بَنيكِ
لا أَشتَكي الدُنيا وَلا أَحداثَها
هَذي مَشيأَةُ ذي المَشيأَةِ فيكِ
لَو أَملِكُ الأَقدارَ أَو تَصريفَها
لَأَمَرتُها فَجَرَت بِما يُرضيكِ
وَلَو أَنَّها تَدري وَتَعقُلُ لَاِنثَنَت
تَرمي بِأَسهُمِها الَّذي يَرميكِ
إِن يَفتَديكِ أَخو الغِنى بِنُضارِهِ
فَبِدِرهَمي وَبِمُهجَتي أَفديكِ
وَمَنازِلُ البُؤَساءِ أَولى بِالنَدى
وَلَأَنتِ أَولاها بِمالِ ذَويكِ
يا أُمَّةً في الغَربِ يَنعَمُ شَطرُها
رِفقاً بِشَطرٍ بائِسٍ مَنهوكِ
جادَت عَلَيكُم قَبلَما كُنتُم بِكُم
جودوا بِبَعضِ العَسجَدِ المَسبوكِ
