أَساحَةٌ لِلحَربِ أَم مَحشَرُ

وَمَورِدُ المَوتِ أَمِ الكَوثَرُ

Is it a battlefield or the gathering place,

The source of death or the Kawthar?

وَهَذِهِ جُندٌ أَطاعوا هَوى

أَربابِهِم أَم نَعَمٌ تُنحَرُ

And are these soldiers who obeyed their masters' passions,

Or cattle brought in to be slaughtered?

لِلَّهِ ما أَقسى قُلوبَ الأُلى

قاموا بِأَمرِ المُلكِ وَاِستَأثَروا

How merciless are the hearts of the oppressors!

They rose at the king's command and monopolized,

وَغَرَّهُم في الدَهرِ سُلطانُهُم

فَأَمعَنوا في الأَرضِ وَاِستَعمَروا

Deceived by their power in this life,

Going to excess on earth and colonizing.

قَد أَقسَمَ البيضُ بِصُلبانِهِم

لا يَهجُرونَ المَوتَ أَو يُنصَروا

The whites have sworn by their crosses,

They will not flee death or be helped.

وَأَقسَمَ الصُفرُ بِأَوثانِهِم

لا يَغمِدونَ السَيفَ أَو يَظفَروا

And the yellows swore by their idols,

They will not sheathe the sword or be victorious.

فَمادَتِ الأَرضُ بِأَوتادِها

حينَ اِلتَقى الأَبيَضُ وَالأَصفَرُ

So the earth shook in its pegs,

When the whites and yellows met.

وَأَثمَلَتها خَمرَةٌ مِن دَمٍ

يَلهو بِها الميكادُ وَالقَيصَرُ

It was inebriated by a wine of blood,

With which the Mikado and Caesar toy.

وَأَشبَهَت يَومَ الوَغى أُختَها

إِذ لاحَ فيها الشَفَقُ الأَحمَرُ

On the day of turmoil it resembled its sister,

When the red dusk appeared in it.

وَأَصبَحَت تَشتاقُ طوفانَها

لَعَلَّها مِن رِجسِها تَطهُرُ

It began to yearn for its flood,

So it may be purified of its filth.

أَشبَعتِ يا حَربُ ذِئابَ الفَلا

وَغَصَّتِ العِقبانُ وَالأَنسُرُ

O war, you have satiated the wolves of treachery,

And the vultures and eagles are stuffed.

وَميرَتِ الحيتانُ في بَحرِها

وَمَطمَعُ الإِنسانِ لا يُقدَرُ

The whales have died in its sea,

And man's greed cannot be fulfilled.

إِن كانَ هَذا الدُبُّ لا يَنثَني

وَذَلِكَ التِنّينُ لا يُقهَرُ

If this bear will not be bent,

And that dragon will not be subdued,

وَالبيضُ لا تَرضى بِخِذلانِها

وَالصُفرُ بَعدَ اليَومِ لا تُكسَرُ

And the whites will not accept their defeat,

And the yellows after this day will not be broken,

فَما لِتِلكَ الحَربِ قَد شَمَّرَت

عَن ساقِها حَتّى قَضى العَسكَرُ

Why has that war bared its leg,

Until the armies have decided?

سالَت نُفوسُ القَومِ فَوقَ الظُبا

فَسالَتِ البَطحاءُ وَالأَنهُرُ

The souls of the people flowed over the hills,

So the plain and the rivers overflowed.

وَأَصبَحَت مِكدَنُ ياقوتَةً

يَغارُ مِنها الدُرُّ وَالجَوهَرُ

And it became a mine of rubies,

At which pearls and jewels envy.

ياقوتَةً قَد قُوِّمَت بَينَهُم

بِأَنفُسٍ كَالقَطرِ لا تُحصَرُ

Rubies which were valued among them

With souls that cannot be counted.

أَضحى رَسولُ المَوتِ ما بَينَها

حَيرانَ لا يَدري بِما يُؤمَرُ

The messenger of death among them

Became confused, not knowing what to be ordered.

عِزريلُ هَل أَبصَرتَ فيما مَضى

وَأَنتَ ذاكَ الكَيِّسُ الأَمهَرُ

Azrael, have you seen before,

You who are so wise and skilled,

كَذَلِكَ المِدفَعُ في بَطشِهِ

إِذا تَعالى صَوتُهُ المُنكَرُ

That cannon in its might,

When its dreadful sound rises,

تَراهُ إِن أَوفى عَلى مُهجَةٍ

لا الدِرعُ يَثنيهِ وَلا المِغفَرُ

You see it, if honest on the inside,

Neither armor will bend it, nor shield stop it.

أَمسى كُروبَتكينَ في غَمرَةٍ

وَباتَ أوياما لَهُ يَنظُرُ

Kuro patkin has fallen in distress,

And Oyama spends the night looking.

وَظَلَّتِ الروسُ عَلى جَمرَةٍ

وَالمَجدُ يَدعوهُم أَلا فَاِصبِروا

And the Russians are on burning coals,

With glory calling them: Just be patient!

وَذَلِكَ الأُسطولُ ما خَطبُهُ

حَتّى عَراهُ الفَزَعُ الأَكبَرُ

And what's wrong with that fleet,

Until the great horror exposed it?

أَكُلَّما لاحَ لَهُ سابِحٌ

تَحتَ الدُجى أَو قارِبٌ يَمخُرُ

Whenever a swimmer appeared to it

Under cover or a gliding boat,

ظَنَّ بِهِ طوجو فَأَهدى لَهُ

تَحِيَّةً طوجو بِها أَخبَرُ

Tojo thought it was for him,

So Tojo greeted it, informing:

تَحِيَّةً مِن واجِدٍ شَيِّقٍ

أَنفاسُهُ مِن حَرِّها تَزفِرُ

A greeting from an ardent zealot

Whose breath from its heat exhales.

فَهَل دَرى القَيصَرُ في قَصرِهِ

ما تُعلِنُ الحَربَ وَما تُضمِرُ

Does the Caesar know in his palace

What war declares and what it conceals?

فَكَم قَتيلٍ باتَ فَوقَ الثَرى

يَنتابُهُ الأُظفورُ وَالمِنسَرُ

So how many dead spent the night atop the ground,

With foxes and eagles disturbing them?

وَكَم جَريحٍ باسِطٍ كَفَّهُ

يَدعو أَخاهُ وَهوَ لا يُبصِرُ

And how many wounded stretching out their hands,

Calling their brothers but unable to see?

وَكَم غَريقٍ راحَ في لُجَّةٍ

يَهوي بِها الطَودُ فَلا يَظهَرُ

And how many drowned went into an abyss,

In which hills plunge so they don't surface?

وَكَم أَسيرٍ باتَ في أَسرِهِ

وَنَفسُهُ مِن حَسرَةٍ تَقطُرُ

And how many captives spent the night captive,

Their souls dripping with sorrow?

إِن لَم تَرَوا في الصُلحِ خَيراً لَكُم

فَالدَهرُ مِن أَطماعِكُم أَقصَرُ

If you don't see peace as best for you,

Then time is too short for your ambitions.

تَسوؤُنا الحَربُ وَإِن أَصبَحَت

تَدعو رِجالَ الشَرقِ أَن يَفخَروا

War makes us wretched, even if it

Calls the men of the East to take pride.

أَتى عَلى الشَرقِيِّ حينٌ إِذا

ما ذُكِرَ الأَحياءُ لا يُذكَرُ

A time has come over the Easterner when,

If the living are mentioned, he is not mentioned.

وَمَرَّ بِالشَرقِ زَمانٌ وَما

يَمُرُّ بِالبالِ وَلا يَخطِرُ

And an era passed by the East in which

It does not pass in mind or register.

حَتّى أَعادَ الصُفرُ أَيّامَهُ

فَاِنتَصَفَ الأَسوَدُ وَالأَسمَرُ

Until the yellows returned its days,

So the black and brown took revenge.

فَرَحمَةُ اللَهِ عَلى أُمَّةٍ

يَروي لَها التاريخُ ما يُؤثَرُ

May God's mercy be upon a nation

Whose history narrates what is to be preferred.