لِلَّهِ آثارٌ هُناكَ كَريمَةٌ
حَسَدَت رَوائِعَ حُسنِها بِرلينُ
There are noble traces of God there,
Whose beauty envied Berlin's masterpieces.
طاحَت بِها تِلكَ المَدافِعُ تارَةً
لَمّا أَمَرتَ وَتارَةً زِبلينُ
Those cannons once brought them down,
When you commanded, and then again Aspelin.
ماذا رَأَيتُ مِنَ النَبالَةِ وَالعُلا
في عُدمِهِنَّ وَكُلُّهُنَّ عُيونُ
What nobility and glory I saw in their absence,
Though all of them are eyes.
لَو أَنَّ في بِرلينَ عِندَكَ مِثلَها
لَعَرَفتَ كَيفَ تُجِلُّها وَتَصونُ
If you had the likes of them in Berlin,
You would have honored and protected them.
إِن كُنتَ أَنتَ هَدَمتَ رِمسَ فَإِنَّهُ
أَودى بِمَجدِكَ رُكنُها المَوهونُ
Though you destroyed Persepolis,
Its fallen pillar brought down your glory.
لَم يُغنِ عَنها مَعبَدٌ خَرَّبتَهُ
ظُلماً وَلَم يُمسِك عِنانَكَ دينُ
A temple you unjustly destroyed could not avail it,
Nor could religion restrain you.
لا تَحسَبَنَّ الفَخرَ ما أَحرَزتَهُ
الفَخرُ بِالذِكرِ الجَميلِ رَهينُ
Do not think your pride lies in what you seized -
True pride lies in good repute held captive.
هَل شِدتَ في بِرلينَ غَيرَ مُعَسكَرٍ
قامَت عَلَيهِ مَعاقِلٌ وَحُصونُ
Did you pitch any camp in Berlin but soldiers'?
On which stood forts and impregnable castles?
وَجَمَعتَ شَعبَكَ كُلَّهُ في قَبضَةٍ
إِن لَم تَكُن لانَت فَسَوفَ تَلينُ
You gathered all your people in one fist -
If you do not relent, you will bend.
نَظَمَت تِجارَتُكَ المَدائِنَ وَالقُرى
فَالنيلُ ناءَ بِها وَناءَ السينُ
Your trade organized cities and villages,
The Nile irrigated through it, and Sinai.
فَبِكُلِّ أَرضٍ مِن رِجالِكَ عُصبَةٌ
وَبِكُلِّ بَحرٍ مِن لَدُنكَ سَفينُ
In every land are bands of your men,
And in every sea are ships from your coast.
تَسري وَنَسرُكَ أَينَ لُحنَ يُظِلُّها
لا اللَيثُ يُزعِجُها وَلا التِنّينُ
You march and soar - where is the melody that shades them?
Neither lion disquiets them, nor dragon.
فَالأَمرُ أَمرُكَ وَالمُهَنَّدُ مُغمَدٌ
وَالنَهيُ نَهيُكَ وَالسُرى مَأمونُ
The command is yours, the unsheathed sword quiescent,
The prohibition yours, the journey secured.
قَد كانَ في بِرلينَ شَعبُكَ وادِعاً
يَستَعمِرُ الأَسواقَ وَهيَ سُكونُ
Once your people in Berlin were peaceful,
Filling markets while at rest.
فُتِحَت لَهُ أَبوابُها فَسَبيلُها
وَقفٌ عَلَيهِ وَرِزقُهُ مَضمونُ
Its gates opened to them, their way
Stopped for them, their livelihood assured.
فَعَلامَ أَرهَقتَ الوَرى وَأَثَرتَها
شَعواءَ فيها لِلهَلاكِ فُنونُ
Why then did you burden the world and harm it,
Unleashing on it skills for destruction?
تَاللَهِ لَو نُصِرَت جُيوشُكَ لِاِنطَوى
أَجَلُ السَلامِ وَأَقفَرَ المَسكونُ
By God, if your armies gained victory,
The age of peace would end and the inhabited world would empty.
سَبعونَ مِليوناً إِذا وَزَّعتَها
بَينَ الحَواضِرِ نالَنا مِليونُ
Seventy million - if you distributed them
Among cities, we would get one million.
وَيلٌ لِمَن يَستَعمِرونَ بِلادَهُ
القَحطُ أَيسَرُ خَطبِهِ وَالهونُ
Woe to those who colonize their countries!
Famine is the easiest of their afflictions and lightest.
أَكثَرتَ مِن ذِكرِ الإِلَهِ تَوَرُّعاً
وَزَعَمتَ أَنَّكَ مُرسَلٌ وَأَمينُ
You excessively mention God in piety
And claim to be a messenger and trustee.
عَجَباً أَتَذكُرُهُ وَتَملَأُ كَونَهُ
وَيلاً لِيَنعَمَ شَعبُكَ المَغبونُ
Wonders! You remember Him and His creation fills,
Yet woe that your deluded people live in bliss!
وَكَذَلِكَ القَصّابُ يَذكُرُ رَبَّهُ
وَالنَصلُ في عُنُقِ الذَبيحِ دَفينُ
Thus the butcher remembers his Lord
While the knife remains in the slaughtered's neck buried.
