وَلُّوا المَدِينَةَ وَجْهَكُمْ وَدَعُونِي
أَنَا فِي هَوَايَ وَعُزْلَتِي وَجُنُونِي
Turn your faces from this city and leave me be
To my passion, my solitude, my madness
عُودُوا إِلَى البَلَدِ الأَمِينِ وَغَادِرُوا
بَلَداً لِبُعْدِ النَّاسِ غَيْرَ أَمِينِ
Return to the safe homeland and depart
From a land, because of the remoteness of its people, unsafe
عُودُوا إِلَى حَيْثُ النَّمَائِمُ وَالأَذَى
وَالعَيْشُ بَيْنَ وَسَاوِسٍ وَظُنُونِ
Return to where are slumber and harm
And life amidst doubts and suspicions
حَيْثُ الرَّذَائِلُ فِي مَرَافِلِ عِزَّةٍ
حَيْثُ الفَضَائِلُ فِي غَلائِلِ هُونِ
Where vice is with the honored company
And virtue in the midst of the disgraced
حَيْثُ الضِّيَافَةُ للنَّزِيلِ المُرْتَجَى
مَا شَاءَ حَتَّى العِرْضِ حَتَّى الدينِ
Where hospitality for the hoped-for guest
Is as he wishes, even honor, even religion
حَيْثُ التِّجَارَةُ بِالوِدَادِ وَبِالقِلَى
وَبِكُلِّ رَأْيٍ فِي الحَيَاةِ أَفِينِ
Where commerce is in affection and friendship
And in every view in life that is unblemished
حَيْثُ المَصُونَ هُوَ الحُطَامُ المُقْتَنَى
وَعَفَافُ ذَاتِ الخِدْرِ غَيْرُ مَصُونِ
Where the protected is the sought ruin
And the chastity of an aged woman is unprotected
حَيْثُ المُسِيءُ إِلَى أَخِيهِ بِمَنِّهِ
طَاوِي الضُّلُوعِ عَلَى نَدىً مَمْنُونِ
Where the evildoer against his brother by his grace
Is folding ribs over dew that is sleep-caressed
حَيْثُ الفَتَى كَالشَّيْخِ يَحْنِي رَأْسَهُ
وَيَرَى الحَقِيقَةَ رُؤْيَةَ التَّخْمِينِ
Where the youth like the elder bows his head
And sees reality in conjectured vision
بَادِي الهُمُومِ وَلا هُمُومَ وَإِنَّمَا
هُنَّ البَقَايَا مِنْ طِلاً وَمُجُونِ
Showing worries though no worries, but rather
These are the remnants of hopes and madness
تِلْكَ الحَضَارَةُ لا أُحِبُّ خِلافَهَا
وَأَرَى مَحَاسِنَهَا شِبَاكَ فُتُونِ
That civilization I do not love otherwise
And I see its beauties as the mesh of temptations
مَاذَا دَهَانِي فِي اخْتِبَاري أَهْلَهَا
مِنْ كِذْبِ آمَالِي وَصِدْقِ عُيُونِي
What has smeared me in testing its people
Of the lies of my hopes and the truth of my eyes
