شَادَ فَأَعْلَى وَبَنَي فَوَطَّدَا

لاَ لِلْعُلَى وَلاَ لَهُ بَلْ لِلْعِدَى

He built it high and fortified its foundations

Not for the sublime, nor for it, but for tyranny

مُسْتَعْبِدٌ أُمَّتهُ فِي يَوْمِهِ

مُسْتَعْبِدٌ بَنِيهِ لِلْعَادِي غَدَا

Enslaving his nation in his time

Enslaving his children for the enemy of tomorrow

إِنِّي أَرِى عَدَّ الرِّمَالِ هَهُنَا

خَلاَئِقاً تَكْثُرُ أَنْ تُعَدَّدَا

Multitudes that are too many to number

Their yellow faces proclaiming, their foreheads

صُفْرَ الوُجُوهِ نَادِياً جِبَاهُهُمْ

كَالْكَلإِ الْيَابِسِ يَعْلُوهُ النَّدى

Like dry hay exceeded by the dew

Their hunched backs, their muted steps

مَحْنِيَّة ظُهُورُهُمْ خُرْسَ الْخُطَى

كَالنَّملِ دَبَّ مُسْتَكِيناً مُخْلِدَا

Creeping like ants, settled eternally

Assembled an ocean, branching into

مُجْتَمِعِينَ أَبْحُراً مُنْفَرِعِيـ

ـنَ أَنْهُراً مُنْحَدِرِينَ صُعَّدَا

Rivers cascading down elevated

Tomorrow, each of these doomed souls

أَكُلُّ هَذِي الأَنْفُسِ الْهَلكَى غَداً

تَبْنِي لِفَانٍ جَدَثَا مُخَلَّدَا

Will build an eternal grave for one who perished

O you dead! Did you not hear

يَا أَيُّها المَوْتَى أَلَم يُسْمِعْكُمُ

صَوْتَ المُنَادِي صَادِعاً مُرَدَّدَا

The voice of the caller reverberating loudly

Arise! Look around you

قُومُوا انْظُرُوا السُّوقَةَ فِيمَا حَوْلَكُمْ

تَدُوسُ هَامَاتِ المُلُوكِ هُمَّدَا

Trampling the skulls of kings insistently

Arise! See the enemy in your homes

قُومُوا انْظُروا الْعَدُوَّ فِي دِيَارِكُمْ

يَحْكُمُ فِيهَا مُسْتَبِداً أَيِّدَا

Ruling tyrannically with the support of others

Arise! See your bodies exposed

قُومُوا انْظُروا أَجْسَادَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةً

فِي مَشْهَدٍ لِمَنْ يَرُومُ المَشْهَدَا

As a spectacle for whoever desires such a sight

A resurrection that will ask you all

بَعْثٌ بِهِ يَسْأَلُكُمْ حِسَابَ مَا

قَدَّمْتُمُ مَنْ رَاحَ مِنَّا وَاغْتَدَى

To account for what you put forth, for those of us who advanced

The lofty buildings did not avail you

لَمْ يُغْنِكُمْ مِنْهُ الْبِنَاءُ عَالِياً

وَالأَرْضُ نَهْباً وَالمُلُوكُ أَعْبُدَا

With the land pillaged and kings enslaved

What would have availed you is the beauty of remembrance, if only

وَكَانَ يُغْنِيكُمْ جَمِيلُ الذِّكْرِ لَوْ

خَفَضْتُمُ اللَّحْدَ وَشِدتُمْ بِالهُدَى

You had lowered the coffin and held firmly to guidance

He who imagined the grave to be

أَخْطَأَ مَنْ تَوَهَّم القَبْرَ لَهُ

حِرْزاً يَقِيهِ بِالرَّدَى مِنَ للرَّدَى

A refuge, protecting him from demise by means of demise, made a mistake