إِني مُنِيتُ بأُمَّة مَخْمُورَةٍ

مِنْ ذُلِّهَا وَلَهَا الْقَنَاعَةُ مَشْرَبُ

I am destined to die with a nation intoxicated

With submission, and contentment is their drink

لاَ ظُلْمَ يَغْضِبُهُمْ وَلَوْ أَوْدَى بِهِمْ

أَتَعِزُّ شَأْناً أُمَّة لاَ تَغْضَبُ

No injustice makes them angry, even if it destroys them

Can I be proud of a nation that does not get angry?

إِنْ يَبْكِ ثَاكِلُ وُلْدِهِ وَزَجَرْتَهُ

عَنْ نَحْبِهِ أَلْفَيْتَهُ لاَ يَنْحَبُ

If a mother cries for losing her child and you deter her

From her weeping, she will stop without sobbing

وَإذَا نَهَيْتَ عَنِ الْوُرُودِ عِطَاشَهُمْ

وَتَحَرَّقَتْ أَكْبَادُهُمْ لَمْ يَشْرَبُوا

If you prevent them from reaching the water when thirsty

And their livers are scorched, still they will not drink

وَإِذَا أَذَبْتَ الشَّحمَ مِنْ أَجْسَامِهِمْ

تَعَباً فَإِنَّ نُفُوسَهُمْ لاَ تَتْعَبُ

If you drain the fat from their bodies out of toil

Still their souls do not grow weary

أَعْيَانِيَ التَّفكِيرُ في أَدْوَائِهِمْ

مِمَّا عَصِينَ وَحِرْتُ كَيْفَ أَطَبِبُ

I am perplexed in finding a cure for their condition

As they disobeyed and I am confused on how to heal

إنَّ الْجَمَادَ أَبَرُّ مِنْ أَرْوَاحِهِمْ

بهِمُ وَأَمْتَنُ في الدِّفَاعِ وَأَصْلَبُ

For inanimate objects are more useful than their souls

In their defence, more resilient and firm

فَلأَبْنِيَنَّ لَهْمْ جِدَاراً ثَابِتاً

كَالأَرْضِ لاَ يَفْنَى وَلاَ يَتَخَرَّبُ

I will therefore build for them a formidable wall

Eternal like the earth, neither perishing nor decaying

تَقَعُ الدُّهُورُ وَكُلُّ جَيْشٍ ظَافِرٍ

مِنْ دُونِهِ وَثَبَاتُهُ مُتَغَلِّبُ

Eras will pass and every victorious army

Outside it, yet its stability will prevail

وَتَهُزُّ مَنْكِبَهُ الصَّوَاعِقُ حَيْثُمَا

شَاءَتْ وَلاَ يَهْتَزُّ مِنْهُ المَنْكِبُ

Lightning will shake its shoulders wherever it wishes

Yet its shoulders will remain unshaken

وَيَعَضُّه نَابُ الصَّوَاعِقِ مُحْرِقاً

فَيَرُدُّهُ كِسَراً وَلاَ يَتَثَقَّبُ

Lightning bites it with scorching fangs

Only to have them broken, with no perforations left

وَيَمِيدُ ظَهْرُ الأَرْضِ تَحْتَ رِكَابِهِ

وَرِكَابُهُ فِي المَتْنِ لاَ تَتَنَكَّبُ

The earth's surface sways under its feet

Yet its own feet do not slip in the saddle

وَلأَجْعَلَنَّ بِهِ البِلاَدَ مَنِيعَةً

يَرْتَدُّ عَنْهَا الطَّامِعُ المُتَوَثِّبُ

With it, I will make the countries impregnable

So that no coveting aggressor may infiltrate

وَلأَدُعُوَنَّ مَمَالِكِي وَشُعُوبَهَا

بِاسْمِي فَيُجْمَعُ شَمْلُهَا المُتَشَعَّبُ

I will summon my kingdoms and their peoples

In my name, so their dispersed union reunites

وَلأَمْحُوَنَّ رُسُومَ أَسْلاَفِي بِهَا

فَيَبِيتُ مَاضِي الصِّينِ وَهْوَ مُحَجَّبُ

With it, I will erase the relics of my ancestors

Vanishing, China's past will remain unseen

وَيُظَنُّ عَهَدِي بَدْءَ عَهْدِ وُجَودِهَا

فَيَتِمُّ لِي الفَخْرُ الَّذِي أَتَطَلَّبُ

My era will be seen as the inception of its existence

Achieving for me the pride I yearn to acquire