أُقِرُّ بأنّني قد عشْ

تُ أزمانا وأزمانا

I admit that I have lived

For ages and ages

وأنّي قد شهدت النا

رَ تُغوي الطينَ عِصْيانا

And that I have witnessed fire

Lead clay to disobedience

وما حلّ بحوّاءَ

وآدمَ بعد أنْ هانا

And what befell Eve

And Adam after they fell

وأنّي من على الفلكِ

رأيتُ الشِّرك طوفانا

And that from the ship

I saw polytheism like a flood

وأنّي كنتُ في عادٍ

وهم يبنونَ بُنيانا

And that I was in Aad

As they built their structure

وقد كانوا أشدَّ الخلْ

قِ غطرفةً وسُلطانا

They were the harshest of beings

In wrath and rule

وكان لهُم أخٌ يدعو

إلى اللهِ وما لانا

And they had a brother who called

To God but they did not bend

فصدّقتُ بما جاء

بهِ وازددتُ إيْمانا

So I believed in what he brought

And my faith grew

وأنّي راعني استسلا

مُ علم القومِ صَغرانا

And I saw Islam take

The people's youth as followers

إلى أنْ جاءت الريحُ

فأمسى التِّيهُ جُثمانا

Until the wind came

And their loss became corpses

و بات القوْمُ للقامو

سِ أسرى بابُهم "كانا"

And the people spent the night

Prisoners, their doors read “has been”

ويجثم فوق ما علّوا

عمىً ينفثُ نِسْيانا

And blindness sits atop their heights

Spewing forgetfulness

أُقِرُّ بأنني لا زلْ

تُ أبكي القومَ سدْمانا

I admit I still weep

For the people of Sodom

فعادٌ جاوزوا الأحْلا

مَ هندسةً وعُمرانا

Aad exceeded limits

In engineering and construction

وقد أعيا على الخلقِ

بناءٌ ظلّ برْهانا

And the people grew weary

Of a proof that cast shade

فما نفْعُكَ يا عِلْمُ؟!

رضيت الجهلَ رُبّانا؟!

So what use are you, O knowledge?!

You accepted ignorance as master?!

فسبحان الذيْ أحيا

وأبقى وعلا شانا

Glory to Him who gave life

And maintained and exalted our affair

وما عدتُ أرى القومَ

كأنّ الخلقَ ما كانا

And I no longer see people

As if creation never was

ومع خلفائهم إذ يجْ

علونَ الصخرَ أكْنانا

And with their caliphs as they

Make rock into homes

وأنّي هالني استكبا

رُهم في الأرضِ عُميانا

And their arrogance disturbed me

As they walked the earth blindly

وجاء أخٌ لهم يدعو

إلى الحقِّ وما هانا

And a brother came to them calling

To truth but they did not bend

فآمنتُ به لمّا

تجلّى القربُ غُفرانا

So I believed in him when

Kindness was revealed as pardon

وعذتُ بخالقي لمّا

تجلّى البعدُ خُسْرانا

And I took refuge in my Creator when

Separation was revealed as loss

وأيقنتُ بأنّ الحق

قَ منتصرٌ وإنْ عانى

And I was certain that truth

Is victorious though it suffers

وأنّ الظلمَ إنْ سارَ

عليها سارَ إنسانا

And that if injustice travels

On it, it travels a human

وأنّ تكبّرَ اليوم

غداً يُدفعُ إذعانا

And that arrogance today

Tomorrow is subdued in submission

وأنّ تواضعَ اليوم

غداً يُدفعُ إحسانا

And that humility today

Tomorrow is rewarded with kindness

وما عدْتُ أرى القوم

كأنّ الخلقَ ما كانا

And I no longer see people

As if creation never was

وأنّي جبتُ مع منْ جم

معَ التاجين بُلدانا

And I came with those who gathered

The two crowns' countries

وأنّي قلتُ شعراً يوْ

م غلَّ النسرُ ثعْبانا

And I said poetry when

The eagle twisted the snake

فتولد مصرُ أمّا تعْ

زفُ التاريخ ألحانا

So Egypt was born a mother sending off

History's melodies

وأنّي في هوى الشام

قُتلتُ ولستُ ندمانا

And I was killed in love of Syria

And I have no regrets

وجدتُ الناسَ فيها يُلْ

بِسونَ الناسَ تيجانا

I found people there dressing

People in crowns

فقالوا: عزّ من بالشا

م لا ذلَّ ولا هانا

And they said: "Honor is to those in Syria

No humiliation or disgrace"

وأنّي زرْتُ نقمادَ

و أوغاريتَ أحْيانا

And I visited Nineveh

And Ugarit sometimes

فصرت أُعلّمُ الحرفَ

لكلّ الكونِ مجَّانا

And I taught letters

To all people for free

نسودُ بمصر والشام

ونعلو الإنسَ والجانا

We empowered with Egypt and Syria

And lifted humanity and jinn

أُقِرُّ بأنّني صاحَبْ

تُ فرعونَ وهامانا

I admit I accompanied

Pharaoh and Haman

وأنّي قد شهدتُ النا

سَ في الزينةِ ألْوانا

And I witnessed the people

In clothing of colors

وهارون وموسى وال

العصيّ وسحرَ من مانا

And Aaron, Moses and the staff

And magic brought from someone

فآمنت به حين اسـ

ـتحالَ عصاهُ ثُعْبانا

So I believed in him when his staff

Turned into a snake

وما صدَّقَ فرعونُ

فدام الظلمُ إنسانا

And Pharaoh did not believe

So injustice lasted as long as humans

إلى أنْ أقفل البحرُ

ملفّ القومِ تِبْيانا

Until the sea folded

The people's story in clarity

أُقِرُّ بأنّني خلف

المسيحِ مشيت جَذْلانا

I admit I walked behind

The Messiah humbly

وأنّي قد شهدتُ الصلـ

ـبَ إذ هلكَ الذي خانا

And I witnessed the cross

When the betrayer perished

وأنّي ثالثُ اثنين

زها المترفُ نُكْرانا

And I am the third of two

Money's luxury denied

فناجيتُ السّما لمّا

بكى المحرومُ عِرْفانا

So I called upon the heavens when

The deprived cried out in recognition

وسابعُ ستةٍ آوا

همو الكهفُ بعمّانا

And the seventh of six who

Hid in the cave at Amman

وأنّي متُّ والآنا

م والشيطانُ أنْسانا

And I died and now

Satan and I are human

فأحياني سماعُ المُص

طفــــى يـــــقــرأُ قرآنــــا

So sometimes hearing Al-Mustafa

Reciting Quran revives me

وأدركت بأن العُمْـ

ـرَ غرسٌ زهرُه بانا

And I realized that life

Is a plant whose flower bloomed

وأنّ القلبَ جرحٌ ما اشْـ

ـتفَى والبُرءُ قد حانا

And that the heart is a wound not yet healed

And wellness has come

وأدركتُ بأنّ الشّع

رَ بيتٌ يُقبلُ الآنا

And I realized poetry

Is a house that welcomes meaning

أتي القرآنُ معجزةً

مشى القرآنُ إنسانا

The Quran came as a miracle

The Quran walked as a human

وحبٌّ بانَ ظمآنا

بِأحمدَ عاد ريّانا

And a love appeared thirsty

For Ahmad it became plentiful

وللحبِّ استمعنا إذ

غدا مولاه مولانا

And for love we listened when

His master became our master

فقوموا للذين استك

ثروا من سبِّ منجانا

So stand against those who

Insult much out of rancor

فما أُوذي انسيٌّ

كما أُوذي مُذ كانا

No human has been harmed

As much as I since creation

وإنّي دون غيري وا

رثُ القدس وكنْعانا

And I unlike others inherited

Jerusalem and Canaan

ومن شاهد سكّان السْـ

ـما يبنونَ أقصانا

And whoever saw the people of heaven

Building their castles

أُقِرُّ بأنّني صاهرْ

تُ عدنانَ وقحْطانا

I admit I was related

To Adnan and Qahtan

وأنّي قد ورثت الخض

رَ والفضلَ ولقمانا

And I inherited fertility, merit,

And Luqman

وأنّي لم أزلْ حيّاً

أجوبُ الدّهرَ حيْرانا

And I still live

Roaming the ages perplexed

فما زال بنا نزْقٌ

لأنْ ندفعَ أثْمانا

We still have provision

To pay the prices

صحِبتُ الظلمَ إنسانا

صحبتُ الحقَّ إيمانا

I accompanied injustice as a human

I accompanied truth as faith

تعدّدَ أوجهُ الظلمِ

و وجْه الحقِّ أحْصانا

Injustice's faces multiplied

And truth's face is steadfast

أقولُ لمن طغى في الأر

ضِ واسْتكبر شيطانا

I say to those who tyrannized earth

And grew arrogant like Satan

ثموداً كنت ام عادا!

عهِدتك دونهم شانا

Were you Thamud or Aad!

I knew you less than them