قفا نبك أطلالا تقلص ظلها

ونندب آثار الذين بقوا ذكرا

Halt, you two; let us weep over ruins whose shade has dwindled.

And lament the traces of those who remain only as a memory.

بني رستم من قام بالعدل ملكهم

فأمست بهم تيهرت كالروضة الزهرا

The sons of Rustam, whose rule stood upon justice,

So through them Tahert became like a radiant garden.

تحف بها الانهار والزهر باسم

بروض بساتين هي الجنة الخضرا

Rivers encircle her, and the blossoms smile

In garden meadows that are a green paradise.

أقاموا منار الدين دهراً وشيدوا

معالمه واستسهلوا البر والبحرا

They raised faith's beacon for an age, and built up

Its landmarks, and found land and sea easy to traverse.

فكم نظموا جيشا وكم نشر واعدلا

وكم هند واسيفاوكم ضربوا تبرا

How many an army they arrayed, and how much justice they spread!

And how many a sword they sharpened, and how much gold they minted!

وكم من حصون أحكموا ومعاقل

وكم مسجد أحيوا وكم عمروا قطرا

And how many fortresses and strongholds they fortified!

And how many mosques they revived, and how many regions they made flourish!

وظل لواء النصر يخفق فوقهم

وتيهرت دار العلم والدولة الكبرى

And the banner of victory kept fluttering above them,

And Tahert was the seat of learning and of the great state.

فكم من أمير تحت ظل ابن رستم

تقلد فيها السيف واكتب الشكرا

How many an emir beneath Ibn Rustam's shadow

Girded himself with the sword there and [earned] thanks.

وكم من امام كان في الدين حجة

وكم في سياسات الملوك ترى بدرا

And how many an imam was an authority in faith!

And how many a full moon you see in the statecraft of kings!

فأمست خلاء تذرف الدمع حولها

عيون بها قرت وسادت بها دهرا

Then she became desolate; around her tears are shed

By eyes once gladdened in her, that held sway through her for an age.

كذا الدهر خوان فيضحك تارة

ويبكي مراراً صاغ من حلوه المرا

Such is treacherous time: at times it makes us laugh,

And repeatedly makes us weep; from its sweetness it fashioned bitterness.

أيا داركم عمرت والسعد مقبل

عليك وكم بالعلم سادت بك الغبرا

O abode, how greatly you flourished, with good fortune advancing

Toward you; and through learning, how greatly the dusty earth gained glory through you!

عمرت وعمرت البلاد سويعة

من الدهر كانت من نوادره الغرا

You flourished and made the lands flourish for a brief hour

Of time, which was among its radiant rarities.

يشد اليك الرحل من كل وجهة

بك العيش رغد طيب وبك الأخرى

From every direction, saddles are strapped for the journey to you.

In you, life is abundant and pleasant, and in you lies the hereafter.

فهل فيك من يدري وقوف متيم

يكفف دمعاً نادباً مربع الذكرى

Then is there anyone in you who knows of a lovesick lover's vigil,

Wiping away tears, mourning the abode of memory?

يئن أنيناً يجرح القلب والكلى

يفتت أكباداً ولما يطق صبرا

He moans a moan that wounds the heart and kidneys,

Shattering livers; he cannot yet endure patiently.

سلام سلام من قلوب كئيبة

تسايل اطلالا ولم تكتسب خبرا

Peace, peace, from sorrowful hearts

That question ruins, yet have gained no tidings,

على معهد الاسلام والدين والهدى

وربع ملوك كان ملكهم صدرا

Upon the abode of Islam, faith, and guidance,

And the dwelling of kings whose rule was foremost.

ألا أيها الخل المرافق قف وقل

حيال ديار طالما جبرت كسرا

Now, dear companion, halt and say,

Before dwellings that so often healed what was broken:

سقى الله تيهرتاً بوابل رحمة

يجدد ذكراها ويحيي لها فخرا

May God water Tahert with a downpour of mercy,

That renews her memory and revives her glory.

وآه وهل يحيي التأوه ميتاً

ومن ذا يرى عمر انها مرة أخرى

And ah—can sighing bring the dead to life?

And who will see her flourishing once again?

بعيد بعيد لكن الله ربنا

قدير على أن المغيب لا يدرى

Far off, far off! Yet God, our Lord,

Is all-powerful, though the unseen remains unknown.