فَلَو أَنَّ نَصراً أَصلَحَت ذاتَ بَينِها

فَلَو أَنَّ نَصراً أَصلَحَت ذاتَ بَينِها

لَضَحَّت رُوَيداً عَن مَطالِبِها عَمرُو

لَضَحَّت رُوَيداً عَن مَطالِبِها عَمرُو

Had Nasr mended its internal relations,

If only Nasr had mended its broken ties

Amr would have gradually drawn back from its demands.

It would have gently dismissed its demands, O Amr

وَلَكِنَّ نَصراً أَدمَنَت وَتَخاذَلَت

وَلَكِنَّ نَصراً أَدمَنَت وَتَخاذَلَت

وَقالوا عَمَرنا مِن مَحَبَّتِنا القَفرُ

وَقالوا عَمَرنا مِن مَحَبَّتِنا القَفرُ

But Nasr persisted and failed to stand together,

But Nasr grew addicted and became divided

And they said, “We settled the wilderness out of our love for it.”

And they said, “Our life is arid without our love”

فَإِن تَمنَعوا فَرتاجُ فَالعُمرُ مِنهُم

فَإِن تَمنَعوا فَرتاجُ فَالعُمرُ مِنهُم

فَإِنَّ لَهُم ما بَينَ جُرثُمَ فَالغَفرُ

فَإِنَّ لَهُم ما بَينَ جُرثُمَ فَالغَفرُ

So if you defend Fartaj, al-Umr is theirs;

If they refuse, O healer, then life is theirs

For theirs is what lies between Jurthum and al-Ghafr.

For theirs is what’s between Jurthum and Ghafar