قَومي لَأَنتُم عِبرَة الأَقوامِ

قَومي لَأَنتُم عِبرَة الأَقوامِ

هَل تُنسَبونَ لِيافِتٍ أَو سامِ

هَل تُنسَبونَ لِيافِتٍ أَو سامِ

My people, you are indeed a lesson to the nations.

My people, you are an example for all peoples

Are you descended from Japheth or Shem?

Are you said to belong to Yafith or Shem?

أَبناءُ عَمّي مِن نِزارٍ وَيَغرُبٍ

أَبناءُ عَمّي مِن نِزارٍ وَيَغرُبٍ

لَيسوا بِأَعرابٍ وَلا أَعجامِ

لَيسوا بِأَعرابٍ وَلا أَعجامِ

My cousins, descended from Nizar and Yaghrub,

The sons of my uncle from Nizar and Yagrob

are neither Bedouin Arabs nor non-Arabs.

Are neither Bedouin nor non-Arabs

يَتَرَسَّمونَ الغَربَ حَتّى يُوشِكوا

يَتَرَسَّمونَ الغَربَ حَتّى يُوشِكوا

أَن يَعبُدوهُ عِبادَةَ الأَصنامِ

أَن يَعبُدوهُ عِبادَةَ الأَصنامِ

They follow the West's example until they are on the verge

They emulate the West until they are about

of worshipping it as idols are worshipped.

To worship it with the worship of idols

ما قَلَّدوهُم مُبصِرينَ وَإِنَّما

ما قَلَّدوهُم مُبصِرينَ وَإِنَّما

تَبِعوا نِظامَهُمُ بِغَيرِ نِظامِ

تَبِعوا نِظامَهُمُ بِغَيرِ نِظامِ

They did not imitate them with discernment; rather,

They did not imitate its insight, but rather

they followed their system without order.

Followed its system without a system

لِلغَربِ عاداتٌ كَغازاتٍ سَرَت

لِلغَربِ عاداتٌ كَغازاتٍ سَرَت

في الشَرقِ مَسرى الداءِ بِالأَجسامِ

في الشَرقِ مَسرى الداءِ بِالأَجسامِ

The West has customs, like gases, that have spread

The West has customs like gases that crept

through the East as disease spreads through bodies.

Through the East in the manner of disease in bodies

لا تَأمَنوا المُستَعمِرينَ فَكَم لَهُم

لا تَأمَنوا المُستَعمِرينَ فَكَم لَهُم

حَربٌ تَقَنَّعَ وَجهُها بِسَلامِ

حَربٌ تَقَنَّعَ وَجهُها بِسَلامِ

Do not trust the colonizers, for theirs is many

Do not trust the colonizers, for how often do they have

a war whose face has masked itself with peace.

A war whose face is masked by peace?

حَربٌ عَلى لُغَةِ البِلادِ وَأَرضِها

حَربٌ عَلى لُغَةِ البِلادِ وَأَرضِها

لَيسَت تُشَنُّ بِمَدفَعٍ وَحُسامِ

لَيسَت تُشَنُّ بِمَدفَعٍ وَحُسامِ

A war against the country's language and its land,

A war on the language and land of the countries

not waged with cannon and sword.

It is not waged with cannon and sword

وَالشَعبُ إِن سَلِمَت لَهُ أَوطانُهُ

وَالشَعبُ إِن سَلِمَت لَهُ أَوطانُهُ

وَلِسانُهُ لَم يَخشَ قَطعَ الهامِ

وَلِسانُهُ لَم يَخشَ قَطعَ الهامِ

And a people, if its homelands remain safe

And if its homelands are safe for a people

and its tongue too, will not fear the severing of heads.

While its tongue is not, it fears the cutting of tents

لا أَعرِفُ العَرَبِيَّ يَلوى فَكَّهُ

لا أَعرِفُ العَرَبِيَّ يَلوى فَكَّهُ

إِنَّ هَمَّ يَوماً فَكُّهُ بِكَلامِ

إِنَّ هَمَّ يَوماً فَكُّهُ بِكَلامِ

I do not recognize the Arab who twists his jaw

I do not know an Arab twisting his jaw

if one day his jaw attempts to speak.

If he ever did, his jaw would be with speech

إِن فاهَ تَسمَعُ لَكنَةً مَمقوتَةً

إِن فاهَ تَسمَعُ لَكنَةً مَمقوتَةً

مَن فيهِ سَكسونِيَّة الأَنغامِ

مَن فيهِ سَكسونِيَّة الأَنغامِ

If he speaks, you hear a loathsome accent

If his mouth is heard with hated dialect

from his mouth, Saxon in its tones.

In it is the Saxon chanting of tunes

لَفظاً مِنَ الفُصحى وَآخَرَ نابِياً

لَفظاً مِنَ الفُصحى وَآخَرَ نابِياً

كَالغازِ مَمزوجاً بِكَأسِ مُدامِ

كَالغازِ مَمزوجاً بِكَأسِ مُدامِ

A word from classical Arabic and another jarring one,

A word of eloquence and another coarse

like gas mixed into a cup of wine.

Like gas mixed in a cup of alcohol

لَهفي عَلى الفُصحى رَماها مَعشَرٌ

لَهفي عَلى الفُصحى رَماها مَعشَرٌ

مِن أَهلِها شُلَّت يَمينُ الرامي

مِن أَهلِها شُلَّت يَمينُ الرامي

Alas for classical Arabic, shot at by a band

My anguish over eloquence, a group

of its own people—may the shooter's right hand be paralyzed!

Of its people paralyzed the thrower's right hand

لَم يَهتَدوا لِكُنوزِها فَإِذا بِهِم

لَم يَهتَدوا لِكُنوزِها فَإِذا بِهِم

يَرمونَها بِالفَقرِ وَالإِعدامِ

يَرمونَها بِالفَقرِ وَالإِعدامِ

They did not find their way to its treasures, and behold, they

They did not find its treasures, so there they are

accuse it of poverty and destitution.

Throwing it into poverty and extinction

الدَرُّ في طَيِّ البُحورِ مُخَبَّأٌ

الدَرُّ في طَيِّ البُحورِ مُخَبَّأٌ

وَالتِّبرُ إِن تَنشدهُ تَحتَ رُغامِ

وَالتِّبرُ إِن تَنشدهُ تَحتَ رُغامِ

Pearls lie hidden in the depths of the seas,

The pearls are hidden in the folds of the sea

and gold, if you seek it, lies beneath the dust.

And the gold, if you wish it, beneath the sand dunes

لَن يَستَعيدَ العُربُ سالِفَ مَجدِهِم

لَن يَستَعيدَ العُربُ سالِفَ مَجدِهِم

وَلِسانُهُم غَرَضٌ لِرَميِ سِهامي

وَلِسانُهُم غَرَضٌ لِرَميِ سِهامي

The Arabs will not regain their former glory

The Arabs will not regain their past glory

while their tongue is a target for my arrows.

While their tongue is the target of my arrows

أَن يَرفَعوا ما اِنقَضَّ مِن بُنيانِهِم

أَن يَرفَعوا ما اِنقَضَّ مِن بُنيانِهِم

فَالضادُ أَوَّلُ حائِطٍ وَدعامِ

فَالضادُ أَوَّلُ حائِطٍ وَدعامِ

For them to rebuild what has collapsed of their edifice,

To rebuild what crumbled of their structure

Ḍād—the Arabic tongue—is therefore the first wall and buttress.

The “d” is the first wall and pillar

إِن يَزهُ شَرقِيٌّ بِغَيرِ العُربِ مِن

إِن يَزهُ شَرقِيٌّ بِغَيرِ العُربِ مِن

أَجدادِهِ الأَتراكِ وَالأَروامِ

أَجدادِهِ الأَتراكِ وَالأَروامِ

If an Easterner boasts of non-Arabs among

If an Easterner boasts of other than Arabs

his ancestors—the Turks and the Romans—

His ancestors the Turks and Byzantines

فَأَنا الفَخورُ بِأَنَّني لا يَنتَمي

فَأَنا الفَخورُ بِأَنَّني لا يَنتَمي

لِلعُجمِ أَخوالي وَلا أَعمامي

لِلعُجمِ أَخوالي وَلا أَعمامي

then I am proud that none belong

Then I am proud that I do not belong

to non-Arabs—neither my maternal nor my paternal uncles.

To the non-Arabs, my uncles and paternal uncles

إِن تَسأَلوا عَنّي إِلى مَن أَنتَمي

إِن تَسأَلوا عَنّي إِلى مَن أَنتَمي

فَإلى رُعاةَ النوقِ وَالأَغنامِ

فَإلى رُعاةَ النوقِ وَالأَغنامِ

If you ask about me—to whom I belong—

If you ask about me, to whom do I belong?

then to the herders of she-camels and sheep.

To the shepherds of camels and sheep

أَبِغَيرِ مَجدِ بَني نِزارَ وَيَعرُبٍ

أَبِغَيرِ مَجدِ بَني نِزارَ وَيَعرُبٍ

يُزهى عِراقِيٌّ وَيَفخَرُ شامي

يُزهى عِراقِيٌّ وَيَفخَرُ شامي

Is it in any glory but that of the sons of Nizar and Ya'rub

Is glory sought without the glory of the sons of Nizar and Yagrob?

that an Iraqi takes pride and a Syrian boasts?

An Iraqi boasts and a Levantine is proud