إن سلَّ أقلامَهُ يَوماً ليُعْمِلَها

إن سلَّ أقلامَهُ يَوماً ليُعْمِلَها

أنساكَ كُلَّ كَمِيٍّ هَزَّ عامِلَهُ

أنساكَ كُلَّ كَمِيٍّ هَزَّ عامِلَهُ

If one day he draws his pens to put them to work,

If one day he unleashes his pens

he makes you forget every armored warrior who brandished his spear.

You forget every last irritant that agitated him

وإنْ أمرَّ على رِقٍّ أنامِلَهُ

وإنْ أمرَّ على رِقٍّ أنامِلَهُ

أقرَّ بالرِّقِّ كُتّابُ الأنام لَهُ

أقرَّ بالرِّقِّ كُتّابُ الأنام لَهُ

And if he passes his fingertips over parchment,

And if he passes by parchments to lull them to sleep

the scribes of mankind admit their bondage to him.

The people's writers confess to him through parchment

وقِرْنُهُ عالِمٌ أنْ لا مَناصَ لَهُ

وقِرْنُهُ عالِمٌ أنْ لا مَناصَ لَهُ

إنْ سَلَّ من غِمْدِهِ يَومَاً مناصلُهُ

إنْ سَلَّ من غِمْدِهِ يَومَاً مناصلُهُ

And his adversary knows that there is no escape for him

And his generation knows it has no escape

if one day he draws his blades from his sheath.

If one day he unsheathes from its scabbard his blades