1. أفي دارِ قومي يَسكنُ الغرباءُ

    وليسَ لهم بعدَ الثواءِ جلاءُ

    Do strangers dwell in my people's home,

    With no departure after their stay?

  2. فأهلا وسهلاً إن يكونوا ضُيوفنا

    وحَرباً وضرباً إن بغى النزلاء

    Then welcome and ease, if they are our guests,

    But war and blows, if the lodgers transgress.

  3. فإمّا يروموا الحربَ فهي انتِصافُنا

    وإمّا يشاؤوا السلم فهو هناء

    If they seek war, it is our redress;

    If they wish for peace, it is happiness.

  4. ستظهرُ منا نخوةٌ وبَسالةٌ

    إذا اربدَّ غيمٌ أو ترنّق ماء

    From us will appear proud spirit and valor,

    When clouds darken or water turns murky.

  5. أبى اللهُ والإسلامُ والأصلُ أن يُرى

    فتىً عربيٌ ليسَ فيهِ إباء

    God, Islam, and lineage forbid that there be seen

    An Arab youth without proud defiance.

  6. جديرٌ بنا أن نَستعدَّ لهم وأن

    نُعِدَّ الذي تشفَى بهِ البرحاء

    It befits us to prepare for them, and to

    Make ready what can cure our dire affliction.

  7. فإمّا انتصارٌ وانتصافٌ وعزَّةٌ

    وإما اقتحامُ الموتِ وهو شفاء

    Either victory, redress, and honor,

    Or a plunge into death, which is a cure.

  8. أمانيُّ قومي في المنايا وما لهم

    خلاصٌ إذا لم يجهلِ العقلاء

    My people's hopes lie in death, and they have no

    Deliverance unless the wise act rashly.

  9. أليس يموتُ الناسُ دون خلودِهم

    ودونَ ملذّاتِ تُراقُ دماء

    Do people not die for their immortality,

    And is blood not spilled for pleasures?

  10. لئن كانَ دفعُ الشرِّ بالشرِّ واجباً

    تأبَّطَ شرّاً من إليهِ يُساء

    If repelling evil with evil is a duty,

    The wronged man tucks evil beneath his arm.

  11. إلى الحقِّ مالَ الناسُ في حالِ ضعفِهم

    وقد أعرضوا عنهُ وهم قدراء

    People inclined toward right when they were weak,

    Yet turned away from it when they had power.

  12. فلا هَيبةٌ للحق إِلا بقوَّةٍ

    تردُّ التعدّي والسلاحُ سواء

    Right commands no awe except through force

    That repels aggression, with weapons equally matched.

  13. ألستَ ترى المُستحوذينَ على الورى

    يَقُولونَ منّا رحمةٌ وسخاء

    Do you not see those who dominate mankind

    Saying, 'From us come mercy and generosity,

  14. وإنصافُ مظلومٍ وإطلاقُ موثقٍ

    وتحريرُ أَرضٍ أهلُها ضُعفاء

    Justice for the oppressed, release for the bound,

    And freedom for lands whose people are weak'?

  15. ومن جَورِهم تبكي شعوبٌ كثيرةٌ

    بنوها عبيدٌ عندَهم وإماء

    Yet many peoples weep from their oppression,

    Their children are their slaves and bondwomen.

  16. لعمركَ هذي خدعةٌ ثعلبيَّةٌ

    وهذا على خَوفِ الزئيرِ مواء

    By your life, this is a fox's trick,

    A mewing born of fear of the roar.

  17. فلا تَكُ يوماً واثقاً أو مصدّقاً

    فكلُّ ضعيفٍ ما لهُ نُصراء

    Never be trusting or credulous,

    For the weak have no champions.

  18. عجبتُ لباغٍ يدّعي العدلَ والتُّقى

    ومنهُ على بعضِ العقولِ غشاء

    I marvel at a tyrant claiming justice and piety,

    While a veil from him covers some minds.

  19. مظالمهُ عمّت وجمّت ذنوبُهُ

    فأنكرَها إذ ليسَ فيهِ حياء

    His injustices spread, his sins grew many,

    Yet he denied them, for he has no shame.

  20. فَقُل أيها الكذّابُ إن كنتَ صادقاً

    إِلى اللهِ تُب قد طالَ منكَ رياء

    Tell him: 'Liar, if you are truthful,

    Repent to God; your hypocrisy has lasted long.

  21. وأفرج عن الأرضِ التي ضُمتَ أهلها

    لكَ الويلُ ما هامُ الشعوبِ وطاء

    Relinquish the land whose people you wronged.

    Woe to you! Peoples' heads are no ground to tread on.

  22. كفاكَ الذي من مالها ودمائها

    أخَذتَ وفيها مِنكَ مُلّ ثواء

    Enough of what, from its wealth and blood,

    You have taken; your stay there has grown tiresome.

  23. أجزّاً لشاءٍ ثم ذبحاً لغيرها

    وهذي لها صرعٌ وتلكَ ثِغاء

    Is it shearing for some sheep, then slaughter for others?

    This one is felled, and that one bleats.

  24. وتَغسُلُ كفاً بالدماءِ تَلطّخَت

    كأن لم ترَ السكّينَ عندَك شاء

    You wash a hand stained with blood,

    As though no sheep had seen the knife with you.

  25. رُوَيدَكَ لا تكذِب على الله والورى

    فبعدَ التباكي قد يكون بُكاء

    Easy! Do not lie about God and mankind:

    After feigned weeping, real tears may come.'

  26. تَذَلَّلَ قومي بعدَ عزٍّ وأقفَرَت

    رُبوعٌ عليها في العفاءِ بَهاء

    My people were humbled after glory, and deserted lay

    Dwellings still splendid amid their desolation.

  27. وَقَفتُ بها مُستَجلياً متأملاً

    وقد شاقَني مِنها ثرىً وسماء

    I stood among them, seeking to discern, reflecting,

    Their soil and sky had stirred my longing.

  28. فَفاضَت دموعي بعدَ طولِ انحباسِها

    ومنها لنفسي راحةٌ وعزاء

    My tears overflowed after their long restraint,

    And in them my soul found rest and solace.

  29. لقد هانَ دَمعي في ديارِ أحبّتي

    وفي غيرِها قد عزَّ وهو رماء

    My tears flowed freely in my loved ones' dwellings,

    Elsewhere they were scarce, though superfluous.

  30. سلامٌ عليها من فتًى هائمٍ بها

    لهُ من بقاياها سنًى وسناء

    Peace upon them from a youth enthralled by them,

    Whose radiance and glory come from their remains.

  31. يُحبِّبها حبُّ الذين تحمّلوا

    ومنهم عليها ذمّةٌ ووفاء

    Love for those who departed makes these homes dear,

    And from them comes a pledge to these homes, and loyalty.

  32. فمن لا يُحبُّ العرْبَ وهو ربيبُهم

    فإنَّ جميعَ العربِ منه براء

    Whoever does not love the Arabs, though raised among them,

    All the Arabs disown him.

  33. ألا هل كقومي أو كمثلِ كبارِهم

    إذا عُدَّتِ الأقوامُ والكبراء

    Is there anyone like my people or their great men,

    When peoples and great men are counted?

  34. ففي العالمِ العُلويِّ سادَ محمدٌ

    وما وَلدَت مثلَ النبيِّ نساء

    In the world above, Muhammad reigns supreme,

    No women have borne the Prophet's like.

  35. وكيفَ أوفّي خيرَ مَن وطأ الثرى

    مِن المدحِ حقاً والثناء عياء

    How can I give the best of those who trod the earth

    His due in praise, when praise is powerless?

  36. إلهيةٌ أقوالهُ وفِعالهُ

    يُقَصِّرُ عن إدراكِها الحكماء

    Divine are his words and deeds;

    The wise fall short of comprehending them.

  37. دعا قومَه والناسَ طرّاً إِلى الهُدى

    وللأرضِ منهُ في الظلامِ ضياء

    He called his people and all mankind to guidance,

    And from him the earth gained light amid darkness.

  38. وأعطى الورى دينا وشرعاً بناهُما

    على لُغةٍ منها البيانُ غناء

    He gave mankind a religion and a law, both founded

    On a language whose eloquence is song.

  39. فصلّوا بها لِله وهي لسانُهُ

    وفي غيرِها لا يُستجابُ دعاء

    So they prayed to God in it, for it is his tongue;

    In any other, no prayer is answered.

  40. وأوصى بحجِّ البيتِ صوناً لحرمةٍ

    من اللهِ والإسلامِ حيثُ يفاء

    He enjoined pilgrimage to the House, safeguarding a sanctity

    From God and Islam, where people return.

  41. فَجَمَّع أهلَ الشرقِ والغربِ حَوله

    وصارَ بهِ كالإخوة الغرباء

    He gathered the people of East and West around it,

    And through it strangers became like brothers.

  42. وبعدَ طوافٍ واستلامٍ مثبّتٍ

    لإيمانهم عادوا وهم خلفاء

    After circling and ritual touching that strengthened

    Their faith, they returned as successors.

  43. يُنادونَ باسمِ الله واسمِ محمدٍ

    أذاناً فَهزَّ العالمينَ نداء

    They called in God's name and Muhammad's name

    A call to prayer; its summons shook the worlds.

  44. شريعتُه فَوقَ الشرائعِ كُلّها

    فما هي إِلا حكمةٌ ودهاء

    His law stands above all laws:

    It is nothing but wisdom and shrewdness.

  45. فلا فقه إلا ما ارتأى فقهاؤها

    وعنهم وعنها يأخذُ الفقهاء

    No jurisprudence but what its jurists have judged;

    From them and from it, jurists draw.

  46. وكم من شُعوبٍ تَستنيرُ بدينهِ

    وكم دولٍ منها عليه بناء

    How many peoples draw light from his religion,

    And how many of their states are founded upon it!

  47. وكم جامعٍ فيه نعيمٌ ونعمةٌ

    ومأذنةٍ فيها عُلاً وعلاء

    How many mosques hold bliss and blessing,

    And minarets hold eminence and grandeur!

  48. بظلّهما قد صارت الأرضُ جنّةً

    لها العدلُ خَصبٌ والإخاءُ نماء

    Beneath their two shadows, the earth became a garden,

    Where justice is fertility and brotherhood is growth.

  49. وأكملُ دينٍ دينه فهو للورى

    علاجُ طبيبٍ صحّ منه إساء

    His religion is the most perfect; for mankind it is

    A physician's remedy, proven in its healing.

  50. على مقتضى أحوالهم وطباعِهم

    وحاجاتِهم قد جاء منه كفاء

    In keeping with their circumstances and natures,

    And their needs, it brought what sufficed.

  51. فسلوى على حقٍّ ملوكاً وسُوقةً

    تآخوا على الاسلامِ وهو إخاء

    Thus, in truth, solace for kings and commoners:

    They became brothers through Islam, and this is brotherhood.

  52. صحابتُهُ الأبرارُ خيرُ صحابةٍ

    وأنصارُه الأبطالُ والشرفاء

    His righteous companions are the finest companions,

    His supporters are heroes and noble men.

  53. وللخلفاءِ الرّاشدين فضيلةٌ

    وفضلٌ هما للقانطينَ رجاء

    The rightly guided caliphs have virtue

    And merit; both are hope for the despairing.

  54. فمن كأبي بكرٍ عفافاً وحكمةً

    وتقوى إذا ما عُدَّت الرؤساء

    Who is like Abu Bakr in chastity and wisdom,

    And piety, when leaders are counted?

  55. ومن يشبهُ الفاروقَ تحتَ عباءةٍ

    هِرَقلُ اشتهاها والحريرُ كساء

    Who resembles al-Faruq beneath a cloak

    Heraclius coveted, though silk was his attire?

  56. فأزرَت بعزِّ الأرجوانِ وظلُّها

    على العربِ منه رايةٌ ورواء

    It humbled the majesty of purple, and its shade

    Over the Arabs was his banner and splendor.

  57. لقد كانَ جباراً فصارَ بعدلهِ

    أباً للرعايا فاغتنى البؤساء

    He had been a tyrant, but through justice became

    A father to his subjects; the wretched grew prosperous.

  58. ومن مثل عثمانٍ تُقىً وتعبّداً

    إذا عُرِضَ القرآن والشهداء

    Who is like Uthman in piety and devotion,

    When the Quran and the martyrs are set before us?

  59. ومن كعليٍٍّ نجدةً وبلاغةً

    تمناهما القوادُ والخطباء

    Who is like Ali in valor and eloquence,

    Both coveted by commanders and orators?

  60. به ثبتَ الإسلامُ واعتزَّ أهلُهُ

    فَدانت لهُ الفرسانُ والأمراء

    Through him Islam stood firm and its people gained glory,

    Horsemen and princes yielded to him.

  61. سيائدُ نالوا عِزّةً عن تَواضعٍ

    وأعداؤهم في عزِّهم وُضعاء

    Lords who gained honor through humility,

    While their enemies, in all their glory, were base.

  62. فأينَ عظامُ الأرضِ حينَ أعدّهمّ

    قبالتَهم لا يَظهرُ العظماء

    Where are the earth's mighty when I count them?

    Facing these, the great men fade from sight.

  63. وعن نَجدةِ القوَّادِ في غَزواتهم

    يقصِّرُ وَصفٌ أو يقلُّ ثناء

    As for the commanders' valor in their campaigns,

    Description falls short, or praise is too little.

  64. لنصرةِ دينِ الله جرَّدَ خالدٌ

    حساماً عليهِ أسلَمَ البُسلاء

    To champion God's religion, Khalid drew

    A sword before which the valiant submitted.

  65. وما عادَ إِلا ظافراً أو مظفّراً

    وقدّامَه كلُّ الجيوشِ هباء

    He returned only triumphant or crowned with victory,

    Before him, all armies were dust.

  66. لقد كان سيفَ اللهِ وهو كَسَيفِهِ

    مضاءً وفتكاً إن بلاهُ بلاء

    He was God's sword, and like His sword

    In keenness and deadly force when an ordeal tested him.

  67. وقد أكثر الجرّاحُ جَرحى عُداتِه

    وأشلاءَهم حتى استقرَّ لواء

    Al-Jarrah multiplied the wounded among his foes,

    And their severed limbs, until the banner stood firm.

  68. فوفّقَ بين البأسِ والحلمِ مُقسِطاً

    وما العدلُ إِلا أن يَصحَّ جزاء

    He joined fierceness with forbearance, dealing justly;

    Justice is only that recompense be right.

  69. وإنَّ معاداةَ الكريمِ صداقةٌ

    وإنَّ موالاةَ اللئيمِ عداء

    Enmity with the noble is friendship,

    And friendship with the base is enmity.

  70. وعمروٌ أتى مصراً فحيّاهُ أهلُها

    وقالوا لأهلِ المكرماتِ رفاء

    Amr came to Egypt, and its people greeted him,

    Saying, 'Concord to those of noble deeds!'

  71. فأخرجَهم عن رِقّهم وضلالِهم

    وإيمانُهم أمنٌ لهُم وصفاء

    He freed them from bondage and error,

    Their faith was safety and serenity for them.

  72. وسار ابنُ سعدٍ يفتحُ الغربَ للهُدى

    وفي راحَتَيهِ نِعمةٌ وشقاء

    Ibn Sa'd advanced, conquering the West for guidance,

    In his two palms lay blessing and misery.

  73. ولما استتبّ الأمرُ تحتَ حسامهِ

    على الأرضِ حلّت رحمةٌ ورخاء

    When affairs were settled beneath his sword,

    Mercy and prosperity descended upon the earth.

  74. أظلّت شعوبَ الخافقينِ خِلافَةٌ

    وللعربي الملكُ حيث يشاء

    A caliphate sheltered the peoples of East and West,

    The Arab held dominion wherever he wished.

  75. ولما تناءى عن حِماها حُماتُها

    تَناولها الغلمانُ والدُّخلاء

    When its defenders withdrew from its sanctuary,

    Boys and outsiders seized it.

  76. وناهضَها الأعداءُ من كلِّ مَعشَرٍ

    وليسَ لقومي في الونى زُعماء

    Enemies from every people rose against it,

    And my people had no leaders amid their lassitude.

  77. فيا ويل من ولَّى الأجانبَ أمرَهُ

    وقوَّادهم حَوليه والوزراء

    Woe to him who entrusted his affairs to foreigners,

    Their commanders and ministers gathered around him.

  78. هو الملكُ لا يحميهِ إِلا بُناتُهُ

    وهم أبداً حرَّاسُهُ الأُمناء

    This is dominion: none protect it but its builders,

    Who are forever its faithful guardians.

  79. فلو كان للعبّاسِ مثلُ أميّةٍ

    لما ضاعَ ملكٌ ساسَهُ الخلطاء

    Had al-Abbas had the like of Umayya,

    No realm governed by those associates would have been lost.

  80. غدا أمراءُ المؤمنينَ عبيدَهم

    وهانَ رسولُ اللهِ والخلفاء

    The commanders of the faithful became their slaves,

    God's Messenger and the caliphs were demeaned.

  81. تخاذلَ قومي واختلافُ ملوكهم

    بلاءٌ عليهِ لا يُقاسُ بلاء

    My people failed one another, and their kings' discord

    Was an affliction upon them beyond all affliction.

  82. رُوَيدَكِ بنتَ الرومِ لا تتكبّري

    ولا تظلمينا إننا تعساء

    Easy, daughter of Rome; do not vaunt yourself,

    Do not wrong us: we are wretched.

  83. لنا الأمسُ والتاريخُ نملكُ نصفَهُ

    ولكن غدٌ يُرخى عليهِ غَطاء

    Yesterday is ours, and we possess half of history,

    But tomorrow has a veil drawn over it.

  84. حَكَمنا وقد كنّا لحقٍّ وقوّةٍ

    ونحنُ على بأسائنا شُرفاء

    We ruled, and ours were right and strength,

    Despite our misery, we are noble.

  85. أرى كلّ عالٍ بالسّقوطِ مُهدَّداً

    وكلَّ صباحٍ قد تلاهُ مساء

    I see everyone aloft threatened with a fall,

    And every morning followed by evening.

  86. فلا تضحكي يا أجنبيّةُ في الأسى

    وقومُكِ مِنهم سلطةٌ وقضاء

    Do not laugh, foreign woman, amid our sorrow,

    While your people wield power and judgment.

  87. سنحيا بذكرِ المجدِ بعدَ انقضائهِ

    وما زال في السّيفِ القديمِ مضاء

    We shall live by remembering glory after its passing,

    The ancient sword still has an edge.

  88. ونَطلُبُ حقَّ اللهِ والملكِ والعُلى

    ليشفي نفوسَ التائهينَ لِقاء

    We seek the right of God, dominion, and eminence,

    So an encounter may heal the souls of those adrift.

  89. وَنضرِبُ ضَربَ اليائسين بثأرِنا

    لترحبَ أرضٌ أو يضيقَ فضاء

    We strike the blow of the desperate to avenge ourselves,

    So earth may widen, or space grow narrow.

  90. فلا بدَّ من تكبيرةٍ عربيةٍ

    وتهلِيلةٍ حيثُ الجهادُ فداء

    There must be an Arab cry of 'God is greatest,'

    And 'There is no god but God,' where jihad is sacrifice.

  91. فإما انتصارٌ فيه مجدٌ مخلَّدٌ

    وإما انكسارٌ فيه طابَ فَناء

    Either victory with everlasting glory,

    Or defeat in which death is sweet.

  92. بذلك نُرضِي رَبَّنا ونبيَّنا

    وأجدادَنا والموتُ فيه رِضاء

    By that we satisfy our Lord and our Prophet,

    And our forefathers; in such death lies contentment.

  93. هَلِ العربيُّ الحرُّ يهنأ عَيشُهُ

    وراحتُهُ وهو الذليلُ عناء

    Can the free Arab enjoy his life,

    When his rest, in humiliation, is torment?

  94. فلا حمَلت حكمَ الأجانبِ أُمتي

    ومنهم عليها سادةٌ رُقباء

    May my nation never bear foreigners' rule,

    With masters from among them watching over her.

  95. إذا لم تكن أرضي لقومي هجرتُها

    فللحرِّ في حكمِ الغريبِ جفاء

    If my land is not my people's, I will leave it,

    The free man finds estrangement under a stranger's rule.

  96. وبين ضلوعي همةٌ عربيّةٌ

    لها النجمُ دارٌ والسماءُ فِناء

    Between my ribs lives an Arab resolve,

    Whose home is the star, whose courtyard is the sky.