من كانَ في تاريخهِ بحّاثا

من كانَ في تاريخهِ بحّاثا

أمسى يَرَى الماضي لهُ حثَّاثا

أمسى يَرَى الماضي لهُ حثَّاثا

Whoever has delved deeply into his history

Whoever in his past was a researcher

comes to see the past spurring him on;

Finds the past to be a faultfinder now

فيودُّ أن يَلقى الرَّدى كي يفتَدي

فيودُّ أن يَلقى الرَّدى كي يفتَدي

وَطناً بهِ عبثَ الغريبُ وعاثا

وَطناً بهِ عبثَ الغريبُ وعاثا

so he longs to meet death to redeem

He wishes to encounter oblivion to ransom

a homeland where the foreigner has meddled and wreaked havoc.

A homeland corrupted and ravaged by the foreigner

مِنّا العشائرُ والبلادُ تمزَّقت

مِنّا العشائرُ والبلادُ تمزَّقت

فمتى نلمُّ بِجِدِّنا الأشعاثا

فمتى نلمُّ بِجِدِّنا الأشعاثا

Our tribes and lands have been torn apart;

Our clans and homelands were torn apart

so when shall we, through our earnest efforts, gather the scattered fragments?

When will we unite with our unkempt zeal?

إن الفرنجةَ دوَّخوا أوطاننا

إن الفرنجةَ دوَّخوا أوطاننا

وتَقاسموا الأسلابَ والميراثا

وتَقاسموا الأسلابَ والميراثا

Indeed, the Franks have subjugated our homelands

The Franks had indeed decimated our homelands

and divided the spoils and the inheritance among themselves.

And divided the captives and inheritance

ما كان أقدرَ بطلهم في ضعفنا

ما كان أقدرَ بطلهم في ضعفنا

إذ دنَّسوا الأحرامَ والأجداثا

إذ دنَّسوا الأحرامَ والأجداثا

How powerful their champion was in our weakness,

How impotent was their mightiest hero in our weakness

when they defiled the sanctuaries and the graves!

When they desecrated the holy sites and graves

فإذا طلبنا الحقَّ قال عميدُهم

فإذا طلبنا الحقَّ قال عميدُهم

إني أرى أحلامَكُمُ أضغاثا

إني أرى أحلامَكُمُ أضغاثا

So when we sought justice, their leader said:

If we seek justice, their commander says

"Indeed, I see your dreams as jumbled fancies."

I see your dreams are deluded ramblings

وإذا شَكونا قيلَ تلكَ جنايةٌ

وإذا شَكونا قيلَ تلكَ جنايةٌ

هل نُحرم الشَّكوى أو الإبثاثا

هل نُحرم الشَّكوى أو الإبثاثا

And when we complained, it was said, "That is a crime."

And if we complain, we're told it's a crime

Are we denied the right to complain or to air our grief?

Are we forbidden from complaining or venting our pain?