1. ذَهَبَ السُرورُ وَوَلَّتِ الأَعيادُ

    فَالعَيشُ هُمٌّ وَالحَياةُ حِدادُ

    Joy has gone, and the festivals have passed.

    So living is distress, and life is mourning.

  2. طُف بِالمَشارِقِ وَالمَغارِبِ هَل تَرى

    دَعَةً تُرامُ وَغَبطَةً تُرتادُ

    Roam through eastern and western lands—do you see

    any ease to be sought, any happiness to be pursued?

  3. في كُلِّ مَمسى لَيلَةٍ وَصَبيحَةٍ

    يَنهاضُ شَعبٌ أَو تَطيحُ بِلادُ

    At every nightfall and morning,

    a people is shattered, or lands collapse.

  4. الناسُ حُزنٌ دائِمٌ وَشِكايَةٌ

    وَالأَرضُ شَرٌّ شامِلٌ وَفَسادُ

    People live in ceaseless sorrow and complaint,

    and the earth is filled with pervasive evil and corruption.

  5. أَودى بِأَعراسِ المَمالِكِ مَأتَمٌ

    طاحَت لَهُ المُهجاتِ وَالأَكبادُ

    A funeral has laid waste to the kingdoms' wedding feasts;

    hearts and livers have fallen before it.

  6. تَتَفَزَّعُ الأَجيالُ مِن أَهوالِهِ

    وَتَضُجُّ مِن صَعَقاتِهِ الآبادُ

    Generations are terrified by its horrors,

    and the ages cry out at its thunderbolts.

  7. كَيفَ القَرارُ وَما تَزالُ تَروعُنا

    نِوَبٌ تَهُدُّ الراسِياتِ شِدادُ

    How can we rest, when we are still terrified

    by fierce calamities that shatter steadfast mountains?

  8. ما بالُنا نَبغي الحَياةَ شَهِيَّةً

    فَنُرَدُّ عَن ساحاتِها وَنُذادُ

    Why do we seek a life of delight,

    only to be turned from its courts and driven away?

  9. وَمَتى أَرى أُمَمَ البَسيطَةِ أُخوَةً

    كُرَماءَ لا إِحَنٌ وَلا أَحقادُ

    And when shall I see the earth's nations as brothers,

    noble, with neither grudges nor hatred,

  10. رُحَماءَ لا حَربٌ تَشُبُّ وَلا دَمٌ

    يَجري وَلا ظُلمٌ وَلا اِستِعبادُ

    merciful, with no war flaring and no blood

    flowing, no oppression and no enslavement?

  11. شَعبٌ يَزولُ وَأُمَّةٌ يَعتادُها

    مِن رائِعِ الحِدثانِ ما يَعتادُ

    A people perishes, and a nation is beset

    by whatever terrors fate brings again.

  12. أَو كُلَّما طارَت بِتاجٍ نَزوَةٌ

    نَزَتِ السُيوفُ وَطارَتِ الأَجنادُ

    Or whenever a whim sends a crown flying,

    swords leap up and armies fly forth.

  13. أَفَتِلكَ أَنعامٌ تُساقُ جُموعُها

    لِلنَحرِ أَم بَينَ الجُنوبِ جَمادُ

    Are those cattle, their herds driven

    to slaughter, or is there lifeless matter between their flanks?

  14. يا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ في سَمائِكَ ناظِرٌ

    ما يَصنَعُ الذَبّاحُ وَالجَلّادُ

    O Lord, in Your heaven You behold

    what the slaughterer and the executioner do.

  15. رُحماكَ يا رَبَّ المَمالِكِ إِنَّها

    أُمَمٌ تُساقُ إِلى الرَدى وَتُقادُ

    Your mercy, O Lord of kingdoms! They are

    nations driven and led to destruction.

  16. أَدرِك عِبادَكَ إِنَّهُم إِن يُترَكوا

    ذَهَبوا كَما ذَهَبَت ثَمودُ وَعادُ

    Rescue Your servants, for if they are abandoned,

    they will perish as Thamud and ʿAd perished.

  17. أَجَزَيتَهُم سوءَ العَذابِ بِظُلمِهِم

    أَم ذاكَ شَيءٌ بِالشُعوبِ يُرادُ

    Have You requited them with grievous torment for their wrongdoing,

    or is this something intended for the peoples?

  18. عَصَفَت أَعاصيرُ الوَغى فَتَطايَرَت

    شُمُّ الحُصونِ وَزالَتِ الأَطوادُ

    War's whirlwinds raged, scattering

    the lofty fortresses, and the mountains vanished.

  19. قَدَرٌ أُتيحَ وَنَكبَةٌ ما لِاِمرِئً

    في الدَهرِ مِنها مَوئِلٌ وَمَصادُ

    An allotted fate, a calamity from which no one

    in this lifetime has refuge or escape.

  20. تَمضي الفَيالِقُ وَالمَنايا تارَةً

    تَطَأُ الصَعيدَ وَتارَةً تَنطادُ

    The legions advance, and death at times

    treads the ground, and at times soars aloft.

  21. تَمشي بِإِنجيلِ السَلامِ وَعِندَها

    أنَّ السَلامَ تَناحُرٌ وَجِلادُ

    They march bearing the gospel of peace, yet to them

    peace is mutual slaughter and sword-fighting.

  22. وَيَقولُ قَومٌ تِلكَ آيَةُ مُلكِنا

    تُملَى وَتُكتَبُ كُلُّها وَتُزادُ

    And some say: 'That is the sign of our dominion,

    dictated, written out in full, and added to.'

  23. كُتِبَت بِأَيدي الفاتِحينَ صَحيفَةٌ

    وَدَمُ الكُماةِ الهالِكينَ مِدادُ

    A page was written by conquerors' hands,

    and the blood of slain warriors was its ink.

  24. تِلكَ الحَضارَةُ لا حُكومَةُ مَعشَرٍ

    مَلَكوا بِعدلِهِمُ الرِقابَ وَسادوا

    That is civilization—not the rule of a people

    who, through their justice, held necks in their power and ruled.

  25. ساسوا فَلا صَلَفٌ وَلا جَبرِيَّةٌ

    وَرَعَوا فَلا خَسفٌ وَلا اِستِبدادُ

    They governed without arrogance or coercion,

    and tended their people without humiliation or despotism.

  26. رَفَعوا عَلى هامِ القَياصِرِ مُلكَهُم

    وَالعَدلُ رُكنٌ قائِمٌ وَعِمادُ

    They raised their dominion above the Caesars' heads,

    and justice was a firm foundation and pillar.

  27. دَرَجوا فَلَم تَصفُ الحَياةُ وَلَم تَزَل

    تَشقى بِناقِعِ سُمِّها الوُرّادُ

    They passed away; life did not run clear, and still

    those who come to drink suffer from its deadly poison.

  28. غالَت سَلامَ العالَمينَ جَوانِحٌ

    ما لِلنُفوسِ وَلا لَهُنَّ نَفادُ

    Passions within the breast have ravaged the world's peace;

    neither souls nor those passions ever run dry.

  29. فَمَتى تَثوبُ إِلى السُيوفِ حُلومُها

    وَيَكُفُّ غَيَّ المُرعِداتِ رَشادُ

    When, then, will the swords regain their reason,

    and sound judgment curb the thunderers' waywardness?

  30. عامانِ ما عَطَفَ المَمالِكَ فيهِما

    حُبٌّ وَلا جَمَعَ الشُعوبَ وِدادُ

    Two years, in which the kingdoms have not been drawn together

    by love, nor have the peoples been united by affection.

  31. حَربٌ نُريدُ لَها الخُمولَ وَقَد أَبى

    صَلَفٌ يَشُبُّ ضِرامَها وَعِنادُ

    We wish this war would die down, but our wish is resisted by

    arrogance that kindles its blaze, and obstinacy.

  32. الصُلحُ أَجمَلُ وَالجُنودُ أَعِزَّةٌ

    وَالسِلمُ أَفضَلُ وَالسُيوفُ حِدادُ

    Reconciliation is finer, though the soldiers are mighty;

    and peace is better, though the swords are sharp.

  33. يا عيدُ أَسعِد ذا الهُمومِ إِذا اِشتَكى

    إِنَّ الحَزينَ يُعينُهُ الإِسعادُ

    O festival, gladden the burdened one when he laments;

    indeed, bringing joy helps the sorrowful.

  34. وَعُدِ العَليلَ مُؤاسِياً وَمُعَلِّلاً

    إِنَّ العَليلَ تُريحُهُ العُوّادُ

    And visit the ailing, offering comfort and hope;

    indeed, visitors bring relief to the ailing.

  35. وانْهَ اليَتيمَ عَنِ البُكى مُتَرَفِّقاً

    إِنَّ اليَتيمَ تَهيجُهُ الأَعيادُ

    And gently bid the orphan cease his weeping;

    indeed, festivals stir the orphan's sorrow.

  36. عَزِّ الفَقيرَ وَعِدهُ مَوفورَ الغِنى

    إِنَّ الَّذي يَهَبُ الغِنى لَجَوادُ

    Console the poor, and promise them abundant wealth;

    indeed, the giver of wealth is truly generous.

  37. ضَمِّد جِراحاتِ القُلوبِ فَرُبَّما

    نَفَعَ القُلوبَ الدامِياتِ ضِمادُ

    Bind up the wounds of hearts, for perhaps

    a bandage will help bleeding hearts.

  38. طُف بِالرُقادِ عَلى سَهارى أَعيُنٍ

    أَلوى بِنَضرَتِها أَسىً وَسُهادُ

    Bring slumber on your rounds to sleepless eyes,

    whose freshness grief and sleeplessness have swept away.

  39. لا يَجزَعِ العاني فَكُلٌّ زائِلٌ

    وَلِكُلِّ دَولَةِ مَعشَرٍ ميعادُ

    Let the captive not lose heart, for everything passes,

    and every people's dominion has its appointed term.