1. واطردت هواجس الشعوبِ

    فهي إتقاء الحرب في حروبِ

    And the peoples' anxieties kept recurring;

    so, to avert war, they are in wars.

  2. وامتنعت ملامس الصغيرِ

    عسى ترد غارة الكبيرِ

    And the smaller one's points of contact grew impregnable,

    in hopes of repelling the greater one's raid.

  3. فتلك ترجو نجدة الحليفَهْ

    وهذه توجس منها خيفَهْ

    So that one hopes for the ally's aid,

    and this one feels fear of it.

  4. ما سمر الناس بأخبار الوغى

    وحب ذي الحق وبغض من بغى

    Neither people's evening talk of battle news

    nor love for the one in the right and hatred for the aggressor

  5. يغنيهمُ عن انتظار العدوى

    إلى الجميع وامتداد البلوى

    spares them from waiting for the contagion

    to reach everyone, and for the affliction to spread.