1. جِنٌّ عَلَى حَرَمِ السَماءِ أَغاروا

    أَم فِتيَةٌ رَكِبوا الجَناحَ فَطاروا

    Are they jinn who raided heaven's sanctuary,

    Or youths who mounted the wing and flew?

  2. مِن كُلِّ أَهوَجَ في الهَواءِ عِنانُهُ

    هَوَجُ الرِياحِ وَسَرجُهُ الإِعصارُ

    Each a daredevil whose bridle in the air

    Is the frenzy of the winds, and whose saddle is the whirlwind.

  3. يَبغي حِجابَ الشَمسِ يَطلُبُ عِندَها

    عِزّاً تَحَمَّلَهُ الجُدودُ وَساروا

    He seeks the sun's veil, seeking there

    A glory the forefathers bore as they journeyed on.

  4. لَم يَبقَ مِنهُ وَمِن حَضارَةِ عَهدِهِ

    إِلّا صُوى مَحجوبَةٌ وَمَنارُ

    Of it and of the civilization of its age, nothing remains

    But concealed landmarks and a beacon,

  5. وَمَقالَةُ الأَجيالِ لَم يَلحَق بِهِم

    بانٍ وَلَم يُدرِكُهُمُ حَفّارُ

    And the generations' saying: 'They have not been matched

    By any builder, nor reached by any excavator.'

  6. طَلَعوا عَلى الوادي بِرايَةِ عَصرِهِم

    وَلِكُلِّ عَصرٍ رايَةٌ وَشِعارُ

    They rose over the valley with their age's banner,

    And every age has a banner and a motto.

  7. اِثنانِ ثَمَّ تَرى النُسورَ كَثيرَةً

    مِن كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ لَها أَوكارُ

    Two; there you see many eagles,

    They have nests in every quarter.

  8. سِرُّ النَجاحِ وَرُكنُ حَضارَةٍ

    هِمَمٌ مِنَ المُتَطَوِّعينَ كِبارُ

    The secret of success and the pillar of civilization:

    Great resolve among volunteers.

  9. نُسِخَت بِأَبطالِ السَماءِ بُطولَةٌ

    في الأَرضِ يوشِكُ رُكنُها يَنهارُ

    The heroes of the sky have superseded the valor

    Of earth, whose pillar is about to crumble.

  10. هَذا زَمانٌ لا الأَعِنَّةُ مَنزِلٌ

    لِلبَأسِ فيهِ وَلا الأَسِنَّةُ دارُ

    This is an age when reins are no home

    For might, nor spearheads an abode.

  11. ما البَأسُ إِلّا مِن جَناحَي خاطِفٍ

    في البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ اِسمُهُ الطَيّارُ

    Might comes only from a swooping raider's two wings;

    On land and sea, his name is the aviator.

  12. أَتُرى السَلامَةُ في السَماءِ وَظِلِّها

    أَم بِالسَماءِ يَصولُ الاِستِعمارُ

    Do you think safety lies in the sky and its shade,

    Or does imperialism charge through the sky?

  13. حَرَمُ الهُدى وَالحَقُّ ريعَ جَلالُهُ

    وَغَدا وَراحَ بِجانِبَيهِ دَمارُ

    The sanctuary of guidance and truth—its majesty is terror-stricken,

    And destruction comes and goes along its two sides.

  14. يا جائِبَ الصَحراءِ مِلءُ سَرابِها

    غَرَرٌ وَمِلءُ تُرابِها أَخطارُ

    O traverser of the desert, its mirage is filled

    With peril, and its dust with dangers.

  15. يَكفيكَ مِن هِمَمِ الشَجاعَةِ لَيلَةٌ

    لَكَ مِن غَوائِلِها خَلَت وَنَهارُ

    A night suffices you as a feat of courage,

    Spent free of its perils—and a day as well.

  16. لَمّا اِعتَمَدتَ عَلى الجَناحِ تَلَفَّتَت

    بيدٌ وَقَلَّبَتِ العُيونَ قِفارُ

    When you relied on the wing, there turned to look

    Deserts, and barren wastes cast their eyes about.

  17. في كُلِّ صَحراءٍ وَكُلِّ تَنوفَةٍ

    أَرضٌ عَلَيكَ مِنَ السَماءِ تَغارُ

    In every desert and every trackless waste,

    There is land jealous of the sky over you.

  18. حَسَنَينُ لَو لَم يَعذِروكَ لبادَرَت

    لَكَ مِن لِسانِ جِراحِكَ الأَعذارُ

    Hassanein, had they not excused you, there would have come rushing

    Excuses in your defense from the tongue of your wounds.

  19. لِلَّهِ سَرجُكَ في السَماءِ فَإِنَّهُ

    سَرجُ الأَهِلَّةِ ما عَلَيهِ غُبارُ

    God be praised for your saddle in the sky, for it

    Is the saddle of the crescent moons, untouched by dust.

  20. عَرَضَ الخُسوفُ لَهُ فَما أَزرى بِهِ

    ما في الخُسوفِ عَلى الأَهِلَّةِ عارُ

    An eclipse befell it, but brought no disgrace upon it;

    An eclipse brings no shame upon crescent moons.

  21. أَوَ لَم تَطَءُ أَرضَ السَماءِ وَلَم تَدُر

    حَيثُ الشُموسُ تَدورُ وَالأَقمارُ

    And did you not tread heaven's ground, and did you not circle

    Where the suns and moons revolve?

  22. أَلقى أَبو الفاروقِ نَحوَكَ بالَهُ

    وَتَشاغَلَت بِكَ أُمَّةٌ وَدِيارُ

    Abu al-Faruq turned his attention toward you,

    And a nation and its lands were engrossed in you.

  23. مَلِكٌ رُحِمتَ بِقُربِهِ وَجِوارِهِ

    حَتّى كَأَنَّكَ لِلعِنايَةِ جارُ

    A king: you were shown mercy through his closeness and protection,

    Till you seemed a neighbor to Providence.

  24. نُصِبَ السُرادِقُ وَالمَطارُ وَحَلَّقَت

    في الجَوِّ تَلمَسُ شَخصَكَ الأَبصارُ

    The pavilion and airfield were set up, and there soared

    Through the air eyes reaching to touch your form.

  25. فَلَمَستَ أَقضِيَةِ السَماءِ وَأَسفَرَت

    حَتّى نَظَرَت وُجوهَها الأَقدارُ

    So you touched heaven's decrees, and they unveiled themselves,

    Until the fates beheld their faces.

  26. قَدَرٌ عَلى يُمنى يَدَيهِ سَلامَةٌ

    لَكَ حَيثُ مِلتَ وَفي السَماءِ عِثارُ

    A fate held safety in its right hand

    For you wherever you veered, though there was stumbling in the sky.

  27. فَإِذا سَقَطتَ عَلى حَديدٍ مُضرَمٍ

    صَدَفَ الحَديدُ وَلَم تَنَلكَ النارُ

    So when you fell upon blazing iron,

    The iron turned aside, and the fire did not touch you.

  28. ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ النَجائِبِ كُلِّها

    قُل لي أَعِندَكَ لِلنَجائِبِ ثارُ

    What have you suffered from all the noble mounts?

    Tell me, do the noble mounts have a claim for vengeance against you?

  29. هَذي تَعَثَّرُ في الزِمامِ وَتِلكَ لا

    تَمضي وَأُخرى في السُلوكِ تَحارُ

    This one stumbles in the rein, and that one does not

    Move, while another is bewildered among the wires.

  30. فَشَلٌ يُعَظَّمُ كَالنَجاحِ عَلَيهِ مِن

    شَرَفِ الجُروحِ وَنورِهِنَّ فَخارُ

    A failure exalted like success, upon which rests

    Glory from the honor of wounds and their radiance.

  31. لَو لَم يَكُن قَتلى وَجَرحى في الوَغى

    لَم يَعلُ هامَ الظافِرينَ الغارُ

    Had there been no dead or wounded in battle,

    No laurel would have crowned the victors' heads.