دُبّوا دَبيبَ النَملِ لا تَفوتوا

دُبّوا دَبيبَ النَملِ لا تَفوتوا

وَأَصبِحوا بِحَربِكُم وَبيتوا

وَأَصبِحوا بِحَربِكُم وَبيتوا

Creep as ants creep; do not slip away.

Swarm like ants, let none escape

Creep forward with the stealth of ants; do not falter,

And spend morning and night engaged in your war,

Spend the day warring, settle not to sleep

And wage your war from the break of dawn into the night,

حَتّى تَنالوا الثَأرَ أَو تَموتوا

حَتّى تَنالوا الثَأرَ أَو تَموتوا

أَو لا فَإِنّي طالَما عُصيتُ

أَو لا فَإِنّي طالَما عُصيتُ

until you take revenge or die.

Until you gain your vengeance or your end meet

Until you attain your vengeance or you die.

Or do not—for I have often been disobeyed.

Else, for long have I been disobeyed

Or else—for indeed, I have long been disobeyed—

قَد قُلتُمُ لَو جِئتَنا فَجيتُ

قَد قُلتُمُ لَو جِئتَنا فَجيتُ

لَيسَ لَكُم ما شِئتُمُ وَشيتُ

لَيسَ لَكُم ما شِئتُمُ وَشيتُ

You said, 'If only you would come to us!'—so I came.

You said had I but come I would be obeyed

You said, "If only you would come to us," and so I came.

Not yours is what you and I wish,

Yet my will, not yours, holds sway

Yet neither what you willed nor what I willed is yours to command,

بَل ما يُريدُ المُحيِيُ المُميتُ

بَل ما يُريدُ المُحيِيُ المُميتُ

but what the Giver of Life, the Bringer of Death, wills.

Rather what the life-giver, death-dealer doth ordain

But rather what the Giver of Life, the Bringer of Death, decrees.