زَحزَحَت عَن صَدرِها الغَيمَ السَماء

زَحزَحَت عَن صَدرِها الغَيمَ السَماء

وَأَطَلَّ النورُ مِن كَهفِ الشِتاء

وَأَطَلَّ النورُ مِن كَهفِ الشِتاء

The sky pushed the clouds away from her breast,

The clouds have shifted from her chest, the sky

The sky has pushed the clouds away from its breast,

And light peered out from winter's cave.

And light emerged from the cave of winter

And light has looked out from the cave of winter,

فَالرَوابي حِلَلٌ مِن سُندُسٍ

فَالرَوابي حِلَلٌ مِن سُندُسٍ

وَالسَواقي ثَرثَراتٌ وَغِناء

وَالسَواقي ثَرثَراتٌ وَغِناء

So the hills are robes of fine silk,

So the hills are gowns of satin

So the hills are robes made of silk brocade,

And the watercourses are chatter and song.

And the streams chatter and sing

And the streams are but chatter and song.

رَجَعَ الصَيفُ اِبتِساماً وَشَذىً

رَجَعَ الصَيفُ اِبتِساماً وَشَذىً

فَمَتى يَرجِعُ لِلدُنيا الصَفاء

فَمَتى يَرجِعُ لِلدُنيا الصَفاء

Summer returned, all smiles and fragrance;

Summer has returned, smiling and fragrant

Summer has returned with smiles and fragrance,

So when will serenity return to the world,

So when will clarity return to the world?

So when shall serenity return to the world?

فَأَرى الفِردَوسَ في كُلِّ حِمىً

فَأَرى الفِردَوسَ في كُلِّ حِمىً

وَأَرى الناسَ جَميعاً سُعَداء

وَأَرى الناسَ جَميعاً سُعَداء

So I may see paradise in every land,

I see paradise in every protected place

That I may see Paradise in every sanctuary,

And see all people happy?

And I see all people happy

And see all people living in happiness.

زالَتِ الحَربُ وَوَلَّت إِنَّما

زالَتِ الحَربُ وَوَلَّت إِنَّما

لَيسَ لِلذُعرِ مِنَ الحَربِ اِنقِضاء

لَيسَ لِلذُعرِ مِنَ الحَربِ اِنقِضاء

The war has ended and departed, yet

War has gone, receded indeed

The war has ceased and turned away, yet truly,

There is no end to the terror of war.

Yet dread of war has no end

The panic caused by war has no end.

إِن صَحَونا فَأَحاديثُ الوَغى

إِن صَحَونا فَأَحاديثُ الوَغى

في الحِمى الآهِلِ وَالأَرضِ العَراء

في الحِمى الآهِلِ وَالأَرضِ العَراء

If we wake, there is talk of battle

If we wake, the talks of turmoil

If we wake, our talk is of battle,

In inhabited country and on barren ground;

In the populated sanctuary and bare land

In the populated sanctuary and the barren wild.

وَإِذا نِمنا تَراءَت في الكَرى

وَإِذا نِمنا تَراءَت في الكَرى

صُوَرُ الهَولِ وَأَشباحُ الفَناء

صُوَرُ الهَولِ وَأَشباحُ الفَناء

And when we sleep, there appear in slumber

And if we sleep, images of horror

And if we sleep, there appear in our slumber,

Images of horror and specters of annihilation.

And ghosts of annihilation appear

Images of terror and specters of annihilation.

فَهيَ في الأَوراقِ حِبرٌ هائِجٌ

فَهيَ في الأَوراقِ حِبرٌ هائِجٌ

وَعَلى الرَاديو فَحيحُ الكَهرُباء

وَعَلى الرَاديو فَحيحُ الكَهرُباء

For it is raging ink on the pages,

So in the papers rages furious ink

In the newspapers, it is raging ink,

And on the radio, the hiss of electricity.

And on the radio crackles electricity

And on the radio, the hissing of electricity.

نَتَّقي في يَومِنا شَرَّ غَدٍ

نَتَّقي في يَومِنا شَرَّ غَدٍ

وَإِذا الصُبحُ اِنطَوى خِفنا المَساء

وَإِذا الصُبحُ اِنطَوى خِفنا المَساء

Today we guard against tomorrow's evil,

We dread in our day the evil of tomorrow

Today we guard against the evil of tomorrow,

And when morning folds away, we fear the evening.

And when dawn folds we fear the evening

And when the morning folds away, we fear the evening.

عَجَباً وَالحَربُ بابٌ لِلرَدى

عَجَباً وَالحَربُ بابٌ لِلرَدى

وَطَريقٌ لِدَمارٍ وَعَفاء

وَطَريقٌ لِدَمارٍ وَعَفاء

How strange, when war is a gateway to death,

How strange that war is a gate for havoc

How strange! When war is a gateway to death,

And a road to destruction and obliteration—

And a path to ruin and disgrace

And a path to ruin and obliteration,

كَيفَ يَهواها بَنو الناسِ فَهَل

كَيفَ يَهواها بَنو الناسِ فَهَل

كَرِهوا في هَذِهِ الدُنيا البَقاء

كَرِهوا في هَذِهِ الدُنيا البَقاء

How can the children of humankind love it? Have they

Why do people desire it? Do they

How can the sons of men desire it? Have they

Come to hate remaining in this world?

Hate longevity in this life?

Come to hate survival in this world?

إِن يَكُن عِلمُ الوَرى يَشفيهِمُ

إِن يَكُن عِلمُ الوَرى يَشفيهِمُ

يا إِلَهي رُدَّ لِلناسِ الغَباء

يا إِلَهي رُدَّ لِلناسِ الغَباء

If humankind's knowledge heals them,

If the world's science heals them

If the science of mankind is meant to cure them,

O my God, restore stupidity to humankind.

My God return reason to people

O my God, return ignorance to the people.

وَليَجئ طوفانُ نوحٍ قَبلَما

وَليَجئ طوفانُ نوحٍ قَبلَما

تَغرَقُ الأَرضُ بِطوفانِ الدِماء

تَغرَقُ الأَرضُ بِطوفانِ الدِماء

And let Noah's flood come before

And let Noah's flood come before

And let Noah's flood come, before

The earth drowns in a flood of blood.

The earth drowns in a flood of blood

The earth is drowned in a flood of blood.

وَاِعصِمِ الأَسرارَ وَاِحجُب كُنهَها

وَاِعصِمِ الأَسرارَ وَاِحجُب كُنهَها

عَن ذَوي العِلمِ وَأَربابِ الذَكاء

عَن ذَوي العِلمِ وَأَربابِ الذَكاء

And safeguard the secrets and conceal their essence

And conceal the secrets and hide their essence

Safeguard the mysteries and veil their essence,

From the learned and the masters of intelligence.

From the learned and the intelligent

From the men of science and the masters of intelligence.

فَلَقَد أَكثَرتَ أَسبابَ الأَذى

فَلَقَد أَكثَرتَ أَسبابَ الأَذى

عِندَما أَكثَرتَ فينا العُلَماء

عِندَما أَكثَرتَ فينا العُلَماء

For you have multiplied the causes of harm

For you have multiplied means of harm

For You have multiplied the causes of harm,

When you multiplied the scientists among us.

When you increased scholars among us

When You multiplied the scholars among us.

كَم وَجَدنا آفَةً مُهلِكَةً

كَم وَجَدنا آفَةً مُهلِكَةً

كُلَّما زَحزَحتَ عَن سِرٍّ غَطاء

كُلَّما زَحزَحتَ عَن سِرٍّ غَطاء

How often we have found a deadly scourge

How often we found a lethal affliction

How many a deadly blight have we found,

Whenever you moved a veil aside from a secret.

Whenever you lifted a veil off a secret

Whenever You shifted the cover from a secret.

قَد تَرقى الخَلقُ لَكِن لَم تَزَل

قَد تَرقى الخَلقُ لَكِن لَم تَزَل

شَرعَةُ الغابَةِ شَرعَ الأَقوِياء

شَرعَةُ الغابَةِ شَرعَ الأَقوِياء

Humankind has advanced, yet still

Creation may progress but the law

Mankind has advanced, yet there remains

The law of the jungle is the law of the strong.

Of the jungle remains the law of the mighty

The law of the jungle as the law of the strong.

حُرِّمَ القَتلُ وَلَكِن عِندَهُم

حُرِّمَ القَتلُ وَلَكِن عِندَهُم

أَهوَنُ الأَشياءِ قَتلُ الضُعَفاء

أَهوَنُ الأَشياءِ قَتلُ الضُعَفاء

Killing has been forbidden, but to them

Killing is forbidden but to them

Killing is forbidden, yet to them,

The easiest thing of all is killing the weak.

Killing the weak is the easiest thing

The easiest of things is the killing of the weak.

لا تَقُل لي هَكَذا اللَهُ قَضى

لا تَقُل لي هَكَذا اللَهُ قَضى

أَنتَ لا تَعرِفُ أَسرارَ القَضاء

أَنتَ لا تَعرِفُ أَسرارَ القَضاء

Do not tell me, 'Thus has God decreed.'

Do not tell me that is God's decree

Do not tell me, 'This is what God decreed,'

You do not know the secrets of divine decree.

You do not know the secrets of destiny

You do not know the secrets of Fate.

جاءَني بِالماءِ أَروي ظَمَأي

جاءَني بِالماءِ أَروي ظَمَأي

صاحِبٌ لي مِن صِحابي الأَوفِياء

صاحِبٌ لي مِن صِحابي الأَوفِياء

He came to me with water to quench my thirst—

With water to quench my thirst came

He brought me water to quench my thirst,

A friend of mine, one of my faithful companions.

A loyal friend of my loyal brethren

A friend of mine, one of my loyal companions.

يا صَديقي جَنِّبِ الماءَ فَمي

يا صَديقي جَنِّبِ الماءَ فَمي

عَطَشُ الأَرواحِ لا يُروى بِماء

عَطَشُ الأَرواحِ لا يُروى بِماء

O my friend, keep the water away from my mouth;

My friend spare the water for my mouth

O my friend, keep the water from my lips,

The thirst of souls cannot be quenched with water.

The thirst of souls is not quenched with water

The thirst of souls is not quenched by water.

أَنا لا أَشتاقُ كاساتِ الطِلا

أَنا لا أَشتاقُ كاساتِ الطِلا

لا وَلا أَطلُبُ مَجداً أَو ثَراء

لا وَلا أَطلُبُ مَجداً أَو ثَراء

I do not long for cups of wine,

It is not cups of wine that I crave

I do not yearn for cups of wine,

No, nor do I seek glory or wealth.

Nor do I seek glory or wealth

Nor do I seek glory or riches.

إِنَّما شَوقي إِلى دُنيا رِضىً

إِنَّما شَوقي إِلى دُنيا رِضىً

وَإِلى عَصرِ سَلامٍ وَإِخاء

وَإِلى عَصرِ سَلامٍ وَإِخاء

My longing is only for a world of contentment,

Rather my longing is for a world of contentment

My longing is but for a world of contentment,

And for an age of peace and brotherhood.

And an era of peace and brotherhood

And for an era of peace and brotherhood.

لا تَعِدني بِالسَما يا صاحِبي

لا تَعِدني بِالسَما يا صاحِبي

السَما عِندِيَ قُربُ الأَصدِقاء

السَما عِندِيَ قُربُ الأَصدِقاء

Do not promise me heaven, my friend;

Do not promise me the sky my friend

Do not promise me Heaven, my friend,

To me, heaven is the nearness of friends.

To me, the sky is being with true friends

Heaven, to me, is the nearness of friends.

وَأُراني الآنَ في أَكنافِهِم

وَأُراني الآنَ في أَكنافِهِم

فَأَنا الآنَ كَأَنّي في السَماء

فَأَنا الآنَ كَأَنّي في السَماء

And now I see myself in their midst,

Show me now in their bosom

And I see myself now within their embrace,

So now it is as though I were in heaven.

For I am now as if in the sky

So now, it is as if I am in Heaven.