بِبابِكَ النَحسُ وَالسُعودُ

بِبابِكَ النَحسُ وَالسُعودُ

وَمَوقِفُ اليَأسِ وَالرَجاءِ

وَمَوقِفُ اليَأسِ وَالرَجاءِ

At your gate are ill fortune and good fortune,

At your door misfortune and fortune knock,

And there despair and hope take their stand.

And the standpoints of despair and hope,

وَفيكَ قَد حارَتِ اليَهودُ

وَفيكَ قَد حارَتِ اليَهودُ

يا مَطلَعَ السَعدِ وَالشَقاءِ

يا مَطلَعَ السَعدِ وَالشَقاءِ

And the Jews have been bewildered by you,

The Jews have wandered confused by you,

O place where good fortune and misery rise!

O horizon of fortune and misfortune!

وَوَجهُكِ الضاحِكُ العَبوسُ

وَوَجهُكِ الضاحِكُ العَبوسُ

قَد ضاقَ عَن وَصفِهِ البَيان

قَد ضاقَ عَن وَصفِهِ البَيان

And your face, smiling and frowning—

Your laughing and frowning face

Eloquence has fallen short of describing it.

Has exceeded the capacity of eloquence to describe,

كَم سُطِّرَت عِندَهُ طُروسُ

كَم سُطِّرَت عِندَهُ طُروسُ

بِقِسمَةِ العِزِّ وَالهَوان

بِقِسمَةِ العِزِّ وَالهَوان

How many sheets have been inscribed before it

Many glorious chapters have been inscribed by it

With the apportionment of honor and humiliation!

In the divisions of honor and disgrace.

وَطُؤطِئَت دونَهُ رُؤوسُ

وَطُؤطِئَت دونَهُ رُؤوسُ

يَهتَزُّ مِن خَوفِها الزَمان

يَهتَزُّ مِن خَوفِها الزَمان

And heads have been bowed before it;

Heads have bowed down before it

Time trembles in fear of them.

While time trembles in fear of it.

وَكَم أَطافَت بِهِ وُفودُ

وَكَم أَطافَت بِهِ وُفودُ

وَأَكثَروا حَولَهُ الدُعاء

وَأَكثَروا حَولَهُ الدُعاء

And how many delegations have circled it,

Many delegations have circled around it

And multiplied their prayers around it!

And increased their prayers around it.

فَرابِحٌ نَجمُهُ سَعيدُ

فَرابِحٌ نَجمُهُ سَعيدُ

وَطامِعٌ بِالخَسارِ باء

وَطامِعٌ بِالخَسارِ باء

So one profits, his star fortunate,

A star of one who succeeded is joyful,

And a covetous man comes away with loss.

While one aspiring loss is disappointed.

لَمّا عَلَت صَيحَةُ المُنادي

لَمّا عَلَت صَيحَةُ المُنادي

وَأَصبَحَ القَومُ في عَناء

وَأَصبَحَ القَومُ في عَناء

When the crier's shout rose,

When the cry of the announcer was raised,

And the people fell into distress,

And the people were in distress,

وَشَمَّرَت ثَروَةُ البِلادِ

وَشَمَّرَت ثَروَةُ البِلادِ

وَضَجَّتِ الأَرضُ وَالسَماء

وَضَجَّتِ الأَرضُ وَالسَماء

And the country's wealth girded itself,

And the wealth of the countries was plundered

And earth and sky clamored,

While the earth and sky clamored,

قَنِعتُ بِالقُطنِ في الوِسادِ

قَنِعتُ بِالقُطنِ في الوِسادِ

وَفي الحَشِيّاتِ وَالغِطاء

وَفي الحَشِيّاتِ وَالغِطاء

I was content with cotton in pillows,

I was content with cotton in the pillows

And in mattresses and coverings.

And in the mattresses and blankets.

وَإِنَّما العاقِلُ الرَشيدُ

وَإِنَّما العاقِلُ الرَشيدُ

مَن سارَ في مَنهَجِ النَجاء

مَن سارَ في مَنهَجِ النَجاء

And the truly wise and prudent man

Verily, the wise and reasonable man

Is he who walks the path of safety.

Is one who walked the path of salvation.

بِاللَهِ يا قَومُ لا تَزيدوا

بِاللَهِ يا قَومُ لا تَزيدوا

فَإِنَّ آمالَكُم هَباء

فَإِنَّ آمالَكُم هَباء

By God, my people, go no further,

By God, O people, do not increase,

For your hopes are dust.

For your hopes are delusions.

مُضارَباتٌ هِيَ المَنايا

مُضارَباتٌ هِيَ المَنايا

وَرُسلُها أَحرُفُ البُروق

وَرُسلُها أَحرُفُ البُروق

Speculations are death itself,

They are speculations, the hour of death,

And their messengers are the letters of telegrams.

And its messengers are the strokes of lightning.

صَبوحُ أَصحابِها الرَزايا

صَبوحُ أَصحابِها الرَزايا

وَما لَهُم دونَها غَبوق

وَما لَهُم دونَها غَبوق

Their practitioners' morning draught is calamity,

The morning of their people is misery,

And they have no evening draught but calamity.

And they have no false dawn after it.

قَد أَتلَفَت أَنفُسَ البَرايا

قَد أَتلَفَت أَنفُسَ البَرايا

بِأَسهُمِ الغَدرِ وَالعُقوق

بِأَسهُمِ الغَدرِ وَالعُقوق

They have destroyed the lives of humankind

The selves of the innocent have been destroyed

With the arrows of treachery and ingratitude.

By their treacherous and disloyal arrows.

هُبوطُها المَوتُ وَالصُعودُ

هُبوطُها المَوتُ وَالصُعودُ

ضَربٌ مِنَ البُؤسِ وَالبَلاء

ضَربٌ مِنَ البُؤسِ وَالبَلاء

Their fall is death, and their rise

Their descent is death and their ascent

Is a kind of misery and affliction.

Is a kind of misery and affliction,

وَما لَها عِندَهُم عُهودُ

وَما لَها عِندَهُم عُهودُ

إِلّا كَما تَعهَدُ النِساء

إِلّا كَما تَعهَدُ النِساء

And they make no pledges to their practitioners

And they have no covenants with them

Except such as women make.

Except as women make promises.

كَم بالَةٍ سَبَّبَت وَبالا

كَم بالَةٍ سَبَّبَت وَبالا

وَأَشبَهَت لامِعَ السَرابِ

وَأَشبَهَت لامِعَ السَرابِ

How many a bale has caused disaster,

How many problems it caused and troubles

And resembled the gleam of a mirage!

And resembled the mirage’s flash,

وَبِذرَةً أَنبَتَت خَبالا

وَبِذرَةً أَنبَتَت خَبالا

وَأَثمَرَت عاجِلَ الخَرابِ

وَأَثمَرَت عاجِلَ الخَرابِ

And many a seed has brought forth madness,

And a seed it germinated misfortunes

And borne the fruit of swift ruin!

And produced imminent ruin,

وَكَم غَنِيٍّ أَضاعَ مالا

وَكَم غَنِيٍّ أَضاعَ مالا

وَشابَ في مَوقِفِ الحِسابِ

وَشابَ في مَوقِفِ الحِسابِ

And how many a rich man has squandered money,

And how many wealthy it made lose money

And grown gray at the reckoning!

And grow old in the position of judgement!

فَليَتَّعِظ مِنكُمُ البَعيدُ

فَليَتَّعِظ مِنكُمُ البَعيدُ

وَلِيَتَّقِ اللَهَ ذو الثَراء

وَلِيَتَّقِ اللَهَ ذو الثَراء

So let the distant one among you take warning,

So let the distant one take heed,

And let the man of wealth fear God.

And let the prosperous one fear God.

فَذَلِكَ التاجِرُ الشَهيدُ

فَذَلِكَ التاجِرُ الشَهيدُ

قَد عافَ مِن أَجلِها البَقاء

قَد عافَ مِن أَجلِها البَقاء

For that merchant, the martyr,

For that is the martyred merchant

Has spurned life because of them.

Who preferred survival over it.