سلي يا ابنة القوم عني اخاك

سلي يا ابنة القوم عني اخاك

غداة لقينا جيوش العدا

غداة لقينا جيوش العدا

Ask your brother about me, O daughter of the tribe,

Ask, my dear, of me, your brother,

on the morning we met the armies of the foe,

The day we met the enemy hosts,

وقد حجبت من قتام ذكا

وقد حجبت من قتام ذكا

وشمنا بظلمائه الفرقدا

وشمنا بظلمائه الفرقدا

when Dhukā, the sun, was veiled by battle dust,

And destiny obscured my sight

and in its darkness we sighted al-Farqad.

With darkness, and branded my forehead.

وحسبك علماً بيوم تبيد

وحسبك علماً بيوم تبيد

فيه الحياة ويبدو الردى

فيه الحياة ويبدو الردى

And it is enough for you to know of a day when

It’s enough that you know the day

life perishes and death appears,

When life perishes and ruin appears,

وفر عداك الجبان الفرار

وفر عداك الجبان الفرار

وضل هديت سبل الهدى

وضل هديت سبل الهدى

and—may the coward pass you by—flight itself fled,

That the coward fled from combat

and—may you be guided—the paths of guidance went astray.

And you remained, guiding to the path.

أأحجمت ام كنت ممن يقول

أأحجمت ام كنت ممن يقول

لعينيك مالي وروحي الفدا

لعينيك مالي وروحي الفدا

Did I hold back, or was I among those who say:

Did I hesitate? Or was I not one who said

“For your eyes, my wealth and my soul are a ransom”?

To your eyes, "My soul is your ransom"?

ولست امرأ ان رأى يومه

ولست امرأ ان رأى يومه

الحمام تمنى بقاءً غدا

الحمام تمنى بقاءً غدا

Nor am I a man who, if on that day he sees

I'm no man if I wished to see the day

death, wishes to remain alive tomorrow.

And longed that tomorrow remain.

وما فضل طول حياة الفتى

وما فضل طول حياة الفتى

إذا لم يعش ابداً سرمدا

إذا لم يعش ابداً سرمدا

And what merit lies in a young man's long life

Of what use is the prolonged life of a youth

if he does not live forever, eternally?

If he doesn't live forever and eternally?