لِيَهْنِ دمشقاً أَن كُرسيّ مُلْكِها

لِيَهْنِ دمشقاً أَن كُرسيّ مُلْكِها

حُبي منك صَدْراً ضاق عن هَمِّه الصَّدْرُ

حُبي منك صَدْراً ضاق عن هَمِّه الصَّدْرُ

May Damascus rejoice that the throne of her realm

Rejoice Damascus that the throne of its kingdom

has been endowed, in you, with a leader whose ambition no breast can contain.

Has become to you a breast tightened by cares from it the breast

وأَنك نورَ الدين مُذْ زُرتَ أَرضها

وأَنك نورَ الدين مُذْ زُرتَ أَرضها

سمتْ بك حتى انحطّ نَسرها النسر

سمتْ بك حتى انحطّ نَسرها النسر

And that you, Nur al-Din, since you visited her land,

You are the light of religion since you visited its land

have raised her until the Eagle sank below her eagle.

It was named after you until its eagle descended, the eagle

هي الثَّغْر أَمسى بالكراديس عابساً

هي الثَّغْر أَمسى بالكراديس عابساً

وأَصبح عن باب الفراديس يَفْتَرّ

وأَصبح عن باب الفراديس يَفْتَرّ

She is the frontier, now frowning with battalions,

It is the frontier that became sullen in the evenings

and now smiling through the Gate of Paradises.

And in the morning it snarls at the gate of paradise

فإِمّا وقفت الخيل ناقعة الصَّدى

فإِمّا وقفت الخيل ناقعة الصَّدى

على بردى من فوقها الوَرَق النَّصْر

على بردى من فوقها الوَرَق النَّصْر

So if you halted the horses, quenching their thirst,

Whether you stopped the horses echoing the call

beside the Barada, with victory's foliage overhead,

Over silk from above it the banners of victory

فمن بعد ما أَوردتها حَوْمةَ الوغى

فمن بعد ما أَوردتها حَوْمةَ الوغى

وأَصدرتها والبيض من عَلَقٍ حُمْر

وأَصدرتها والبيض من عَلَقٍ حُمْر

it was after you had led them into the thick of battle,

After you watered it with the commotion of turmoil

and brought them out, the white swords red with clotted blood.

And goaded it while the whites and the red of the bubbles

وجلّلتها نقعاً أَضاع شِياتِها

وجلّلتها نقعاً أَضاع شِياتِها

فلا شُهْبُها شهب ولا شُقْرها شقر

فلا شُهْبُها شهب ولا شُقْرها شقر

And you shrouded them in dust that effaced their markings,

You adorned it with stunning that made its spark vanish

so neither their greys were grey nor their chestnuts chestnut.

So its spark is no spark and its amber no amber

علا النهرُ لما كاثَرَ القصب القنا

علا النهرُ لما كاثَرَ القصب القنا

مكاثرةً في كل نَحْرٍ لها نَحْرُ

مكاثرةً في كل نَحْرٍ لها نَحْرُ

The river rose when spears rivalled reeds in number,

The river rose when the reeds battled

a contest of numbers, with a thrust from them in every throat.

A battle in every creek it has a creek

وقد شرِقتْ أَجْرافه بدم العِدى

وقد شرِقتْ أَجْرافه بدم العِدى

إِلى أَن جرى العاصي وضحضاحه غَمر

إِلى أَن جرى العاصي وضحضاحه غَمر

And its banks had choked on the blood of foes,

And its shores shone with the blood of the enemy

until the Orontes flowed, its shallows now deep water.

Until the rebels and their clamor flowed copiously

صدعْتَهمُ صَدْعَ الزُّجاجة لا يدٌ

صدعْتَهمُ صَدْعَ الزُّجاجة لا يدٌ

لجابرها ما كلُّ كسرٍ له جَبْر

لجابرها ما كلُّ كسرٍ له جَبْر

You shattered them as a glass vessel is shattered; no hand

You fractured them, the fracture of a glass vessel

can mend it—not every break admits repair.

None can mend it as not all breaks have a mend

فلا ينتحل من بعدها الفخرَ دائلٌ

فلا ينتحل من بعدها الفخرَ دائلٌ

فمن بارز الإِبرنز كان له الفخر

فمن بارز الإِبرنز كان له الفخر

So let no victor after this lay claim to glory,

So none can claim glory after it except the dauntless

for whoever faced the Prince in single combat earned the glory.

For he who battled bronze was the glorious

ومَنْ بزّ أَنطاكية مِنْ مليكها

ومَنْ بزّ أَنطاكية مِنْ مليكها

أَطاعته أَلحاظُ المُؤلّلَةِ الخُزْر

أَطاعته أَلحاظُ المُؤلّلَةِ الخُزْر

And whoever wrested Antioch from her king,

And he who raced Antioch against its king

the glances of the keen-pointed, slant-eyed weapons obeyed him.

Obeyed by the glance of the crowned fair

أَتى رأسه ركضاً وغودر شِلْوُهُ

أَتى رأسه ركضاً وغودر شِلْوُهُ

وليس سوى عافي النسور له قبر

وليس سوى عافي النسور له قبر

His head arrived at a gallop, his carcass left behind,

His head came galloping while his corpse rotted

with no grave for him but the scavenging vultures.

And nothing but the wood of vultures is his grave

كما أَهدتِ الأَقدارُ للقمص أَسْرَهُ

كما أَهدتِ الأَقدارُ للقمص أَسْرَهُ

وأَسْعَدُ قِرنٍ من حواه لك الأَسْر

وأَسْعَدُ قِرنٍ من حواه لك الأَسْر

Just as the fates bestowed captivity upon the Count,

As fate presented the captive to the barefoot

and the most fortunate foe is he whom captivity delivered to you.

And more fortunate an era that hosted you as captive

فأَلْقتْ بأَيديها إِليك حصونُه

فأَلْقتْ بأَيديها إِليك حصونُه

ولو لم تُجِبْ طوعاً لجاء بها القَسْر

ولو لم تُجِبْ طوعاً لجاء بها القَسْر

So his fortresses offered you their hands in surrender,

So it cast its fortresses into your hands

and had they not answered willingly, force would have brought them.

And had it not obeyed willingly, it would come by force

وأَمستْ عَزاز كاسمها بك عِزَّةً

وأَمستْ عَزاز كاسمها بك عِزَّةً

تشُقّ على النَّسريْن لو أَنها الوَكْر

تشُقّ على النَّسريْن لو أَنها الوَكْر

And Azaz became, through you, might itself, true to her name,

And Azaz became mighty like its name through you

daunting even the two Eagles, were she their nest.

Hard on the two eagles even if it were the den

فسِرْ تملإِ الدُّنيا ضياءً وبَهْجةً

فسِرْ تملإِ الدُّنيا ضياءً وبَهْجةً

فبالأُفُق الداجي إِلى ذا السَّنا فَقْر

فبالأُفُق الداجي إِلى ذا السَّنا فَقْر

So march, and fill the world with radiance and joy,

March on, filling the world with light and delight

for the dark horizon has need of this radiance.

So fly to the Far Mosque from this lofty abode

كأَني بهذا العزم لا فُلّ حَدُّه

كأَني بهذا العزم لا فُلّ حَدُّه

وأَقصاه بالأَقصى وقد قُضِيَ الأَمر

وأَقصاه بالأَقصى وقد قُضِيَ الأَمر

I can almost see this resolve—may its edge never be blunted—

It is as if I see this resolve endless is its extent

with its furthest reach at al-Aqsa, the task accomplished,

And its end at the end while the order is fulfilled

وقد أَصبح البيت المقدَّسُ طاهراً

وقد أَصبح البيت المقدَّسُ طاهراً

وليس سوى جاري الدماء له طُهْر

وليس سوى جاري الدماء له طُهْر

and the Holy House now pure,

And the Sacred House has become pure in the morning

with no purification for it save flowing blood.

And nothing but the blood pourer has its purity

وإِن تتيمَّمْ ساحِل البحر مالكاً

وإِن تتيمَّمْ ساحِل البحر مالكاً

فلا عجبٌ أَن يملِك الساحلَ البحر

فلا عجبٌ أَن يملِك الساحلَ البحر

And if you make for the seacoast as a sovereign,

And if the coast of the sea reigns as king

then it is no wonder that the sea should rule the shore.

No wonder that the sea reigns the coast

سللتَ سيوفاً أَثكلت كلَّ بلدة

سللتَ سيوفاً أَثكلت كلَّ بلدة

بصاحبها حتى تخوفك البدر

بصاحبها حتى تخوفك البدر

You drew swords that bereaved every town

You unleashed swords that widowed every town

of its lord, until even the full moon feared you.

Of its lord, so that the full moons fear you

إِذا سار نور الدين في عَزَماته

إِذا سار نور الدين في عَزَماته

فقُولا لِلَيْلِ الإِفك قد طلَع الفجر

فقُولا لِلَيْلِ الإِفك قد طلَع الفجر

When Nur al-Din sets forth on his resolute undertakings,

When Nur al-Din proceeds in his resolves

then say, you two, to the night of falsehood: Dawn has risen.

Say to the slanderous night the dawn has risen

هُمامٌ متى هَزَّت مواضي سيوفه

هُمامٌ متى هَزَّت مواضي سيوفه

لها ذكراً زُفّت له قَلْعةٌ بِكْر

لها ذكراً زُفّت له قَلْعةٌ بِكْر

A hero: whenever his keen swords stir up

They are aspirations: when their swords shook habitations

talk of themselves, a virgin fortress is led to him as a bride.

It has remembrance carried to it an untouched fortress

خلعتَ على الأَيّام من حُلَلِ العُلى

خلعتَ على الأَيّام من حُلَلِ العُلى

ملابِس من أَعلامها الحمد والشكرُ

ملابِس من أَعلامها الحمد والشكرُ

You bestowed upon the days, from the robes of glory,

You adorned the days in robes of exaltation

garments whose emblems are praise and gratitude.

With garments of flags: praise and gratitude

فلا تفتخر مصرٌ علينا بنيلها

فلا تفتخر مصرٌ علينا بنيلها

فيمناكَ نيلٌ كلُّ مِصْرٍ به مِصْرُ

فيمناكَ نيلٌ كلُّ مِصْرٍ به مِصْرُ

So let Egypt not boast over us of her Nile,

So let not Egypt boast over us with its Nile

for your right hand is a Nile that makes every city an Egypt.

For with you we have a Nile, every Egypt has its Nile