عَزَّتprevailed سُيوفُكَyour swords فَالعِراقُso Iraq عِراقُهاtheir bones to gnaw
عَزَّت سُيوفُكَ فَالعِراقُ عِراقُها
وَالشّامُand Syria غَيرwithout مُدافعاتٍbeing resisted شامُهاtheir dark markings
وَالشّامُ غَير مُدافعاتٍ شامُها
Your swords have prevailed: Iraq is their bone to gnaw,
Your swords are mighty, so Iraq is mighty,
And Syria, unopposed, their dark markings.
And Syria, without its defenders, is Syria no more.
إِنْif أُغمِدَتthey are sheathed حَلَّdissolves العَزائِمَresolve حَلُّهاtheir release
إِنْ أُغمِدَت حَلَّ العَزائِمَ حَلُّها
أَوor جُرِّدَتthey are drawn حَرَمَforbids الكرىsleep إِحرامُهاtheir consecration
أَو جُرِّدَت حَرَمَ الكرى إِحرامُها
If sheathed, their release dissolves resolve;
If sheathed, ambitions unravel;
Or, drawn, their consecration makes sleep forbidden.
If drawn, sanctities are desecrated.
شَخَبَتspurted blood عِداكَyour foes بِهاby them فَلاso neither إِشراقُهاtheir dawn departure
شَخَبَت عِداكَ بِها فَلا إِشراقُها
بِمَفازَةٍa means of escape مِنهاfrom them ولاnor إِعتامُهاtheir night departure
بِمَفازَةٍ مِنها ولا إِعتامُها
Your foes spurted blood beneath them; neither their setting out at dawn
Without you they wither, neither dawning nor darkening.
Offered escape from them, nor did their travel by night.
You stirred them awake, watchful through the night.
سَرَبَتthey traveled by night فَصَبَّحَهاthen assailed them at dawn بِهاwith them يَقظانُهَاtheir wakeful wielder
سَرَبَت فَصَبَّحَها بِها يَقظانُهَا
هَدَأَتthey lay still فَمَسَّتهاthen touched them بِهاwith them أَحلامُهاtheir dreams
هَدَأَت فَمَسَّتها بِها أَحلامُها
They traveled by night; the swords' wakeful wielder assailed them at dawn;
You calmed them, and touched their dreams.
They lay still; their dreams touched them with those swords.
Like water, but in its drops
كَالماءِlike water إِلّاexcept أَنَّthat فيin رَشفاتِهِits sips
كَالماءِ إِلّا أَنَّ في رَشفاتِهِ
نَاراًa fire حَشاشاتُlast flickers of life النّفوسِof souls ضِرامُهاits fuel
نَاراً حَشاشاتُ النّفوسِ ضِرامُها
Like water—save that in its sips
Fires that inflame souls and melt their scabbards.
Is a fire, fueled by souls' last flickers of life.
They weighed lightly on your faith
خَفَّتbecame light عَلىupon إِيمانِكُمyour faith أَوزانُهَاtheir weights
خَفَّت عَلى إِيمانِكُم أَوزانُهَا
يَومَon the day الوَغىof battle وَاِستَثقَلَتهاand found them heavy هامُهَاtheir heads
يَومَ الوَغى وَاِستَثقَلَتها هامُهَا
Their weight was light upon your faith
On the day of battle, though burdensome on their carriers
On battle's day, while their heads found them heavy.
Until they made Syria an uproarious Syria
حَتّىuntil أَحَلْنthey turned الشّامَSyria شاماًdark patches صَرصَرَتchirred
حَتّى أَحَلْن الشّامَ شاماً صَرصَرَت
فيهِin it جَنادِبُهاits grasshoppers وَصَدَّحَand cried out هامُهاits owls
فيهِ جَنادِبُها وَصَدَّحَ هامُها
Until they turned Syria into dark patches, where
Where their gannets cried and their zeal resounded.
Its grasshoppers chirred and its owls cried.
And they plowed the coasts of the peninsula after
ورَحَضْنَand they washed أَدْراجَpaths الجَزيرَةِof al-Jazira بَعدَماafter
ورَحَضْنَ أَدْراجَ الجَزيرَةِ بَعدَما
غَمرَتwere flooded بِهاby them وَهداتُهاits hollows وَإِكامُهاand its hills
غَمرَت بِها وَهداتُها وَإِكامُها
And they washed the paths of al-Jazira, after
Its dales and stony grounds had overwhelmed them.
Its hollows and hills had been flooded by them.
One half you created, and one half you left
شَطراًone half أَبَرْتyou annihilated وَمِثلَهُand another like it أَنْظَرتَهُyou granted it respite
شَطراً أَبَرْت وَمِثلَهُ أَنْظَرتَهُ
وَقعَblows الخُطوبِof calamities تَكرُّهاbrings them back أَيّامُهاtheir days
وَقعَ الخُطوبِ تَكرُّها أَيّامُها
One half you destroyed; for an equal half you deferred
To the chances of fate however hard its days.
The blows of calamities which their days bring back.
With trailing robes in the thickets the lion roars
بِالخابِطاتِwith those thrashing الغابَthe thicket تَزْأرُroar أُسدُهُits lions
بِالخابِطاتِ الغابَ تَزْأرُ أُسدُهُ
وَالمُجفِليand those scattering الحَيِّthe tribe اللّقاحِindependent صِيامُهاtheir idle ones
وَالمُجفِلي الحَيِّ اللّقاحِ صِيامُها
With those that thrash the thicket while its lions roar,
And the Tigris-Euphrates valley, alive, fasts.
And whose idle ones put the independent tribe to flight.
You made it a vulnerable neck, though clamor
أَورَدتَهاyou brought them to water أَجماتِthickets أَنطاكِيَّةof Antioch
أَورَدتَها أَجماتِ أَنطاكِيَّة
عَنقاًat a swift trot وَقَدand already شَبّبkindled الصّداthirst إِجمامُهاtheir rest
عَنقاً وَقَد شَبّب الصّدا إِجمامُها
You brought them to Antioch's thickets,
Had hardened its voice against the slicing blades -
At a swift trot, their rest having kindled thirst.
Which, whenever the livers cooled with them,
تَلقىmeet المَشافِرَmuzzles فيat مَراشِفsipping lips كُلَّماwhenever
تَلقى المَشافِرَ في مَراشِف كُلَّما
بَردَتwere cooled بِهاby them الأكبادُlivers زادَincreased هُيامُهَاtheir raging thirst
بَردَت بِها الأكبادُ زادَ هُيامُهَا
Muzzles meet at sipping lips; whenever
Their rancor grew hotter and screams louder.
Livers are cooled by them, their thirst grows greater.
They left with honor binding their saddle-straps
فَغَدَتso went forth وَقَدand already عَزَّbecame scarce السّراحfreedom to roam سِراحُهاits grazing herds
فَغَدَت وَقَد عَزَّ السّراح سِراحُها
وَتَوزَّعَتand scattered فيin كنسهاits coverts آرامُهاits gazelles
وَتَوزَّعَت في كنسها آرامُها
So its grazing herds went forth, though freedom to roam was scarce,
And settled calmly into their resting places,
And its gazelles scattered through its coverts.
While misguidance walked backwards uprooting
وَمَشىand walked الضّلالُerror القَهقرىbackward وَاِستَأصلَand severed completely الthe
وَمَشى الضّلالُ القَهقرى وَاِستَأصلَ ال
آذانَears مِنfrom رَجعِthe echo الأَذانِof the call to prayer صِلامُهاtheir ear-severing
آذانَ مِن رَجعِ الأَذانِ صِلامُها
And error retreated; their shearing severed the
Any ear inclined to the call to prayer.
Ears from the echo of the call to prayer.
And the intimate turned it into a pasture
وَغَداand began يُخَلِّلُهاthreads through them الخَليلُal-Khalil, the Friend سَواحِباًtrailing clouds
وَغَدا يُخَلِّلُها الخَليلُ سَواحِباً
عَذباًsweet يُمرُّmakes bitter لَهاfor them العَذابَtorment غَمامُهاtheir clouds
عَذباً يُمرُّ لَها العَذابَ غَمامُها
And al-Khalil began threading through them, trailing clouds—
Of sweet waters where torment passed like clouds.
Sweet, though their clouds made torment bitter for them.
Wrathful for God's religion, he folded his wings
غَضَباًin anger لِدينِfor the religion of اللَّهGod خصّwas singled out جَناحَهُits wing
غَضَباً لِدينِ اللَّه خصّ جَناحَهُ
بَغياًunjustly وَأَدمىand bloodied صَفحَتَيهِits two sides لدامُهاtheir battering blows
بَغياً وَأَدمى صَفحَتَيهِ لدامُها
In anger for God's religion, whose wing was singled out
Hostilely and bloodied its pages with his wounds.
Unjustly, and whose two sides their blows had bloodied.
Now his light restores its light
فَالآنَso now رَدّrestored النّورَthe light فيهِwithin it نورُهُhis light
فَالآنَ رَدّ النّورَ فيهِ نورُهُ
وَاِنجَابَand dispersed مِنfrom تِلكَthose الهناتِwrongs ظَلامُهاtheir darkness
وَاِنجَابَ مِن تِلكَ الهناتِ ظَلامُها
So now his light has restored the light within it,
And disperses the darkness of those sorrows.
And the darkness of those wrongs has lifted.
Praised, praised highly when resolution weakens
مَحمودٌMahmud المَحمودُthe praised one إِقراماًin lordly prowess إِذاwhen
مَحمودٌ المَحمودُ إِقراماً إِذا
خامَfaltered الكُماةُarmored champions وَزلزلَتand were shaken أَقدامُهاtheir feet
خامَ الكُماةُ وَزلزلَت أَقدامُها
Mahmud—praised for his lordly prowess when
And feet slip shaking the pillars.
Armored champions faltered and their feet were shaken—
Reliever of grave distress when mouths gape
الفارِجُthe dispeller الكُرَبَafflictions العِظامَmighty تَضاجَمَتtwisted awry
الفارِجُ الكُرَبَ العِظامَ تَضاجَمَت
أَشداقُهَاtheir jaws وَفَرىand rent القُلوبَhearts ضِغامُهاtheir biting
أَشداقُهَا وَفَرى القُلوبَ ضِغامُها
He who dispels mighty afflictions, whose jaws twisted awry,
And hearts squeeze in agonies.
And whose biting tore hearts apart.
Partial English translation: 37 of 38 Arabic lines translated.