أَمّا ظُباكَ فَقَد وَفَت بِضَمانِها

أَمّا ظُباكَ فَقَد وَفَت بِضَمانِها

فَمَتى تَجودُ بِها عَلى أَجفانِها

فَمَتى تَجودُ بِها عَلى أَجفانِها

As for your blades, they have fulfilled their pledge;

Your youth has passed away according to its guarantee

so when will you bestow them upon their sheaths?

So when will you be generous with it upon its eyelids?

لَكَ كُلَّ يَوم غَضبَةٌ مُضَرِيَّةٌ

لَكَ كُلَّ يَوم غَضبَةٌ مُضَرِيَّةٌ

تُدني بِها الآجالَ قَبلَ أَوانِها

تُدني بِها الآجالَ قَبلَ أَوانِها

Each day you have a fit of Mudarite wrath,

For you is every day an ailment that harms

with which you hasten deaths before their time.

It makes the days pass quickly before their time

تَجري بِطاعَتِكَ الخُطوبُ فَإِن عَصَت

تَجري بِطاعَتِكَ الخُطوبُ فَإِن عَصَت

يَوماً فَقَد عَرَفَت مَدى عِصيانِها

يَوماً فَقَد عَرَفَت مَدى عِصيانِها

Calamities run in obedience to you; should they rebel

Troubles will obey you so if it disobeys

one day, they will surely learn the limits of their rebellion.

One day then it will know the extent of its disobedience

ما يُنكِرُ الإِسلامُ أَنَّ ثُغورَهُ

ما يُنكِرُ الإِسلامُ أَنَّ ثُغورَهُ

عَزَّت وَسُمرُ قَناكَ مِن أَركانِها

عَزَّت وَسُمرُ قَناكَ مِن أَركانِها

Islam does not deny that its frontier strongholds

Islam does not deny that its borders

have grown mighty, with your brown spears among their pillars.

Became strong and the vines of your spear are among its pillars

أدَّبتَ صَرفَ الدَّهرِ فيها بَعدَما

أدَّبتَ صَرفَ الدَّهرِ فيها بَعدَما

جَمَحَت حَوادِثُهُ عَلى سُكّانِها

جَمَحَت حَوادِثُهُ عَلى سُكّانِها

You disciplined the vicissitudes of time within them, after

You disciplined the turns of fate in it after

its calamities had run wild against their inhabitants.

Its events confused its inhabitants

وَصَدَدتَهُ عَن نَهجِها فَكَأَنَّما

وَصَدَدتَهُ عَن نَهجِها فَكَأَنَّما

وَقَفَت لَكَ الأَفلاكُ عَن دَوَرانِها

وَقَفَت لَكَ الأَفلاكُ عَن دَوَرانِها

And you turned it away from their path, as though

And blocked it from its path so it is as if

the celestial spheres had ceased revolving for you.

The orbits stopped for you from their circling

إِن أَظهَرَت لِعُلاكَ أَنطاكِيَّةٌ

إِن أَظهَرَت لِعُلاكَ أَنطاكِيَّةٌ

حُزناً فَقَد ضَحِكَت عَلى قُطّانِها

حُزناً فَقَد ضَحِكَت عَلى قُطّانِها

If Antioch has shown to your exalted self

If Antioch showed your elevation

sorrow, it has indeed laughed at its inhabitants.

Sorrow, then it laughed at its cotton sellers

بَعَثَ البَريدُ مُخَبِّراً عَن وَثبَةٍ

بَعَثَ البَريدُ مُخَبِّراً عَن وَثبَةٍ

ما كانَ أَحوَجَهُ إِلى كِتمانِها

ما كانَ أَحوَجَهُ إِلى كِتمانِها

The post dispatched a messenger reporting an uprising—

The postman sent a message about an uprising

how sorely he needed to conceal it!

Which he was more in need of hiding it

لَمّا أَظَلَّ لَهُ لِواؤُكَ خافِقاً

لَمّا أَظَلَّ لَهُ لِواؤُكَ خافِقاً

عُرِفَت وجوهُ الذُّلِّ في صُلبانِها

عُرِفَت وجوهُ الذُّلِّ في صُلبانِها

When your fluttering banner cast its shade over him,

When your banner's shadow protected him

the faces of humiliation were discerned in its crosses.

The faces of humiliation were known in its crucifixions

إِن عادَ نَحوَكَ جانِبٌ مِن كَيدِهِ

إِن عادَ نَحوَكَ جانِبٌ مِن كَيدِهِ

قامَت لَكَ الخُطَباء في قسانها

قامَت لَكَ الخُطَباء في قسانها

If any part of his plotting turns toward you again,

If a side of its cunning returns to you

the preachers will rise for you among its priests.

The orators stood for you in its pulpits