لقد يرتقي في الجمع فرد ذرى المجد

لقد يرتقي في الجمع فرد ذرى المجد

ويعظم حتى تبصر الجمع في الفرد

ويعظم حتى تبصر الجمع في الفرد

Indeed, one person among the multitude may rise to the summits of glory,

An individual may rise high amongst the crowd with specks of glory,

And grow so great that you see the multitude in that one person.

And become great until the crowd sees in the individual.

اذا آده امر تقوى بشعبه

اذا آده امر تقوى بشعبه

كما يتقوى قائد الجند بالجند

كما يتقوى قائد الجند بالجند

If a matter burdens him, he draws strength from his people,

If he commanded his people with piety,

Just as the commander of troops draws strength from the troops.

As a leader strengthens his army with his army.

فان ذل ذاك الشعب فهو يعزه

فان ذل ذاك الشعب فهو يعزه

وان ضل ذاك الشعب فهو له يهدى

وان ضل ذاك الشعب فهو له يهدى

And if that people is abased, he restores their honor,

For if that people were humiliated, he exalts them,

And if that people goes astray, he offers them guidance.

And if that people went astray, he guides them.

ابو الشعب اما سار سار وراءه

ابو الشعب اما سار سار وراءه

كظل له ما ان يحيد عن القصد

كظل له ما ان يحيد عن القصد

The people's father—whenever he goes, they go behind him,

The father of the people - if he walked, they walked behind him,

Like his shadow, never straying from the right course.

Like a shadow, as long as he kept to the path.

فذاك زعيم الشعب يحمي ذماره

فذاك زعيم الشعب يحمي ذماره

ويدفع عنه كيد اعذائه اللد

ويدفع عنه كيد اعذائه اللد

That, then, is the people's leader, protecting their honor,

So the leader of the people protects his flock,

And warding off the schemes of their implacable enemies.

And wards off the plots of his vicious enemies.

وما ذهنه الا سراج مكهرب

وما ذهنه الا سراج مكهرب

يضيء طريقيه بما فيه من وقد

يضيء طريقيه بما فيه من وقد

And his mind is nothing but an electric lamp,

His mind is but an illuminated lantern,

Lighting his two paths with the glow within it.

Lighting their path with its burning flame.

واول شرط ان يكون بمعزل

واول شرط ان يكون بمعزل

عن الحنث في الاقسام والكذب في الوعد

عن الحنث في الاقسام والكذب في الوعد

And the first requirement is that he keep clear

The first condition is that he remains aloof,

Of breaking oaths and lying in promises.

From treachery in oaths and lying in promises.

ولكن اذا كان الزعيم تعوزه

ولكن اذا كان الزعيم تعوزه

محاسن اخلاق فذلك لا يجدى

محاسن اخلاق فذلك لا يجدى

But if the leader lacks

But if a leader lacks fine morals,

Fine qualities of character, then he is of no use.

Then that will not avail.

وما زعماء الشرق الا قلائل

وما زعماء الشرق الا قلائل

واهداهم من كان بالقلب يستهدي

واهداهم من كان بالقلب يستهدي

And the leaders of the East are but few,

And few are the leaders of the East,

And their best-guided is one who seeks guidance from the heart.

Those whom He has guided, who guide their hearts.

ولم يك في الاموال من طمع بهم

ولم يك في الاموال من طمع بهم

الم يكفهم ما يكسبون من الحمد

الم يكفهم ما يكسبون من الحمد

And they harbored no greed for wealth—

They have no greed for wealth,

Was the praise they earned not enough for them?

Are they not content with the praise they earn?

على انهم لا يعبئون لنفسهم

على انهم لا يعبئون لنفسهم

بمدح من الجمهوى اخلص في الود

بمدح من الجمهوى اخلص في الود

Yet on their own account they pay no heed

Though they care not for themselves

To the public's most sincerely affectionate praise.

The sincere devotion of the masses.

وما كان بالاجداد فخر وانما

وما كان بالاجداد فخر وانما

يباهي بمجد الجد من ليس ذا مجد

يباهي بمجد الجد من ليس ذا مجد

Nor is there pride in forebears; only

And ancestral pride is not a thing to boast of,

One without glory boasts of his grandfather's glory.

Only he boasts of glorious ancestors who has no glory himself.

ولم ار قطرا كالعراق مضيعا

ولم ار قطرا كالعراق مضيعا

ولا مثل قوم ابدلوا الغي بالرشد

ولا مثل قوم ابدلوا الغي بالرشد

Nor have I seen a country as neglected as Iraq,

Never have I seen a land more wasted than Iraq,

Nor a people like those who traded sound judgment for folly.

Or a people who exchanged right for wrong more than them.

لقد عقدت حملانه باختيارها

لقد عقدت حملانه باختيارها

مع الذئب عهدا واستنامت الى العهد

مع الذئب عهدا واستنامت الى العهد

Indeed, its lambs, of their own choosing, have made

They made a covenant of alliance, foolishly choosing

A pact with the wolf, and rested secure in that pact.

The wolf, and sought safety in that covenant.

وقد حمل الحملان صفقة عقدها

وقد حمل الحملان صفقة عقدها

وسوف يرى الحملان عاقبة العقد

وسوف يرى الحملان عاقبة العقد

And the lambs have shouldered the bargain of their pact,

The lambs upheld the contract they made,

And the lambs will see the outcome of the pact.

And soon the lambs will see the results of that contract.