أمة ٌ من رأسها منكسرة

أمة ٌ من رأسها منكسرة

و أمانيها عليها قَتَرة

و أمانيها عليها قَتَرة

A nation broken from the head down,

A nation broken from its head down,

its hopes veiled in gloom.

And a pall of gloom lies over its hopes.

يا أخيّا الحرفِ لا تكتبْ على

يا أخيّا الحرفِ لا تكتبْ على

قبرها .. تخجلُ منها المقبرة

قبرها .. تخجلُ منها المقبرة

O brother of the letter, do not write upon

O my dear brother of the written word, do not write upon

her grave—the cemetery would blush for shame at her.

Its grave—the graveyard is ashamed of it.

تأنفُ الأوراقُ من سيرته

تأنفُ الأوراقُ من سيرته

ويعاديها مدادُ المحبرة

ويعاديها مدادُ المحبرة

The pages disdain her chronicle,

The pages recoil from its history,

and the ink of the inkwell turns against her.

And the inkwell's ink is hostile to it.

ما كتبنا الشعرَ إلا كي نرى

ما كتبنا الشعرَ إلا كي نرى

ماردا ًينفضُ عنها الغَبَرَة

ماردا ًينفضُ عنها الغَبَرَة

We have written poetry only so that we might see

We wrote poetry only so that we might see

a giant shake the dust from her.

A giant shake the dust from it.

أمةٌ يُغتالُ فيها مُقعدٌ

أمةٌ يُغتالُ فيها مُقعدٌ

فبدتْ سوءتها المستترة

فبدتْ سوءتها المستترة

A nation in which a disabled man is assassinated,

A nation where a paralyzed man is assassinated,

and so her hidden nakedness was laid bare.

And so its concealed shame stood exposed.

كان فيها قائماً وهي التي

كان فيها قائماً وهي التي

أقعدتها نخوةٌ منبترة

أقعدتها نخوةٌ منبترة

He stood upright within her, while it was she

He stood upright within it, while it was the one

whom a maimed sense of honor left crippled.

Crippled by a severed sense of honor.

ما سألنا الله نصرا ً وبه

ما سألنا الله نصرا ً وبه

ألفُ سجان ٍ نفته المأثرة

ألفُ سجان ٍ نفته المأثرة

We asked God for no victory, though through him

We did not ask God for victory, while within it

one feat of valor swept away a thousand jailers.

Were a thousand jailers banished by noble achievement.

ورأتْ تاريخهُ مبتكَرا ً

ورأتْ تاريخهُ مبتكَرا ً

ومتى تجدي الرؤى المبتكرة

ومتى تجدي الرؤى المبتكرة

She deemed his history an innovation,

And it saw its history as newly invented;

but when have novel visions ever availed?

And when do newly invented visions help?

يدهُ شلتْ وكم من عنق ٍ

يدهُ شلتْ وكم من عنق ٍ

شامخَ الرأي عظيم المفخرة

شامخَ الرأي عظيم المفخرة

His hand was paralyzed—and many a neck,

Its hand was paralyzed—and how many a neck,

proud in judgment, magnificent in glory,

Proud in conviction, great in distinction,

ليس من جرمٍ سوى في رأيه

ليس من جرمٍ سوى في رأيه

يدهُ أهدتهُ ظلم المعصرة

يدهُ أهدتهُ ظلم المعصرة

whose only crime lay in its opinion,

Whose only crime was his opinion,

its hand rewarded with the crushing press’s wrong.

Has its hand bestowed the crushing press's cruelty upon!

أمة ٌ أقصى مناها أن ترى

أمة ٌ أقصى مناها أن ترى

وَهَمَ أيامٍ لها مندثرة

وَهَمَ أيامٍ لها مندثرة

A nation whose highest hope is to behold

A nation whose utmost wish is to see

the phantom of days of hers long gone.

A phantom of its long-vanished days.

هرب الحسون من غاباته

هرب الحسون من غاباته

وشدا البومُ بها و القبرة

وشدا البومُ بها و القبرة

The goldfinch fled its groves,

The goldfinch fled its forests,

while the owl and the lark sang there.

And the owl and the lark sang there.

أمةٌ تأكل من أبنائه

أمةٌ تأكل من أبنائه

عظْمةَ الفكرِ ولحمَ التذكرة

عظْمةَ الفكرِ ولحمَ التذكرة

A nation that devours, from its children,

A nation that eats from its sons

the bone of thought and the flesh of memory.

The bone of thought and the flesh of remembrance.

لا أرها الله من سوأته

لا أرها الله من سوأته

قصة ً مسهبة ًمختصرة

قصة ً مسهبة ًمختصرة

May God spare her the sight of her own shame—

May God never show it, from its shame,

an exhaustive story, told in brief.

A tale both long-winded and brief.

هي من قرن ٍ وقرنين ومن

هي من قرن ٍ وقرنين ومن

ألف قرنٍ للسنا منتظرة

ألف قرنٍ للسنا منتظرة

For a century, for two centuries, and

It has been, for a century, two centuries, and for

for a thousand centuries she has awaited the light.

A thousand centuries, waiting for radiance.

ما أرتنا من رؤاها عجبا ً

ما أرتنا من رؤاها عجبا ً

وارتنا الغصَّةَ المعتبرة

وارتنا الغصَّةَ المعتبرة

She has shown us no wonder among her visions,

It showed us no marvel from its visions,

only the chastening lump in the throat.

And showed us a weighty choking grief.

إنها أعجبُ مهزومٍ مضى

إنها أعجبُ مهزومٍ مضى

يرسمُ النصرَ بعطر المغفرة

يرسمُ النصرَ بعطر المغفرة

She is the strangest defeated one ever to pass,

It is the strangest vanquished one to go on

sketching victory with the perfume of forgiveness.

Painting victory with the perfume of forgiveness.

إنها مهزومة ٌ في عمقه

إنها مهزومة ٌ في عمقه

إنما ألحانها منتصرة

إنما ألحانها منتصرة

She is defeated in her depths;

It is defeated in its depths;

only her songs are victorious.

Only its melodies are victorious.

آيةٌ للعُجْبِ ما تبدعهُ

آيةٌ للعُجْبِ ما تبدعهُ

من تلاوين لها مُستنكرة

من تلاوين لها مُستنكرة

A marvel indeed, what she devises

What it creates is a sign of vanity,

of her reprehensible changes of color.

From its own objectionable hues.

تهدأ الأحزانُ من خيبته

تهدأ الأحزانُ من خيبته

وبها أفراحها مستعرة

وبها أفراحها مستعرة

Sorrows themselves grow calm at her disappointment,

Sorrows are stilled by its failure,

while her celebrations blaze within her.

And through it, its joys are ablaze.

هذه أمةُ لا حولَ و ل

هذه أمةُ لا حولَ و ل

قوةٍ ندركُ حتى الآخرة

قوةٍ ندركُ حتى الآخرة

This is a nation with no might and no

This is a nation with neither might nor

strength to be found, even until the Hereafter.

Strength we can attain, even until the hereafter.

إنها أمتنا يا صاحبي

إنها أمتنا يا صاحبي

إنها أمتنا المحتضَرة

إنها أمتنا المحتضَرة

It is our nation, my friend;

It is our nation, my friend;

it is our nation in its death throes.

It is our dying nation.