أَمِنَ الفَسَادِ طَغَيْتَ نَهْرَ السَّينِ

أَمِنَ الفَسَادِ طَغَيْتَ نَهْرَ السَّينِ

أَمْ لَسْتَ فِي دُنْيَا وَلا فِي دِينِ

أَمْ لَسْتَ فِي دُنْيَا وَلا فِي دِينِ

Was it corruption that made you overflow, River Seine,

Have you rebelled out of moral corruption, overflowing the river Sīn?

Or do you belong neither to the world nor to faith?

Or are you neither in this world nor in religion,

لَعِبٌ تَلاعَبُهُ الهَيُولَى جَائِحاً

لَعِبٌ تَلاعَبُهُ الهَيُولَى جَائِحاً

بِالنَّارِ أَوْ بِالمَاءِ أَوْ بِالطِّينِ

بِالنَّارِ أَوْ بِالمَاءِ أَوْ بِالطِّينِ

A plaything that primordial matter toys with, ravaging

A plaything the primordial chaos plays with wildly,

With fire, or with water, or with clay.

With fire, or water, or clay?

تِلْكَ المِيَاهُ تَجَمَّعَتْ وَتَدَفَّعَتْ

تِلْكَ المِيَاهُ تَجَمَّعَتْ وَتَدَفَّعَتْ

عَنْ دُجْنِ أَخْلافٍ وَدُكْنِ عُيُونِ

عَنْ دُجْنِ أَخْلافٍ وَدُكْنِ عُيُونِ

Those waters gathered and surged forth

Those waters gathered and gushed

From dusky teats and dark springs.

From the bosoms of successors and corners of springs—

طَمَّتْ فَعَمَّتْ بِالبَوَارِ وَلَمْ تَذَرْ

طَمَّتْ فَعَمَّتْ بِالبَوَارِ وَلَمْ تَذَرْ

حَفْلَ الفَقِيرِ وَلا حِمَى المِسْكِينِ

حَفْلَ الفَقِيرِ وَلا حِمَى المِسْكِينِ

They overflowed and spread devastation, sparing neither

They swelled and spread with rising flood and left not

The poor man's gathering nor the destitute man's refuge.

A crowd of the poor or shelter of the indigent.

خَرْسَاءُ أَوْ هَدَّارَةٌ فِي سَيْرِهَا

خَرْسَاءُ أَوْ هَدَّارَةٌ فِي سَيْرِهَا

جَرَّافَةٌ بِالعُنْفِ أَوْ بِاللِّينِ

جَرَّافَةٌ بِالعُنْفِ أَوْ بِاللِّينِ

Mute or roaring in their course,

Deaf or voluble in her course,

Sweeping all away, with violence or with gentleness,

Rough with violence or soft with gentleness,

حَتَّى إذَا ضَاقَ العَقِيقُ وَضَمَّهَا

حَتَّى إذَا ضَاقَ العَقِيقُ وَضَمَّهَا

سَدَّانِ مِنْ صَخْرٍ أَصَمَّ مَتِينِ

سَدَّانِ مِنْ صَخْرٍ أَصَمَّ مَتِينِ

Until, when the channel narrowed and they were hemmed in

Until, when the strait constricted and compressed her,

By two barriers of solid, sturdy rock,

The dams of deaf rock, firmly anchored,

جَسَّتْ أَسَاسَهُمَا تُعَالِجُ نَقْضَه

جَسَّتْ أَسَاسَهُمَا تُعَالِجُ نَقْضَه

فَعَصَى فَمَرَّتْ بِاصْطِحَابِ جُنُونِ

فَعَصَى فَمَرَّتْ بِاصْطِحَابِ جُنُونِ

They probed the foundation of both, trying to tear it down.

She probed their foundations, working to breach them.

But it resisted, so they passed on with madness for company.

But they resisted, so she passed on, rousing madness,

وَتَرَاكَبَتْ لِتَنَالَ مِنٌ أَعْلاهُمَا

وَتَرَاكَبَتْ لِتَنَالَ مِنٌ أَعْلاهُمَا

فَتَدُكَهُ خُلْواً مِنَ التَّمْكِينِ

فَتَدُكَهُ خُلْواً مِنَ التَّمْكِينِ

And piled atop one another to get at the top of both,

And surged, that she might reach the top of them

And so batter it down, bereft of firm support.

And pound it to powder, unfounded and unestablished.