أقولُ اليومَ صارَ الشَّرْقُ شَرْقا

أقولُ اليومَ صارَ الشَّرْقُ شَرْقا

فشمسُ الحَقِّ حَلَّتْ منهُ أُفْقا

فشمسُ الحَقِّ حَلَّتْ منهُ أُفْقا

I say: today the East has become the East.

Today I say the East has become East

For the sun of truth has settled on its horizon.

The sun of truth has risen from it horizon

وإنَّ اللهَ يَصنَعُ كلَّ عَدلٍ

وإنَّ اللهَ يَصنَعُ كلَّ عَدلٍ

فَيُعطي كُلَّ عبدٍ ما استَحَقَّا

فَيُعطي كُلَّ عبدٍ ما استَحَقَّا

And surely God brings about all justice,

Indeed Allah makes all justice

So He gives every servant what he has deserved.

And gives every servant what he deserves

تَهلّلَ ذلكَ التَّاجُ ابتِهاجاً

تَهلّلَ ذلكَ التَّاجُ ابتِهاجاً

فكانَ مُسَبِّحاً لو حازَ نُطْقا

فكانَ مُسَبِّحاً لو حازَ نُطْقا

That crown beamed with delight,

That crown rejoiced with elation

And would have praised God had it possessed speech.

It would have praised had it gained speech

وأوشكَتِ العَصا تخضَرُّ خِصباً

وأوشكَتِ العَصا تخضَرُّ خِصباً

فتُعطينا منَ الثَّمرَاتِ رِزْقا

فتُعطينا منَ الثَّمرَاتِ رِزْقا

And the staff nearly grew green with fertility,

The staff is about to turn green with fertility

So that it might give us sustenance from its fruits.

To give us fruits as sustenance

لَقد خَلَفَ الزَّمانُ اليومَ عَمَّنْ

لَقد خَلَفَ الزَّمانُ اليومَ عَمَّنْ

مَضَى عَنَّا وأيُّ النَّاس يَبْقى

مَضَى عَنَّا وأيُّ النَّاس يَبْقى

Time has indeed supplied a successor today for the one

Time has left behind today those

Who departed from us—and who among people remains?

Who passed from us, and which of people remain?

كواكبُ لا يَغيبُ البعضُ حتى

كواكبُ لا يَغيبُ البعضُ حتى

نَرَى في مُرتَقاهُ البعضَ يَرْقَى

نَرَى في مُرتَقاهُ البعضَ يَرْقَى

Stars—some do not set until

Stars whose some set not until

We see others rising to their station.

We see others rising in their mansions

تَقلَّدَ بالرِّعايةِ خيرُ راعٍ

تَقلَّدَ بالرِّعايةِ خيرُ راعٍ

رَعاياهُ بماءِ البِرِّ تُسقَى

رَعاياهُ بماءِ البِرِّ تُسقَى

The best of shepherds has assumed pastoral charge;

The best shepherd wore leadership

His flock is watered with the water of goodness.

Watering his subjects with the water of righteousness

يَسُدُّ على ضَوارِي القَفْرِ باباً

يَسُدُّ على ضَوارِي القَفْرِ باباً

ويَفتَحُ للمَراعي الخُضْرِ طُرْقا

ويَفتَحُ للمَراعي الخُضْرِ طُرْقا

He shuts a gate against the wilderness's beasts of prey,

Closing the doors to the wastelands

And opens paths to green pastures.

And opening paths to the green pastures

نَراهُ أبرَّ أهلِ اللهِ قلباً

نَراهُ أبرَّ أهلِ اللهِ قلباً

وأحسَنَ خَلْقِهِ خَلْقاً وخُلْقا

وأحسَنَ خَلْقِهِ خَلْقاً وخُلْقا

We see him as the most righteous-hearted of God's people,

We see him the most righteous of Allah's servants at heart

And the finest of His creatures in form and character.

And the best of His creation in manners and ethics

إذا كَلَّلتَ مَفْرِقَهُ بِتاجٍ

إذا كَلَّلتَ مَفْرِقَهُ بِتاجٍ

رأيتَ جبينَه أجْلى وأنقى

رأيتَ جبينَه أجْلى وأنقى

If you adorn his head with a crown,

If you adorned his forehead with a crown

You see his forehead more radiant and purer.

You would see it more glorious and pure

تردّى بالسَّواد فقلتُ بدرٌ

تردّى بالسَّواد فقلتُ بدرٌ

ودام كمالُهُ فوجدتُ فَرْقا

ودام كمالُهُ فوجدتُ فَرْقا

He robed himself in black, so I said: "A full moon!"

It appeared black so I said a full moon

And his perfection endured, so I found a difference.

Its perfection lasted so I found it shining

وخِلْنا صدرَهُ بحراً فلما

وخِلْنا صدرَهُ بحراً فلما

رأينا الدُّرَّ تمَّ الشِّبْهُ طِبقا

رأينا الدُّرَّ تمَّ الشِّبْهُ طِبقا

And we took his breast for a sea; then when

We examined his chest and found it an ocean

We saw the pearls, the likeness was complete and exact.

When we saw the pearls the similarity was complete

بيمُناهُ العزيزةِ صَوْلجانٌ

بيمُناهُ العزيزةِ صَوْلجانٌ

يُحطّمُ هامةَ الطاغوتِ سَحْقا

يُحطّمُ هامةَ الطاغوتِ سَحْقا

In his mighty right hand is a scepter

In his mighty right hand a scepter

That smashes the tyrant's head to dust.

That crushes the arrogance of tyrants to pieces

لهُ طَرَفٌ بأقصَى الشام يبدو

لهُ طَرَفٌ بأقصَى الشام يبدو

وأخَرُ في أقاصي مِصرَ يُلقَى

وأخَرُ في أقاصي مِصرَ يُلقَى

One end of it appears in farthest Syria,

He has an eye on the farthest parts of Syria

And another is found in the farthest reaches of Egypt.

And another on the outskirts of Egypt

أرَى الإسكَنْدريَّةَ كلَّ يومٍ

أرَى الإسكَنْدريَّةَ كلَّ يومٍ

تُهنّئُ بعدَ حَسْرَتِها دِمَشقْا

تُهنّئُ بعدَ حَسْرَتِها دِمَشقْا

I see Alexandria every day

I see Alexandria everyday

Congratulating Damascus after her sorrow.

Congratulating Damascus after its desolation

تَطَهَّرَ قلبُها من كُلِّ حُزنٍ

تَطَهَّرَ قلبُها من كُلِّ حُزنٍ

وقد فاضَ السُرورُ عليهِ دَفْقا

وقد فاضَ السُرورُ عليهِ دَفْقا

Her heart has been cleansed of every grief,

Its heart purified from all sorrow

And joy has poured over it in a torrent.

And happiness has overflowed within it

أتى الكُرْسِيَّ رافِعُهُ افتِخاراً

أتى الكُرْسِيَّ رافِعُهُ افتِخاراً

ومالكُ أمرِهِ فَتْقاً ورَتْقا

ومالكُ أمرِهِ فَتْقاً ورَتْقا

To the throne has come the one who exalts it in glory,

The carrier of the throne came pridefully

And master of its affairs, undoing and mending.

The possessor of authority decisively and confidently

يُعيدُ سَلامةً ويَكُفُّ حرباً

يُعيدُ سَلامةً ويَكُفُّ حرباً

ويَهدِمُ باطِلاً ويُقيمُ حَقّا

ويَهدِمُ باطِلاً ويُقيمُ حَقّا

He restores safety and restrains war,

Restoring wellbeing and stopping war

And demolishes falsehood and establishes truth.

Demolishing falsehood and establishing truth

ويُضحِكُ أُنسُهُ مَنْ كَانَ يبكي

ويُضحِكُ أُنسُهُ مَنْ كَانَ يبكي

ويُسعِدُ لُطُفُهُ مَن كانَ يَشْقَى

ويُسعِدُ لُطُفُهُ مَن كانَ يَشْقَى

And his comforting presence makes those who were weeping laugh,

His intimacy makes laugh who wept

And his kindness makes those who were suffering happy.

And his kindness makes happy who suffered

فيُشرِقُ منهُ بالتاريخِ صُبحٌ

فيُشرِقُ منهُ بالتاريخِ صُبحٌ

يقولُ اليومَ صارَ الشَرْقُ شَرْقا

يقولُ اليومَ صارَ الشَرْقُ شَرْقا

So from him a dawn breaks, marking the date,

A dawn thereby rises in history from him

Saying: today the East has become the East.

Saying today the East has become East