منْwhom تناديshe calls قدْسُناour Jerusalem منْwhom تناديshe calls
منْ تنادي قدْسُنا منْ تنادي
منwho يداويheals جُرحَهاher wound بالْفِعالthrough deeds ِ
من يداوي جُرحَها بالْفِعال ِ
Whom does our Jerusalem call? Whom does she call?
Who do you call, our holy city, who do you call
Who heals her wound through deeds?
Who will heal her wounds with deeds
أحبيبٌis it a beloved قدْalready غداhas become فيin انشغالِpreoccupation
أحبيبٌ قدْ غدا في انشغالِ
أمor زَنيمٌa baseborn man فيin جفاهُhis coldness يُغاليgoes to extremes
أم زَنيمٌ في جفاهُ يُغالي
Is it a beloved who has become preoccupied,
A lover who has become preoccupied
Or a baseborn man who takes his coldness to extremes?
Or a boasting enemy in his defiance
هؤلاءthese اخوَةٌbrothers قدْalready تجافَوْاhave shunned one another
هؤلاء اخوَةٌ قدْ تجافَوْا
وطغىand ran rampant اشرارُهمْtheir wicked ones فيin اخْتيالِswaggering pride
وطغى اشرارُهمْ في اخْتيالِ
These are brothers who have shunned one another,
These are brothers who have become estranged
And their wicked ones ran rampant in swaggering pride.
And their evil has prevailed through guile
نذَرُواthey pledged انْفُسَهمthemselves للغريبِto the stranger
نذَرُوا انْفُسَهم للغريبِ
واستباحواand violated عِرضَهمْtheir honor باقتتالِby fighting one another
واستباحوا عِرضَهمْ باقتتالِ
They pledged themselves to the stranger,
They have devoted themselves to the foreigner
And violated their honor by fighting one another.
And violated their honor through fighting
والاحبُّand the dearest بينهمamong them كذّبُوهthey called him a liar
والاحبُّ بينهم كذّبُوه
وارْتأوهand deemed him جامحاًheadstrong فيin ضلالِerror
وارْتأوه جامحاً في ضلالِ
And the dearest among them—they called him a liar,
The most beloved among them they called a liar
And deemed him headstrong in error.
And saw him as raging in misguidance
وَاخرُونَand others سُبَّةٌa disgrace ماnot اسْتجابواresponded
وَاخرُونَ سُبَّةٌ ما اسْتجابوا
أوْor تنادوْاcalled to one another فيin زَمانِthe time الوصالِunion
أوْ تنادوْا في زَمانِ الوصالِ
And others—a disgrace—did not respond
While others, captives, did not respond
Or call to one another in the time of union.
Or summon in the time of reunion
كَمْhow often غفرتِyou forgave صمْتَهمtheir silence ثمّthen قلتِyou said
كَمْ غفرتِ صمْتَهم ثمّ قلتِ
عَلَّهُperhaps it is صمتُsilence رؤوسِsummits الجبالِthe mountains
عَلَّهُ صمتُ رؤوسِ الجبالِ
How often you forgave their silence, then said:
How often did your silence pardon them, then you said
Perhaps it is the silence of mountain peaks.
Perhaps it is the silence of mountain peaks
عاجلاًsooner أوor اجلاًlater ستهبُّwill blow
عاجلاً أو اجلاً ستهبُّ
مِنْfrom ثناياهُits folds رياحُwinds الشمالِthe north
مِنْ ثناياهُ رياحُ الشمالِ
Sooner or later, there will blow
Sooner or later, the winds of the north
From its folds the winds of the north.
Will blow from within them
فاذاand behold بالصّمتِwith the silence ليسَis not سوىexcept جُحْlair (first part)
فاذا بالصّمتِ ليسَ سوى جُحْ
رِlair (last part) مناياdeaths بانتظارِin wait for الغزالِthe gazelle
رِ منايا بانتظارِ الغزالِ
And lo, the silence is nothing but a lair
Then silence is nothing but the stench
Of death, lying in wait for the gazelle.
Of grievances waiting for the gazelles
مَنْwhom تناديshe calls قدْسُناour Jerusalem منْwhom تناديshe calls
مَنْ تنادي قدْسُنا منْ تنادي
منْwho لهذاfor this الأصفرَthe yellow one بالنّعالِwith sandals
منْ لهذا الأصفرَ بالنّعالِ
Whom does our Jerusalem call? Whom does she call?
Who do you call, our holy city, who do you call
Who will confront this yellow one with sandals?
For this yellow one in slippers
أمْor فِداهاher ransom قوْلُناour speech اذْsince بهِthrough it لاnot
أمْ فِداها قوْلُنا اذْ بهِ لا
بسواهthrough anything other than it تُسْتباحُare conquered المَعاليthe heights
بسواه تُسْتباحُ المَعالي
Or is our speech her ransom, since through it—not
Or did our words ransom it, for by them
Through anything else—the heights are conquered?
Only are sublime things violated
ويْلَهُwoe to him منfrom يائناour 'O!' (vocative cry) انْif تَجلَّتْit manifests
ويْلَهُ من يائنا انْ تَجلَّتْ
فيin دُعاءٍa prayer أوْor عَلتْit rises فيin جدالِargument!
في دُعاءٍ أوْ عَلتْ في جدالِ!
Woe to him from our 'O!' should it ring out
Woe to us if we faltered
In prayer, or rise in argument!
In prayer or rose up in dispute
ويْلَهُwoe to him منfrom شعرناour poetry والطبولِand the drums
ويْلَهُ من شعرنا والطبولِ
أنْthat يُدقُّis beaten رقُّهاtheir drumskin بانْهيالِin a torrent!
أنْ يُدقُّ رقُّها بانْهيالِ!
Woe to him from our poetry and the drums,
Woe to our poetry and drums
When their skins are beaten in a torrent!
If their beating flows wantonly
ويحَalas for قومٍa people ماnot أجادواhave mastered سوىexcept قرْbeating (first part)
ويحَ قومٍ ما أجادوا سوى قرْ
عbeating (last part) الطبولِthe drums اذْwhen تناديcall out الغوَاليthe cherished ones
ع الطبولِ اذْ تنادي الغوَالي
Alas for a people who mastered nothing but beating
Woe to a people who have mastered nothing
The drums when the cherished ones call!
But beating drums when death calls
منwhom تناديshe calls قدسُناour Jerusalem منwhom تناديshe calls
من تنادي قدسُنا من تنادي
والزّمانُand time ماnot خلاwas devoid منْof رجالِmen
والزّمانُ ما خلا منْ رجالِ
Whom does our Jerusalem call? Whom does she call?
Who do you call, our holy city, who do you call
And time has never lacked men.
While time is not without men
أتناديdoes she call خالداًKhalid امْor صلاحاًSalah
أتنادي خالداً امْ صلاحاً
والزّمانُand time عينُهitself للزّوالِbound to pass away
والزّمانُ عينُه للزّوالِ
Does she call Khalid, or Salah,
Do you call Khaled or Salah
While time itself is bound to pass away?
While time's eye is set on decline
هذهthis أُمّتكِyour nation قدalready أناخhas settled
هذه أُمّتكِ قد أناخ
الذلُّhumiliation والبؤسُand misery بهاupon it باعْتلالِwith sickness
الذلُّ والبؤسُ بها باعْتلالِ
This is your nation; there have settled
This is your nation where
Humiliation and misery upon it, with sickness.
Humiliation and misery have settled
أُمّةٌa nation قدalready سَلّمتْhas yielded بالوعودِto promises
أُمّةٌ قد سَلّمتْ بالوعودِ
ويْwoe لهاto it إنْif بُغِتتْis taken unawares بالنزالِby battle
ويْ لها إنْ بُغِتتْ بالنزالِ
A nation that has yielded to promises;
A nation that surrendered to promises
Woe to it if caught unawares by battle!
Woe to it if it is tested in battle
أمّةٌa nation لمَّاhas not yet تزلْceased ترتئيenvisions كلّall
أمّةٌ لمَّا تزلْ ترتئي كلّ
جمالٍbeauty فيwithin حدودِthe bounds الخيالِimagination
جمالٍ في حدودِ الخيالِ
A nation that still envisions all
A nation that has not ceased coveting
Beauty within the bounds of imagination.
Every beauty within the realm of imagination
وجمالُand the beauty قدْسناour Jerusalem لاnot يدانيـcomes near to
وجمالُ قدْسنا لا يدانيـ
ـهِit خيالٌimagination، كالْجِنانِlike the gardens العوَاليlofty
ـهِ خيالٌ، كالْجِنانِ العوَالي
And our Jerusalem's beauty is beyond the reach
And the beauty of our holy city cannot be equaled
Of imagination—like the gardens on high.
By any imagination, like the lofty gardens