مَا لِي أُنادِي يا عَديلُ فُؤادِي

مَا لِي أُنادِي يا عَديلُ فُؤادِي

زَمنا ولستَ تُجِيبُ حِين أُنادِي

زَمنا ولستَ تُجِيبُ حِين أُنادِي

Why do I keep calling, O companion of my heart,

Why do I call, O joy of my heart

For so long, while you do not answer when I call?

For so long, yet you do not answer my call

أنسِيتَها مِن مُدة لم نفتَرِق

أنسِيتَها مِن مُدة لم نفتَرِق

فيهَا معاً كحمائِلٍ ونِجَادِ

فيهَا معاً كحمائِلٍ ونِجَادِ

Have you forgotten it—that time when we never parted,

Have you forgotten, after our long separation

Together like sword-straps and a baldric,

When we were together, like two camels harnessed side-by-side?

وأبَحتَ لي مِن حُسنِ روضكَ نُزهةً

وأبَحتَ لي مِن حُسنِ روضكَ نُزهةً

بِحيَاض عِرفانٍ وحُسنِ نَوَاد

بِحيَاض عِرفانٍ وحُسنِ نَوَاد

And you let me stroll amid your garden's beauty,

You opened to me the gardens of your beauty

By pools of knowledge and delightful gatherings,

With meadows of passion and lovely streams

بِشَذَاه طورا مُنعِشا نفسِي وَطو

بِشَذَاه طورا مُنعِشا نفسِي وَطو

را ناظِري بقَضِيبه المَيَّاد

را ناظِري بقَضِيبه المَيَّاد

At times refreshing my soul with its fragrance, and at other

With breeze refreshing my soul for a time

times my gaze with its swaying bough?

And sights delighting my roving gaze

لاتِينىَ الأحيَاءِ هَل من عَودةٍ

لاتِينىَ الأحيَاءِ هَل من عَودةٍ

للِقائِه تَشفِي غليلَ الصَّادِي

للِقائِه تَشفِي غليلَ الصَّادِي

Latin Quarter—is there any return

Will you not return, O Latin quarter

To see it and slake the thirsty one's burning thirst?

To cure the longing of this heartsick one?

لم تَحتجِب باريسُ عَن رُوَادها

لم تَحتجِب باريسُ عَن رُوَادها

إلاَّ لِتُذكِي لَوعَةَ الرُّوادِ

إلاَّ لِتُذكِي لَوعَةَ الرُّوادِ

Paris did not veil herself from her visitors

Paris did not hide herself from her loyal visitors

Except to kindle those visitors' longing,

Except to increase the torment of those who pine for her

وتزيدُ في أعيادِها عِيداً وهَل

وتزيدُ في أعيادِها عِيداً وهَل

أيَّامُ بَارِيسٍ سِوى أعيَادِ

أيَّامُ بَارِيسٍ سِوى أعيَادِ

And add a festival to her festivals—and are

She adds feast upon feast to her holidays

The days of Paris anything but festivals?

For are not Paris' days naught but holidays?

وتُطِلُّ مِن عَليائِها مُتَبسِّما

وتُطِلُّ مِن عَليائِها مُتَبسِّما

مِنها مُحَيَّا اليُمنِ والإسعَاد

مِنها مُحَيَّا اليُمنِ والإسعَاد

And from her lofty heights there looks forth, smiling,

She smiles down benevolently from her heights

Her countenance of good fortune and happiness.

Bestowing fortune and joy upon her guests

هيهاتَ تَهدِمُ ضَربةٌ مِن مِعولِ الط

هيهاتَ تَهدِمُ ضَربةٌ مِن مِعولِ الط

طُغيانِ صَرحَ حضارةِ الأمجَاد

طُغيانِ صَرحَ حضارةِ الأمجَاد

Never could a blow from the pickaxe of

Never can the tyrant's hammer

tyranny destroy the edifice of glorious civilization.

Destroy the edifice of splendid civilization

قالوا خَبَت بينَ الرَّمَاد شَرارةٌ

قالوا خَبَت بينَ الرَّمَاد شَرارةٌ

فاليومَ سل عنها شَتِيتَ رَمَاد

فاليومَ سل عنها شَتِيتَ رَمَاد

They said, “A spark died out amid the ashes.”

They said its embers faded into ashes

So today, ask the scattered ashes about it.

Now ask the scattered ashes about its sparks

للِه مِن نارِ البُطولةِ جَذوةٌ

للِه مِن نارِ البُطولةِ جَذوةٌ

زادت حَرارَتُها عَن المُعتاد

زادت حَرارَتُها عَن المُعتاد

By God, what a firebrand from the fire of heroism—

God, the ember of heroism

Its heat has risen beyond the ordinary!

Has increased its heat beyond custom

خَالوهُم الأغنامَ لمَّا استأسَدُوا

خَالوهُم الأغنامَ لمَّا استأسَدُوا

زَمنا عليهِم بعدَ فقدِ عَتَاد

زَمنا عليهِم بعدَ فقدِ عَتَاد

They thought them sheep when they played the lions

They deemed them sheep, when lions they became

Over them for a time, after the loss of arms,

For a time ruling over them, after losing their shepherd

حتَّى أتى زمنُ الفِصال مُمَيِّزا

حتَّى أتى زمنُ الفِصال مُمَيِّزا

مَن مِنهمُ الأغنَامُ مِن آسادِ

مَن مِنهمُ الأغنَامُ مِن آسادِ

Until the time of separation came, distinguishing

Until the time of reckoning came, separating

The sheep among them from the lions.

The sheep from the lions in their den

فَدرى الدَّخيلَ ولم يَكن يَدرِي بأن

فَدرى الدَّخيلَ ولم يَكن يَدرِي بأن

نَ الدَّاخِليِ قد كانَ بالمِرصَاد

نَ الدَّاخِليِ قد كانَ بالمِرصَاد

Then the intruder learned—he had not known—that

So the invader realized, though he knew not

The insider had been lying in wait.

That the native had been lying in wait

غرَسُوا كأوتادٍ رجاء نَمَائِها

غرَسُوا كأوتادٍ رجاء نَمَائِها

لا تُورِقُ الأعوادُ مِن أوتَاد

لا تُورِقُ الأعوادُ مِن أوتَاد

They planted them like stakes, hoping they would grow;

They planted, like tent pegs, the hope of its growth

Leafy branches do not spring from stakes.

Yet tent pegs do not blossom into trees

قد كَان ذا مِن قَبلِ ذا مُتيقِّنا

قد كَان ذا مِن قَبلِ ذا مُتيقِّنا

رغما عن الإِرغَاء والإِزبَاد

رغما عن الإِرغَاء والإِزبَاد

This one had already been certain before that one,

Each had been so certain before

Despite the bellowing and the frothing.

Despite dissuasion and discouragement

حتى أتى إبَّانُه فتلاقَيا

حتى أتى إبَّانُه فتلاقَيا

فكأَنما كانا علَى مِيعَاد

فكأَنما كانا علَى مِيعَاد

Until his moment came, and the two met,

Until the time came for them to meet

As though they had arranged a rendezvous.

As though they had planned their rendezvous

إنَّ الشدائدَ للعَزائِم صَيقَلٌ

إنَّ الشدائدَ للعَزائِم صَيقَلٌ

سِيما إذا مرَّت عنِ الأنجَاد

سِيما إذا مرَّت عنِ الأنجَاد

Indeed, hardships are a burnisher of resolve,

Hardships are but whetstones for strong wills

Especially once they have passed from the valiant.

Especially when they exceed all expectations

والعَضبُ بعدَ الشَّحذِ أروعُ ما يُرَى

والعَضبُ بعدَ الشَّحذِ أروعُ ما يُرَى

في فَريهِ هَاماً عنِ الأجسَاد

في فَريهِ هَاماً عنِ الأجسَاد

And the keen sword, once honed, is most splendid to behold

More wondrous to behold after sharpening

As it severs heads from bodies.

Is the sword, sweeping the heads off bodies

لا أيتَم الرحمانُ من مَرآك يَا

لا أيتَم الرحمانُ من مَرآك يَا

أُمَّ العَواصِم أعيُنَ الأولاَدِ

أُمَّ العَواصِم أعيُنَ الأولاَدِ

May the Merciful never leave orphaned of the sight of you—O

May the Merciful never deprive you, O

Mother of capitals—the eyes of children.

Mother of cities, beloved of children, of His gaze