Halul akkal, bayan buddiman
Gagandilan wala' kiyarapatan
Nananakus barong, o pipisan
Simusupa' mama' hipu' sin pamulansang

Wise and prudent, of spiritual nobility
A warrior who was never debased
Wielding barung, indomitable brow
Chewing betel nut, teeming with dare

Daiyng ha Sug naglayag
Ha Mindanao, kalis biyabag
Pagdatung pa Borneo panji sintak
Tihta adil nagmumpaat

From Sulu he sailed the vast seas
In Mindanao, the kris unsheathed
Upon reachin Borneo, has raised the flag
Royal justice earned success

Satru' dimatung nagkanam
Kastila', Jipun iban Milikan
Hinagud in piya-atubang
Dayu minu' kalulu-uyan

Colonizers who came brazenly
Spaniards, Japanese, and then the Americans
Chops and slices were their weapons
Foreigners went off cowed in fear

Atay pati babaun
Ayau hadja sipugun
Dugu' nyawa di' ugun
Magbaugbug parulihun

Heart so meek and humbled
Just don’t you trample on him
His blood and soul willing to spare
To champion as defender is his aim

Budjang landu' iyayaran
Iya-angkap biya dayang-dayang
Kuku malingkat piyapassalan
Siku' di' misan kakitaan

Maidens utterly nurtured
Elevated like princesses
Nails pristinely polished
Elbows no one must ever glimpse

Hula' piyaruli
Alta' di' mabi
Bangsa baugbugan
Kawasa di' mahailan

Ancestral homeland is nurtured utmost
No amount of wealth has ever bought
Defend and champion thy nation
Neither power nor fame can tempt

Ha agama nahambuuk
Pagmuparik na sulut
Makuyag mag-ammal ma'ruf
Hangka tamungun batawi iban kuput

In Islam bounded and united
Dissension was resolved
Take delight in knowing Allah
Clad in the same batawi and kuput

Iman pahugutun
Ilmu' ammalun
Pilak pabanusun
Mamarinta kunsum

Strengthen thy iman (faith)
Practice thy ilm (knowledge)
Multiply thy wealth
The future you shall reign

PaTuhan mag-ammal
Adat di' malawa'
Buddi mahalga'
Maksud Sampurna'

To Allah dedicate all your deeds
Don’t ever lose morality
Honor is invaluably dear
If thy intention is pristinely clear

Hakasabunnalan timindug
Tu'lid atay TAUSUG

Stand up for truth, stand by Allah’s truth
The righteous untarnished heart of a Tausug

ALLAH HO AKHBAR!

By Nur Danial
(Translated to English by Warina Sushil Jukuy)
2004