1. Grant me a star, bestow upon me a shepherd,
Who raises the elevators higher,

2. Where the sun is brighter than jewels,
And more renowned in the wilderness than broadcasts,

3. The generous people of the East, the noble heirs,
With honor and nobility more widespread,

4. Contemplate their sun and the extent of its brightness,
You will find in every direction a ray,

5. They divided kingdoms among themselves, so it was
For them a homeland of eloquence shared,

6. They increased the beauty of governance and the charm of its face,
And increased the zeal of youth and its sociability,

7. They refused in the adversity of morals
Except for faith and steadfastness,

8. They harbored old and young towards it
You would think them the companions and followers,

9. When the earth is satiated yet restrained
You see their youth graciously famished,

10. So you have not seen Egypt more truthful than the trusted
Nor more insightful when called upon for help

11. A young man who did not give his bridle to fate
Bought the free with the world and sold them,

12. Great in litigation, he does not incur injustice,
Nor rode vilification or profanity.

13. Hardened by struggle, you cannot tell
If pens he wielded or fangs bared,

14. And O son of the swift, the cultivated improviser,
With meadows of poems and innovation,

15. Does not your father's precedence suffice
That he brought you, the longest of poets, extended?

16. The passionate were captivated by your poetry in the meadows
And stirred the shepherds with it to pasture,

17. The birds missed words and hovered
Over the meaning, crafting it artfully,

18. Whenever the nightingales are in it, a melody stirs
The doves to listen attentively,

19. Lebanon walked in the wedding of rhymes
And a hill came forward and posed majestically,

20. It shook its shoulders for the festival
Beautiful as a bouquet, dispersed,

21. And delegations came to it continuously
Like swarms of bees among the fruits busy,

22. It went calling riders while it lasted
Shading Damascus and organizing the countryside,

23. You see poetic inspirations and hills there
Competing in fascination and creativity,

24. A springtime of nature and a springtime of poetry
With the fragrance of both permeating the expanse,

25. As if you see the tribes in Ukaz
Disputing platforms and gatherings,

26. It built a kingdom of eloquence and established
With its unity life and society,

27. So it returned a wondrous nation and was
The shepherds of sheep and the radiant Bedouins.

28. Prince of the festival, I wish I
Could see your festival or graze,

29. I returned, unable to keep up, sending him
Processions challenging fate and leadership,

30. And I am not present when the caravan travelled
Except like pilgrim searchers, unable to afford it,

31. He remained deprived, neither performing a duty
Nor wetting his moustache or getting into disputes,

32. Tripoli, may my affection bend
And my waves be a coast and my sail billow,

33. The past has adorned your sides with glory
And its symbols have grazed upon it beautifully,

34. No people have a new yesterday
Even if they thought the past was severed,

35. Did you not water and feed the struggle
And protect its back for eras on end?

36. Your sail clarified among the Phoenicians
And your mention spread among the Crusaders,

37. It is as if I see the ships that became
Carrying your flag, obeyed,

38. Saladin sends them as winds
And times equip them as castles,

39. Was not the sea a lake for us
And were not our ships the nimble ducks?

40. We inundated its coasts with civilization
Yet no glance probed its walls,

41. We inherited it, smooth and white genius
With a tame, vast sea,

42. You see its shores burst into springs
And around it wastelands lifted,

43. Yet we added no gem to the grand book
Nor did we add to the ages a single hour,

44. We remained bound by the knot of our forefathers
Thus we were beasts, succeeded by predators.

45. It is as if the surrendered sun
Stuck a chaste, courageous man in his robes,

46. She is shy of the seas of God until
Whenever she thought of him, she lifted the veil,

47. And the eyes have not seen anyone finer than him
Glancing at the parts of his temple,

48. For neither her rising to him is a delight
Nor her setting in him enjoyable goods.