1. Let your tears flow freely,
Rushing until they run dry.
١. أَطْلِقْ لِمَدمعِكَ العِنَانَ وَخَلِّهِ
يَهْمي إِلَى أَنْ يَنْتَهِي بِنَفَادِ
2. Let your ribs melt them down,
Cloaking all in ash's gown.
٢. وَدَعِ الضُّلُوعَ تُذِيبهَا نِيرَانُهَا
حَتَّى تُجَلِّلَهَا بِثَوْبِ رَمَادِ
3. You're in a sea, raging as your heart,
With endless storms and swells that start,
٣. أَصْبَحْتَ فِي بَحْرٍ كَقَلْبِكَ هَائِجٍ
مُتَوَاصِلِ الإِرْغَاءِ وَالإِزْبَادِ
4. Winds howling, blows growing hard,
Bearing scents from afar, wayward.
٤. مُتَلَاطِمِ الأَمْوَاجِ تَهْدُرُ فِيهِ مِنْ
هَوجِ الرِّيَاحِ رَوَائِحٌ وَغَوَادِي
5. While home grew distant, no hope stayed
Of returning to past idylls made,
٥. وَنَأَتْ دِيَارُ الأَهْلِ عَنْكَ فَلَمْ يَعُدْ
لَكَ مأملٌ بِرُجُوعِ عَهْدِ الوَادِي
6. When life was joyful, thoughts were placid,
And you hunted pleasures, vision vivid.
٦. أَيَّامَ كُنْتَ بِهِ وَعَيْشُكَ زَاهِرٌ
وَهَوَاكَ بَسَّامٌ وَفِكْرُكَ هَادِي
7. All dreams seemed near, and chances fleet
To seize them soon, no hour concrete.
٧. تَتَصَيَّدُ اللَّذَّاتِ بَيْنَ رِيَاضِهِ
وَعَلَى جُفُونِكَ نَشْوَةُ الصَّيَّادِ
8. Beauty inspired your words exquisite,
And racing heart invention lit.
٨. وَتَرَى المُنَى تَرْنُو إِلَيْكَ وَكُلُّهَا
فُرَصٌ تَفُوزُ بِهَا بِلَا ميعَادِ
9. Sometimes you sang withhill birds sweet,
Other times moaned, melancholic beat.
٩. وَالحُسْنُ يُلْهِمُكَ البَيَانَ فَتَنْثَنِي
وَنُهَاكَ مُبْتَدِعٌ وَقَلْبُكَ شَادِي
10. Alas remembrance of days bygone,
Though past, their return hoped upon.
١٠. حِينًا تُغَنِّي مَعْ بَلَابِلِ دَوْحِهِ
وَتَئِنُّ حِينًا أَنَّةَ الأَعْوَادِ
11. Nostalgia of love, however possessed,
And loving despite all tests.
١١. أَوَّاهُ مِنْ ذِكْرَى القَدِيمِ وَحَبَّذَا
عَوْدُ القَدِيمِ وَإِنْ عَدَتْهُ عَوَادِي
12. No matter what my country does,
My people are mine, my native abode.
١٢. أَشْتَاقُهُ شَوْقَ المُحِبِّ إِلَى الهَوَى
مَهْمَا يَكُنْ فِيهِ مِنِ اسْتِبْدَادِ
13. I mourn their misery, their fate deride,
With mouth lamenting, with pen I chide.
١٣. وَأُحِبُّهُ بِالرغْمِ عَمَّا نَالَنِي
مِنْهُ وَأُمحِضُهُ صَحِيحَ وِدَادِي
14. My tongue won't cease speaking of them,
Until my soul's groan makes it hem.
١٤. مَهْمَا يَجُرْ وَطَنِي عَلَيَّ وَأَهْلُهُ
فَالأَهْلُ أَهْلِي، وَالبِلَادُ بِلَادِي
15. I'm in shock when white passes unmourned,
Without the garb of grief worn.
١٥. أَرْثي لِبُؤْسِهِمُ فَأَنْدُبُ حَالَهُمْ
بِفَمِي، وَأَرثِي حظَّهُمْ بِمِدَادِي
16. By God, my soul, thoughts, and all fight
I gave to stand by them upright.
١٦. هَذَا لِسَانِي لَا يَجِيءُ بِذِكْرِهِمْ
حَتَّى يُلَعْثِمَهُ أَنِينُ فُؤَادِي
17. In critiquing, my only aim is to lead
Their steps into the righteous creed.
١٧. وَيَرَاعَتِي مَا أَنْ تَمُرَّ بِأَبْيَضٍ
إِلَّا وَتُلْبِسُهُ ثِيَابَ حِدَادِ
18. Lost in darkness, no guide lit the way
To walk the straight path, go astray they may.
١٨. تَاللهِ إِنِّي قَد وَقَفْتُ عَلَيْهِمُ
رُوحِي وَأَفْكَارِي وَكُلَّ جِهَادِي
19. Finding slavery sweet, they became
Boasting of shackles, their heads hang in shame.
١٩. وَإِذَا انْتَقَدْتُهُمُ فَمَا لِيَ غَايَةٌ
إِلَّا قِيَادَتُهُمْ لِنَهْجِ سَدَادِ
20. After an uproar, Lebanon's lion is felled,
Among wolves, no allies upheld.
٢٠. خَبَطُوا بِظُلْمَاتِ الضَّلَالِ وَلَمْ يَقُمْ
فِيهِمْ إِلَى السُّبْلِ القَوِيمَةِ هَادِي
21. They wasted the forefathers' heritage grand,
So ancestors' wrath was close at hand.
٢١. وَاسْتَعْذَبُوا ذُلَّ القُيُودِ فَأَصْبَحُوا
يَتَفَاخَرُونَ بِنِيرِ الاسْتِعْبَادِ
22. By my people I swear, I won't budge
From pleasing them, my pillar and judge.
٢٢. وَغَدَا بِهِ لُبْنَانُ بَعْدَ عَجِيجِهِ
بِالأُسْدِ مَأْسَدَةً بِلَا آسَادِ
23. But I refuse to live in my homeland a slave,
When I was among nobles, high and brave.
٢٣. هُمْ ضَيَّعُوا إِرْثَ الجُدُودِ فَنَالَهُمْ
غَضَبُ الجُدُودِ وَلَعْنَةُ الأَحْفَادِ
24. After them, my fervor will never expire,
Nor will rest come, or tastes I acquire.
٢٤. قَسَمًا بِأَهْلِي لَمْ أُفَارِقْ عَنْ رِضًى
أَهْلِي وَهُمْ ذُخْرِي وَكُلُّ عِمَادِي
25. The sea rages below, flames scorch my chest,
Water surrounds me, my heart knows no rest.
٢٥. لَكِنْ أَنِفْتُ بِأَنْ أَعِيشَ بِمَوْطِنِي
عَبْدًا وَكُنْتُ بِهِ مِنَ الأَسْيَادِ
٢٦. أَنَا بَعْدَهُمْ لَا يَنْتَهِي شَوْقِي وَلَا
يَدْنُو صفَايَ وَلَا يَطِيبُ رُقَادِي
٢٧. البَحْرُ تَحْتِي وَاللَّظَى فِي أَضْلُعِي
وَالمَاءُ مِنْ حَوْلِي وَقَلْبِيَ صَادِي