1. Damascus, good tidings to you of the return of virtues,
So delight in a water as sweet as honey,
١. دِمشقُ لكِ البُشْرى بِعَودِ المَحاسني
فَطيبي بِأنْسٍ ماؤُهُ غيرُ آسِنِ
2. And flutter with joy, clarity and bliss,
On the wings of the sublime without any regression.
٢. وَطيري مِنَ الأَفراحِ وَالصّفوِ وَالهنا
بِأَجنِحَةِ السرّا بِدونِ تَهاوُنِ
3. And wander upon the world with the sun of generosities,
To you the highest places have been returned.
٣. وَتيهي عَلى الدّنيا بِشَمسِ أَكارِمٍ
إِلَيكِ لَقَد رُدَّت بِأَعلى الأَماكِنِ
4. And with it the auspices have returned to you in purity,
And you have illuminated every resident.
٤. وَعاد بِها فيك السّعودُ عَلى الصّفا
وَأَنورتِ أَرجاءً عَلى كلِّ ساكِنِ
5. And here is the sun of nobility, glory and loftiness,
Inclining towards good on the right side.
٥. وَهاتيكِ شَمسُ الفضلِ وَالمَجدِ والعُلى
تَميلُ عَلى المَعروفِ نَحوَ المَيامِنِ
6. And it is none other than the happiest ancestry and offspring,
And essence of the necklace of virtues among minerals.
٦. وَما هيَ إِلّا أَسعدُ الجدِّ وَالذّرى
وجوهرُ عِقد الفضلِ بين المعادِنِ
7. And whoever was the cub of glory and the son of virtues,
Is in his existence a burden and star of the most beautiful.
٧. وَمَن كانَ شِبلَ المَجدِ وَاِبنَ مَحاسنٍ
لَدى كَونِهِ حَملاً ونَجل الأحاسِنِ
8. And he has returned with jurisprudence. So O pride of venerable ages!
He was worthy of it and not pejorative.
٨. وَقَد عادَ بِالفَتوى فَيا فَخرَ جِلَّقٍ
وَكانَ لَها أَهلاً وليس براشِنِ
9. And then Damascus said boastfully:
I am the singing garden, blessing to my residents!
٩. وَيَومَئِذٍ قالَت دِمشقُ تَفاخراً
أَنا الرّوضَةُ الغنّاءُ طوبى لِساكِني
10. And during the happiest, when he returned, my pride returned,
And the highest pride is mine, the house of virtues.
١٠. وَفي أَسعَدٍ إِذ عادَ عادَ تَشَرُّفي
وَلي الشّرفُ الأَعلى بِبَيتِ المَحاسِنِ
11. And was there in the countries a full moon like Asaad?
And no full moon can equate to my apparent full moon.
١١. وَهَل كانَ في البلدانِ بَدرٌ كَأَسعَدٍ
وَلَم تَحوِ مِن بَدرٍ كَبدريَ بائِنِ
12. Unique pillar, and he is uniquely virtuous,
He has no equal and none will exist.
١٢. هُمامٌ وَحيدٌ وَهوَ في الفضلِ مُفردٌ
وَما إِن لَهُ مِثلٌ وَلَيسَ بِكائِنِ
13. A knowledgeable jurist, brilliant minded, truthful, perceptive,
Lofty who has by nature a beautiful calmness,
١٣. فَقيهٌ نَبيهٌ صادِقُ الفِكرِ حاذقٌ
رَفيعٌ لَهُ بِالطبعِ حسنُ التطامُنِ
14. Awe-inspiring, even lions are in awe of him,
And how many fierce ones have submitted before him!
١٤. مَهيبٌ لَهُ هابَت لُيوثٌ أَفاضِلُ
وَكَم عِندَهُ ذَلّت ذَوات البراثِنِ
15. Generous, brother of unlimited open-handedness,
Not everyone open-handed has open doors.
١٥. كَريمٌ أَخو بَذلٍ كَثيرُ دَواخنٍ
وَما كُلُّ ذي بَذلٍ كَثيرِ الدواخِنِ
16. He has an external beauty that has encompassed all of him,
And his external is without doubt a sign of his essence.
١٦. لَهُ ظاهِرٌ قَد عَمَّه الحسنُ كلُّهُ
وَظاهِرُهُ لا شكّ عُنوانُ باطِنِ
17. And he rode goodness in seeking loftiness,
And attained the lead on the day of racing.
١٧. وَقَد رَكِبَ المَعروفَ في طَلَبِ العُلى
وَنالَ إِلَيها السّبقَ يَومَ التراهُنِ
18. And none attained the lead except him,
Not everyone racing attains the lead.
١٨. وَما كانَ نَيلُ السّبقِ يَوماً لِغَيرِهِ
وَلَيسَ يَنالُ السّبقَ كلُّ مُراهِنِ
19. And the noble ones continued serving his house,
And none served except the best residence.
١٩. وَقَد ظَلّتِ العلياءُ تَخدُمُ بَيتَهُ
وَما خَدمَت إِلّا لِخَيرِ المَساكِنِ
20. Adorned with excellent forgiveness, patience and dew,
The best rider of goodness rode.
٢٠. تَحلَّى بِحُسنِ الصّفحِ وَالحِلمِ وَالنّدى
وَقَد رَكِبَ المَعروفَ أَكرَمُ صافِنِ
21. A jurist whom his Damascus wanders,
Dragging the trains of pride between residences.
٢١. إِمامٌ بِفَتواهُ تَتيهُ دِمَشقُهُ
تَجرُّ ذُيولَ الفَخرِ بَينَ المَدائِنِ
22. And jurisprudence did not become good and praiseworthy,
Unless one day it was the house of virtues.
٢٢. وَلَم تحسُنِ الفَتوى وَلَيسَ حَميدةً
إِذا لَم تَكُن يَوماً بِبَيتِ المَحاسِني
23. I congratulate him on the return, and the return is auspicious,
With sincerity and affection I have no doubts.
٢٣. أُهَنّئه بالعَودِ والعَودُ أَحمَدٌ
على صِدق ودٍّ لَستُ فيهِ بِمائِنِ
24. And I protected him from every envier,
And every devil and every spying eye.
٢٤. وَعَوَّذتُهُ بِاللَّهِ مِن كلِّ حاسِدٍ
وَمِن كلِّ شَيطانٍ وَعَين لِعائنِ
25. So he remains observed by the eye of providence,
And remains protected for the day of reckoning.
٢٥. فَلا زالَ مَلحوظاً بِعَينِ عِنايَةٍ
وَلا زالَ مَحفوظاً لِيَومِ التغابنِ