نَوالُكَ فيهِ يا أَقصى المَرامِ

نَوالُكَ فيهِ يا أَقصى المَرامِ

غِنىً يُسَلِّيهِ عَن كُلِّ الأَنامِ

غِنىً يُسَلِّيهِ عَن كُلِّ الأَنامِ

Your bounty there, O utmost goal,

Your friendship is, O most noble of hopes,

is wealth that makes him forget all humankind,

A treasure that makes me needless of all mankind,

وَعَن وَطنٍ يَحِنُّ إِلَيهِ شَوقاً

وَعَن وَطنٍ يَحِنُّ إِلَيهِ شَوقاً

كَما حَنَّ المُتَيَّم ذُو الغَرامِ

كَما حَنَّ المُتَيَّم ذُو الغَرامِ

and a homeland for which he yearns with longing,

And of a homeland yearned for in longing

as a passion-filled captive of love yearns;

As the lovelorn orphan yearns in passion keen.

وَربعٍ في دِيارِ الشامِ سامٍ

وَربعٍ في دِيارِ الشامِ سامٍ

سَقاهُ اللَهُ رَيعانَ الغَمامِ

سَقاهُ اللَهُ رَيعانَ الغَمامِ

and a lofty dwelling in the lands of al-Sham—

A quarter in Damascus' land, watered

may God water it with the clouds' first rain—

By God with the rains of clouds streaming,

يُزاحِمُ مَنكبَ الجَوزاءِ قَدراً

يُزاحِمُ مَنكبَ الجَوزاءِ قَدراً

وَيَسمو رَونَقاً دارَ السَلامِ

وَيَسمو رَونَقاً دارَ السَلامِ

it jostles Orion's shoulder in stature,

Vying with Aldebaran's radiance in fortune,

and surpasses the Abode of Peace in splendor.

And rising gracefully, abode of peace.

فَكَيفَ وَقَد بَعَثتَ إِلَيَّ نَظماً

فَكَيفَ وَقَد بَعَثتَ إِلَيَّ نَظماً

يُحاكي الدُرَّ في سِلك النِظامِ

يُحاكي الدُرَّ في سِلك النِظامِ

How much more, then, when you have sent me verse

How, when you have sent me verses

that resembles pearls arrayed upon a thread,

That match pearls in the strand of prosody,

وَنَثراً يَعجَزُ النَظّامُ عَنهُ

وَنَثراً يَعجَزُ النَظّامُ عَنهُ

إِذا جاراه في نَظمِ الكَلامِ

إِذا جاراه في نَظمِ الكَلامِ

and prose beyond the master versifier's powers

And prose no prosaist can match

when he vies with it in weaving words?

If he contends with it in the verse of speech?

فَما عَقد الثُرَيّا في اِنتِظامٍ

فَما عَقد الثُرَيّا في اِنتِظامٍ

وَلا الشُهبُ المُنيرَةُ بِالظَلامِ

وَلا الشُهبُ المُنيرَةُ بِالظَلامِ

For neither the Pleiades' necklace in its ordered array,

Not the Pleiades in their array

nor the meteors shining in the darkness,

Or the luminous shooting stars in the dark,

وَلا الرَوض الأَريض كَسَتهُ وَشياً

وَلا الرَوض الأَريض كَسَتهُ وَشياً

يَدُ الأَنواءِ واكِفَةَ السجامِ

يَدُ الأَنواءِ واكِفَةَ السجامِ

nor the lush garden clothed in brocade

Or the verdant meadow, green its robe,

by the hand of the seasonal rains, streaming with showers,

Wrought by the hands of the winds, grasper of plants,

شَدا بغصونه قمريُّ بانٍ

شَدا بغصونه قمريُّ بانٍ

يُجاوِب شَجوهُ صَدحَ الحَمامِ

يُجاوِب شَجوهُ صَدحَ الحَمامِ

in whose branches a ban-tree turtledove sang,

Has adorned its boughs with a blossoming cherry

its plaint answering the doves' song,

Whose lament answers the warble of the dove,

بِأَحسَنَ رَونَقاً مِنهُ وَأَحلى

بِأَحسَنَ رَونَقاً مِنهُ وَأَحلى

عَلى قَلب المُحِبِّ المُستَهامِ

عَلى قَلب المُحِبِّ المُستَهامِ

is finer in splendor than it, or sweeter

With better elegance than it and sweeter

to the heart of the love-bewildered lover.

To the heart of the ardent lover.

فَدُم بَينَ المَوالي ذا نَوالٍ

فَدُم بَينَ المَوالي ذا نَوالٍ

تَجُرُّ بِهِ ذُيولَ الفَخرِ سامِ

تَجُرُّ بِهِ ذُيولَ الفَخرِ سامِ

So remain among the lords, possessed of bounty,

So thrive among the loyal, O you of bounty

with which you trail the skirts of glory, exalted.

Drawing with it the trains of glorious repute.

جَنابُك قِبلَةٌ وَحِماكَ رُكنٌ

جَنابُك قِبلَةٌ وَحِماكَ رُكنٌ

وَبابُكَ كَعبَةٌ فيها مُقامي

وَبابُكَ كَعبَةٌ فيها مُقامي

Your court is a qibla, and your sanctuary a pillar;

Your side is a qiblah, your protection a cornerstone,

and your gate a Kaaba where I dwell,

And your door a Kaaba, wherein is my station.

مَدى الأَيّام ما حَنَّ اِشتِياقاً

مَدى الأَيّام ما حَنَّ اِشتِياقاً

فَتىً بِالرُومِ يَصبُو لِلشَآمِ

فَتىً بِالرُومِ يَصبُو لِلشَآمِ

through all the days, as long as he sighs with longing—

As long as the days continue I shall yearn

a youth in Rum who yearns for al-Sham.

For a youth in Rum who pines for Damascus.