أقول وفي فوادي السر ينمو

أقول وفي فوادي السر ينمو

ودمعي منه لا للحزن ساكب

ودمعي منه لا للحزن ساكب

I say, while the secret grows within my heart,

I say, while the secret grows in my heart,

and my tears flow from it, not from sorrow.

And my tears from it are not shed in sorrow,

إذا صبر المصاب على بلاء

إذا صبر المصاب على بلاء

غدت بلواه اجرا في العواقب

غدت بلواه اجرا في العواقب

If the afflicted one bears a trial patiently,

When the afflicted is patient with tribulation,

his affliction becomes a reward in the end.

His afflictions become reward in the end.

على أن لم يكن ما بين يأسي

على أن لم يكن ما بين يأسي

وآمالي سوى ميقات قارب

وآمالي سوى ميقات قارب

Yet what lay between my despair

Though between my despair and hopes

and my hopes was only an appointed time drawing near.

There was nothing but a period close at hand,

فولى ذو الشماتة عن يميني

فولى ذو الشماتة عن يميني

وعن يسراي ذو الحسد المراقب

وعن يسراي ذو الحسد المراقب

So the gloater turned away from my right,

So the gloating enemy turned away from my right,

and from my left, the watchful envier.

And from my left the envious observer.

وعدت إلى الجوائب عود صاد

وعدت إلى الجوائب عود صاد

إلى الماء الزلال من السباسب

إلى الماء الزلال من السباسب

And I returned to Al-Jawa'ib as a thirsty man returns

And I returned to rhymes like a lover returning

to clear, sweet water from the desert wastes.

To the pure water from the creeks,

فقلت لنفسي ابتهجي بداب

فقلت لنفسي ابتهجي بداب

وجد ليس غير الجد صاحب

وجد ليس غير الجد صاحب

So I said to my soul: Rejoice in diligence

So I said to myself, rejoice with prose,

and zeal; there is no companion but zeal.

Since only prose is a true companion.

فقالت بل سروري في ثناي

فقالت بل سروري في ثناي

على الصدر المعظم ذي المواهب

على الصدر المعظم ذي المواهب

It answered: Rather, my joy lies in my praise

But it said, “Rather, my joy is in the folds

of the exalted chief minister, the bearer of gifts—

Upon the great chest full of gifts,

فؤاد الدولة العليا المفدى

فؤاد الدولة العليا المفدى

يد للملك يمنى والمراتب

يد للملك يمنى والمراتب

Fuad, the cherished heart of the exalted state,

The heart of the supreme state, the emancipated one,

a right hand to sovereignty and high ranks.

A right hand to the king and ranks.

فلولاه لجاب اليأس بيني

فلولاه لجاب اليأس بيني

وبين جوائبي من كل جانب

وبين جوائبي من كل جانب

For, but for him, despair would have cut me off

Without him, despair would have come between me

from my Al-Jawa'ib on every side.

And my rhymes from every side,

ولولاه لما ساوت يراع

ولولاه لما ساوت يراع

تدر بها البلاغة عود حاطب

تدر بها البلاغة عود حاطب

And but for him, a reed pen would not have equaled—

Without him, the winds would not have equaled

though eloquence pours through it—a wood-gatherer's stick.

The sticks that eloquence made into firewood.

هو الآسى الذي ما كان داء

هو الآسى الذي ما كان داء

ليعضله من الخطط النوائب

ليعضله من الخطط النوائب

He is the healer whom no illness

He is the sorrow that no disease of misfortunes

arising from calamitous circumstances could baffle.

Could make difficult for him,

فاشكره على ان قد شفاني

فاشكره على ان قد شفاني

بشا في فضله ما ذرّ ثاقب

بشا في فضله ما ذرّ ثاقب

So I thank him for having healed me,

So thank him that he has healed me

joyful in his bounty as long as a bright star rises.

With a gift whose merit no critic pierced,

وهل محيي سواد الشام يعيي

وهل محيي سواد الشام يعيي

باحياي بتسويد الجوائب

باحياي بتسويد الجوائب

Could he who revived al-Sham's dark, cultivated lands falter

And can the reviver of Syria’s darkness revive me

in reviving me by blackening Al-Jawa'ib with ink?

By reviving the rhymes with darkness?

لو ان الناس كلهم نحوه

لو ان الناس كلهم نحوه

لما الفيت منهم قط خائب

لما الفيت منهم قط خائب

If all people were like him,

If all people were like him,

I would never find one among them disappointed.

I would never have found one of them disappointing.

وبين البشر والايناس منه

وبين البشر والايناس منه

بشائر عندها تقع المآرب

بشائر عندها تقع المآرب

And amid his cheerfulness and cordial welcome

Between mankind and jinn from him

are glad tidings through which wishes are fulfilled.

Are tidings by which hopes are fulfilled,

وبين الاحمدين وبين صبحي

وبين الاحمدين وبين صبحي

كمال تزهوا عن ذام عائب

كمال تزهوا عن ذام عائب

And among the two Ahmads and Subhi

And between the two Ahmads and Sobhi

is perfection; above every faultfinding detractor shine

Is the perfection they adorned from blame of a critic.

درارئ دولة سمكت مباني

درارئ دولة سمكت مباني

مفاخرها على اسنى المناقب

مفاخرها على اسنى المناقب

the radiant stars of a state that raised the edifices

The pillars of a state whose glories

of its glories upon the noblest virtues.

Were inscribed with the finest attributes,

سرت ذكرى محامدها وطارت

سرت ذكرى محامدها وطارت

الى افق المشارق والمغارب

الى افق المشارق والمغارب

The remembrance of its praiseworthy deeds spread and flew

The mention of his praises flowed

to the horizon of East and West.

To the horizon of east and west,

يصيب نوالها دان وقاص

يصيب نوالها دان وقاص

وتحمدها الاباعد والاجانب

وتحمدها الاباعد والاجانب

Those near and far receive its bounty,

Its fortune reaches the near and the far,

and distant folk and foreigners praise it.

And foreigners and strangers praise it,

ولما جددت منها العطايا

ولما جددت منها العطايا

دوارس ذي الرغائب والغرائب

دوارس ذي الرغائب والغرائب

And when gifts from it renewed

And when its gifts were renewed,

the faded traces of one possessed of delights and marvels,

The winds of strange and wondrous things blew,

دعوت لها وذاك على فرض

دعوت لها وذاك على فرض

وارخت انقضى درس الجوائب

وارخت انقضى درس الجوائب

I prayed for it, and that is a duty upon me,

I prayed for it, and that is obligatory,

and recorded the date: 'The fading of Al-Jawa'ib has ended.'

And composed: the lesson of rhymes has ended.”