1. أَومَضَ البَرقُ بِعَلياءِ مَنين

    مُؤذِناً بِالنَصرِ وَالفَتحِ المُبين

    Lightning flashed in the heights of Manin,

    heralding victory and a manifest conquest.

  2. قُم نَديمي فَاِسقِنيها قَهوَةً

    عُتِّقَت في الدَنِّ حيناً بَعدَ حين

    Rise, my drinking companion, and pour me wine,

    aged in the cask, season after season:

  3. بِنتُ كَرمٍ كَمَجاجِ الشَمسِ مِن

    عَينِ حَلبا سُبِئَت أَو مِن عَدين

    a daughter of the vine, like the sun's spittle, from

    Ayn Halba it was bought, or from Adin.

  4. أَدِرِ الكاساتِ وَاِصبحنا وَلا

    تُبقِ يا صاحِ خُمورَ الأَندَرين

    Pass the cups, give us our morning draught, and do not

    leave any wines of al-Andarin, my friend.

  5. بَينَ آسادِ عَرينٍ صادَهُم

    بِالهَوى في عَينِ حورٍ حورُ عين

    Among lions of a lair, hunted

    with love at Ayn Hur by wide-eyed maidens,

  6. بِقُدودٍ كَرِماحٍ لَدنَةٍ

    حَسُنَت ما بَينَ تَثقيفٍ وَلين

    with figures like supple spears,

    beautiful in their straightness and suppleness,

  7. وَلِحاظٍ هُنَّ خُرصانُ القَنا

    رُكِّبَت إِذ أُمهِيَت في شَنتَرين

    and glances that are the spearheads of lances,

    fitted when they were tempered in Shantarin,

  8. طاعِناتٍ طَعنَ مَن كانَ إِلى

    مَردَنيشٍ يَعتَزي أَو تاشفين

    piercing with the thrusts of those who

    claimed allegiance to Mardanish or Tashfin;

  9. وَخُدودٍ عِندَها تُفّاحُ لُب

    نانَ في الأَغصانِ خَجلانُ حَزين

    and cheeks beside which the apples of

    Lebanon, on their branches, are ashamed and sad;

  10. وَنُهودٍ كَحِقاقِ العاجِ إِذ

    مُلِئَت حَبّاً مِنَ الدُرِّ الثَمين

    and breasts like ivory caskets, when

    filled with beads of precious pearl;

  11. وَمُحِبّاتٍ تَشَرَّينَ دُمىً

    كَم دَمٍ أَجرَينَهُ مِن عاشِقين

    and loving maidens, doll-like yet grown fierce—

    how much blood they have made flow from lovers!

  12. حينَ يَشدُدنَ الزَنانيرَ بِها

    ثُمَّ يَحلُلنَ اِصطِبارَ النّاسِكين

    When they tighten girdles around themselves,

    they then undo the self-restraint of ascetics,

  13. بِعُيونٍ فَعَلَت ما فَعَلَت

    يَومَ حِطّينَ سُيوفُ المُسلِمين

    with eyes that did what

    the Muslims' swords did on the day of Hittin.

  14. كاَنت الإِفرَنجُ أَصناماً وَكَم

    مِن حَنيفٍ راغَ ضَرباً بِاليَمين

    The Franks were idols, and many

    a monotheist turned upon them, striking with his right hand.

  15. وَفَتاةٍ دونَها الشَمسُ عَلى

    خوطِ بانٍ فَوقَ تَلِّ الياسَمين

    And a maiden who outshines the sun, upon

    a bān-tree shoot above a mound of jasmine:

  16. دامَةٌ بَل دُميَةٌ في هَيكَلِ ال

    بيعَةِ الرومُ لَدَيها ساجِدين

    a doe—rather, an icon in the sanctuary of the

    church, the Byzantines prostrate before her.

  17. يُمسِكُ الأُسقُفُ في تَقريبِها

    قَلبَهُ خَوفاً عَلَيهِ أَن يَبين

    The bishop, as he brings her near, clutches

    his heart, fearing that it may depart.

  18. أَلزَمُ التَوحيدَ في حُبّي لَها

    وَتَرى في الحُبِّ رَأيَ المُشرِكين

    I cleave to monotheism in my love for her,

    while she, in love, holds the polytheists' view.

  19. وَسَأَستَعدي عَلَيها المَلِكَ ال

    أَمجَدَ المَسعودَ في دُنيا وَدين

    And I shall seek the king's aid against her:

    al-Amjad, fortunate in worldly life and in faith.

  20. أَسأَلُ البارِيَ أَن يَملِكَها

    ثُمَّ يَحبوني بِها قولوا أَمين

    I ask the Creator to let him possess her,

    then grant her to me; say Amen.

  21. فَهوَ بِالعَدلِ وَبِالإِحسانِ وَال

    جودِ وَالإِنصافِ في الحُكمِ قَمين

    For he is well suited to justice, beneficence, and

    generosity and fairness in judgment.

  22. مَلِكٌ بَل مَلَكٌ صيغَ مِنَ النو

    رِ نُورِ العَرشِ لا الماءِ المَهين

    A king—rather, an angel—fashioned from light,

    the light of the Throne, not from base fluid.

  23. شِعرُهُ مُستَحسَنٌ أَجمَعُهُ

    وَمِنَ الأَشعارِ غَثٌّ وَسَمين

    His poetry is admired, all of it,

    while verse has both lean and fat.

  24. فَتَعالى مَن بَراهُ رَجُلاً

    واحِداً فيهِ جَميعُ العالَمين

    Exalted be He who fashioned him a man,

    one man in whom all the worlds reside.

  25. رُمحُهُ العَسّالُ فيهِ ثَعلَبٌ

    في الوَغى يولَغُ تامورَ الوَتين

    His quivering spear has a fox within it,

    made in battle to lap the aorta's lifeblood.

  26. وَبِيُمناهُ حُسامٌ راكِعٌ

    في العِدا يَهوي فَيَهووا ساجِدين

    And in his right hand is a bowing sword,

    descending on foes, who fall down prostrate.

  27. يَقتُلُ الأَعداءَ وَالوَحشَ بِهِ

    مِن سَراحينَ وَمِن أُسدِ عَرين

    With it he slays enemies and wild beasts,

    wolves and lions of the lair.

  28. وَلَهُ النَصرُ عَلى رَغمِ العِدا

    حَيثُما أَمَّ قَرينٌ وَخَدين

    Victory is his, despite his enemies,

    wherever he heads, a companion and close friend.

  29. تَطرَبُ الخَمرَةُ إِذ يَشرَبُها

    عَجَباً مِن عَقلِهِ الوافي الرَصين

    The wine rejoices when he drinks it,

    marveling at his sound, steadfast intellect.

  30. لَو يَكونُ الناسُ فيها مِثلَهُ

    لَم يُحَرَّم شُربُها في المُتَّقين

    If people were like him in drinking it,

    its drinking would not be forbidden among the devout.

  31. وَلأَضحَت وَهيَ في الدُنيا وَفي ال

    دِينِ قُرباناً بِأَيدي المُجتَنين

    And it would become, both in worldly life and in

    religion, an offering in its gatherers' hands.

  32. وَشَرِبناها جَهاراً لَم نَخَف

    مِن ثَمانينَ وَلا مِن أَربَعين

    And we would drink it openly, without fearing

    eighty lashes, or forty.

  33. هُوَ سُلطانٌ مَتى ناظَرَ ذا

    أَدَبٍ جاءَ بِسُلطانٍ مُبين

    He is a sultan: whenever he debates a man of

    letters, he brings forth a manifest proof.

  34. وَجَوادٌ لَم تُباشِر كَفُّهُ

    قادِحَ الصّوَّانِ إِلّا وَيَلين

    And a generous man, whose palm never touches

    a flint-striker without its growing soft.

  35. زَندُهُ خَيرُ زِنادٍ وَرِيَت

    لِمُلوكِ الأَرضِ طُرّاً أَجمَعين

    His forearm is the finest fire-stick ever kindled

    for all the kings of the earth, one and all.

  36. فَهوَ لَو يَقدَحُ ماءً بِحَصىً

    أَجَّجَ النارَ مِنَ الماءِ المَعين

    For if he struck water with pebbles,

    he would kindle fire from flowing water.

  37. صادَفَ المَرجُ بِحاراً فَأَتى

    قَدحُهُ مُستَمجِداً في كُلِّ حين

    The meadow encountered seas, and so

    his kindling flared abundantly, time after time.

  38. عَجَباً إِذ لَم تَكُن أَقلامُهُ

    مورِقاتٍ وَهيَ مِنهُ في اليَمين

    How strange that his pens have not

    sprouted leaves, though held in his right hand!

  39. يَتَلَقّى وَفدَهُ مِن وَجهِهِ

    بِتَباشيرِ سَنا صُبحِ الجَبين

    He welcomes his delegation with his face's

    glad promise of the radiance of dawn upon his brow,

  40. بَعدَما اِستَرقَصَ بَحر الآلِ مِن

    إِبلِهِم في المَوجِ بِالسَّيرِ السَّفين

    after the sea of mirage had set dancing

    their camel-ships amid its waves, as they journeyed.

  41. أَيُّها المَلكُ الَّذي في مَدحِهِ

    تَصدَعُ المُدّاحُ بِالحَقِّ اليَقين

    O king, in whose praise

    the praise-poets proclaim the certain truth:

  42. قَد أَتاكَ العامُ بِالحَقِّ وَبِال

    جدِّ يَعلو صَهوَةَ السَبتِ المُبين

    the year has come to you in truth and in

    earnest, riding the back of bright Saturday.