أَدَبي بَلغتَ مَداك في الآدابِ

أَدَبي بَلغتَ مَداك في الآدابِ

هذَا الأَميرُ فقِف بنا بالبابِ

هذَا الأَميرُ فقِف بنا بالبابِ

My verse, you have reached your utmost in letters.

My manners have reached the extent of manners

Here is the prince; so halt with us at the door.

This prince, stand at the door with us

لولا جلالُ مشيِبهِ في عَرشِهِ

لولا جلالُ مشيِبهِ في عَرشِهِ

لمَثلتُ يزهوني لديه شبابي

لمَثلتُ يزهوني لديه شبابي

But for the majesty of his gray hair upon his throne,

If not for the majesty of his gray hair on his throne

I would have stood before him, my youth filling me with pride.

I would have boasted to him my youth

بَلَدٌ طلعتَ به وجئت رسولَهُ

بَلَدٌ طلعتَ به وجئت رسولَهُ

ألقي عليك تحيةً الترحابَ

ألقي عليك تحيةً الترحابَ

A land where you arose, and whose envoy you have come,

A country you were raised in and came as its messenger

Has offered you a greeting of welcome.

I send you a greeting of welcome

ضُمَّت إلى الأمجادِ في تاريخه

ضُمَّت إلى الأمجادِ في تاريخه

ثِنْتانِ من زهوٍ ومن إعجابِ

ثِنْتانِ من زهوٍ ومن إعجابِ

Added to the glories in its history

Two glories were added to its history

Were two sources of pride and admiration:

Of pride and admiration

نَسَبي إليه إذا البنانُ أهاب بي

نَسَبي إليه إذا البنانُ أهاب بي

وإذا بيانُك هزّه بعُجَابِ

وإذا بيانُك هزّه بعُجَابِ

My descent from it, when the fingertips summoned me,

My lineage, when the two sons were in awe of me

And when your eloquence stirred it with wonders.

And your eloquence shook him in wonder

إمّا حنى لبنانُ شامِخَ أرزِهِ

إمّا حنى لبنانُ شامِخَ أرزِهِ

للنيل إجلالاً فما من عابِ

للنيل إجلالاً فما من عابِ

If Lebanon bowed its towering cedars

Either Lebanon bent its lofty cedar

To the Nile in reverence, none could find fault.

To revere the Nile without fault

الدوحُ فَينانٌ ولكنْ روحه

الدوحُ فَينانٌ ولكنْ روحه

ماءٌ تَرَقْرَق في ظِلال الغابِ

ماءٌ تَرَقْرَق في ظِلال الغابِ

The spreading trees are lush, yet their soul

Or the light is a beacon but its spirit

Is water rippling in the shade of the forest.

Is water rippling in the shade of the forest

يا شاعرَ البُؤَساءِ إني ماثِلٌ

يا شاعرَ البُؤَساءِ إني ماثِلٌ

بالبالِيَين فَصاحتي وثيابي

بالبالِيَين فَصاحتي وثيابي

O poet of the wretched, I stand here

O poet of the destitute, here I am

With two threadbare things: my eloquence and my clothes.

With my torments, my voice and my clothes

خِرَقٌ كأنّ خيوطَها منسولة

خِرَقٌ كأنّ خيوطَها منسولة

لَيستْ تُذيع على المكارمِ ما بي

لَيستْ تُذيع على المكارمِ ما بي

Rags whose threads seem unraveled

Tattered as if their threads were ripped

Do not disclose my plight to generosity.

Not fit to be worn for generosity

لمّا وصفتَ البؤسَ بتُّ يَشُوقني

لمّا وصفتَ البؤسَ بتُّ يَشُوقني

طَرَباً لذاك الوَصْفِ كلُّ عذابِ

طَرَباً لذاك الوَصْفِ كلُّ عذابِ

When you described misery, I came to yearn

When you described misery, longing pulled me

For every torment, enraptured by that description.

Agitated by that description, all suffering

فإذا أويتُ إلى بَنيَّ أوَوا إلى

فإذا أويتُ إلى بَنيَّ أوَوا إلى

أَلَمٍ تكتَّمَ في غُضونِ إهابِ

أَلَمٍ تكتَّمَ في غُضونِ إهابِ

So when I seek refuge with my sons, they seek refuge in

And when I come to my children, I come to

A pain concealed in the folds of skin.

Pain hidden in the folds of shyness

غذَّيتَهم بنُهاك يملِكُ روحَهُم

غذَّيتَهم بنُهاك يملِكُ روحَهُم

أدبي فذانِ طعامُهم وشرابي

أدبي فذانِ طعامُهم وشرابي

You nourished them with your wisdom; their spirit is ruled by

You fed them with your wailing, it owns their souls

My verse—these two are their food and my drink.

My manners, their food and drink

يَجِدون وجدَك في الخطوب كأنما

يَجِدون وجدَك في الخطوب كأنما

يتلمسّونَك عندَ كلّ مُصابِ

يتلمسّونَك عندَ كلّ مُصابِ

They find your deep feeling amid calamities, as though

They find your passion in adversities as though

They reach for you at every misfortune.

They touch you at every tribulation

طالعَتهم في دنْشَوايْ فأَبصروا

طالعَتهم في دنْشَوايْ فأَبصروا

حقَّ الضعيفِ معلَّقاً برِقابِ

حقَّ الضعيفِ معلَّقاً برِقابِ

You appeared to them in Dinshaway, and they saw

They saw you in Denmark, so they saw

The right of the weak suspended from necks.

The right of the weak hanging on necks

وإذا رَثيتَ كما رثيتَ محمّداً

وإذا رَثيتَ كما رثيتَ محمّداً

سَجَدوا كأن الشيخَ في المِحرابِ

سَجَدوا كأن الشيخَ في المِحرابِ

And when you lamented, as you lamented Muhammad,

And when you eulogized as you eulogized Muhammad

They prostrated themselves, as though the sheikh were in the prayer niche.

They prostrated as if the sheikh was at the altar

هلاّ وصفتَ لنا السعادةَ مرّةً

هلاّ وصفتَ لنا السعادةَ مرّةً

فالوهمُ بعضُ جمالها الخلابِ

فالوهمُ بعضُ جمالها الخلابِ

Why not describe happiness for us just once?

Why don’t you describe happiness for us sometime

For illusion is part of its enchanting beauty.

Imagination is some of its charming beauty

لولا اتّقاءُ غدي عبِثتُ بعهدها

لولا اتّقاءُ غدي عبِثتُ بعهدها

ونفضت منه يدَيَّ يوم حسابي

ونفضت منه يدَيَّ يوم حسابي

But for fear of my tomorrow, I would have trifled with its covenant,

If not for fearing tomorrow I would have toyed with it

And shaken my hands free of it on the day of my reckoning.

And removed my hands from it on the day of my reckoning

الشعر أنتَ عواطفاً وصِياغةً

الشعر أنتَ عواطفاً وصِياغةً

صُغْهُ حُليّ النفسِ والألبابِ

صُغْهُ حُليّ النفسِ والألبابِ

You are poetry, in feeling and in craft;

Poetry you are emotions and composition

Fashion it into jewels for the soul and the intellect.

Mold it the jewelry of the soul and intellect

إن الذي ملَك البيانَ لَقادِرٌ

إن الذي ملَك البيانَ لَقادِرٌ

أَنْ يَخلُق النُّعمى من الأوصابِ

أَنْ يَخلُق النُّعمى من الأوصابِ

He who has mastered eloquence is surely able

He who possessed eloquence is able

To create bliss from afflictions.

To create the blind out of the sighted

حَيَّاكَ لبنانُ ورُبَّ تحيةٍ

حَيَّاكَ لبنانُ ورُبَّ تحيةٍ

هي كلُّ ما في الكفّ للأحبابِ

هي كلُّ ما في الكفّ للأحبابِ

Lebanon has greeted you; and many a greeting

Lebanon greeted you, and every dear greeting

Is all the palm holds for loved ones.

Is all that my palm can hold for loved ones

مَن قال يوم مدحتَهُ فهززتَهُ

مَن قال يوم مدحتَهُ فهززتَهُ

إنَّ المديحَ يَهُزّ شُمَّ هضابِ

إنَّ المديحَ يَهُزّ شُمَّ هضابِ

Who said, the day you praised it and shook it,

Who said when you praised him you shook him

That praise can shake lofty hills?

That praise shakes the peaks of mountains

أعظِم به بلداً أَقَام جلالَهُ

أعظِم به بلداً أَقَام جلالَهُ

ما بين راسخةٍ وبين سِحابِ

ما بين راسخةٍ وبين سِحابِ

How great a land it is, which raised its majesty

Exalt through it a country that established its majesty

Between a firm-rooted peak and the clouds!

Between solid ground and clouds

ملك الجمال أُحبُّه وأعزّه

ملك الجمال أُحبُّه وأعزّه

بالأطيبين الجوّ والأحبابِ

بالأطيبين الجوّ والأحبابِ

It possesses beauty; I love it and cherish it

I love and treasure the king of beauty

For its two finest things: the climate and loved ones.

With the finest air and loved ones

كلُّ التراثِ لنا إذا انتسب الفتى

كلُّ التراثِ لنا إذا انتسب الفتى

طيبُ الهواء وَجودةُ الأنسابِ

طيبُ الهواء وَجودةُ الأنسابِ

All our heritage, when a young man declares his lineage,

All heritage is ours if the youth is related

Is pleasant air and fine ancestry.

Good air and noble ancestry

غُضَّ الجفونَ إذا أردتَ سواهما

غُضَّ الجفونَ إذا أردتَ سواهما

إنا كمصرَ مناهلُ الأغرابِ

إنا كمصرَ مناهلُ الأغرابِ

Lower your eyelids if you desire anything beyond these two;

Close your eyelids if you want others

Indeed, like Egypt, we are watering places for strangers.

We are like Egypt, the watering places of foreigners

بِتنا كما باتَ الشريدُ على ونىً

بِتنا كما باتَ الشريدُ على ونىً

يُغرِيه في الصحراءِ كلُّ سَرابِ

يُغرِيه في الصحراءِ كلُّ سَرابِ

We spent the night like the weary outcast,

We spent the night as the outcast spent the night misguided

Whom every mirage in the desert entices.

Tempted in the desert by every mirage

لو صَانَني قَوْمي وصَانوا مجدَهُمْ

لو صَانَني قَوْمي وصَانوا مجدَهُمْ

حُبَّ العُلى مشتِ العُلى برِكابي

حُبَّ العُلى مشتِ العُلى برِكابي

Had my people protected me and preserved their glory,

If my people protected me and protected their glory

For love of greatness, greatness would have walked at my stirrups.

Love of loftiness would have carried my mount

خلَعَ الشقاءُ عليّ كلَّ لبوسِهِ

خلَعَ الشقاءُ عليّ كلَّ لبوسِهِ

لمّا خلعتُ عباءَهَ الأعرابي

لمّا خلعتُ عباءَهَ الأعرابي

Misery bestowed all its garments upon me

Hardship took off all its clothes from me

When I cast off the Bedouin's cloak.

When I took off its Bedouin cloak

شيخُ البيانِ أتى الحمى مستشفياً

شيخُ البيانِ أتى الحمى مستشفياً

فأعادَهُ لبنانُ شيخَ شبابِ

فأعادَهُ لبنانُ شيخَ شبابِ

The elder of eloquence came to the haven seeking healing,

The sheikh of rhetoric came to the fever hospital

And Lebanon sent him back an elder full of youth.

So Lebanon returned the sheikh of youth

حيِّ الكنانَة بالسلام وقلّ لها

حيِّ الكنانَة بالسلام وقلّ لها

لبنانُ جارُ رضىً وعُدْ بإيابِ

لبنانُ جارُ رضىً وعُدْ بإيابِ

Greet al-Kinana with peace, and tell her:

Give life with greetings and say to it

Lebanon is a neighbor of goodwill; come back again.

Lebanon is a content neighbor, promise to return

أهدى إليكَ وسامَه فاحمل به

أهدى إليكَ وسامَه فاحمل به

ذكرى الوفاءِ لمصرَ والآدابِ

ذكرى الوفاءِ لمصرَ والآدابِ

It bestowed its medal on you; so carry with it

It gifted you its medal so carry with it

A remembrance of loyalty to Egypt and to letters.

A memento of loyalty to Egypt and literature