اِمنَحيني يا نُجومُ الأَلَقا

اِمنَحيني يا نُجومُ الأَلَقا

وَهَبيني يا زُهورُ العَبَقا

وَهَبيني يا زُهورُ العَبَقا

Grant me, O stars, radiance;

Grant me, O twinkling stars

Grant me, O stars, your brilliance,

And give me, O flowers, fragrance.

And bless me, O fragrant flowers

And bestow upon me, O flowers, your fragrance,

أَبعَثُ الشِعرَ إِلى الدُنيا هَوى

أَبعَثُ الشِعرَ إِلى الدُنيا هَوى

وَضِياءً وَغِناءً شَيِّقا

وَضِياءً وَغِناءً شَيِّقا

I send poetry into the world as love,

I send poetry to the world, yearning

That I may send poetry into the world as love,

And radiance, and captivating song.

Radiance and charming melody

And as light, and as a yearning song.

فَإِذا خامَرَ نَفساً طَرِبَت

فَإِذا خامَرَ نَفساً طَرِبَت

وَإِذا لامَسَ قَلباً خَفَقا

وَإِذا لامَسَ قَلباً خَفَقا

So when it pervades a soul, that soul rejoices;

When it stirs a soul, it trembles

If it mingles with a soul, it rejoices,

And when it touches a heart, that heart throbs.

When it touches a heart, it flutters

And if it touches a heart, it flutters.

وَإِذا يُتلى لِمُشتاقٍ سَلا

وَإِذا يُتلى لِمُشتاقٍ سَلا

وَإِذا يُروى لِباكٍ صَفَّقا

وَإِذا يُروى لِباكٍ صَفَّقا

And when recited to one who longs, he finds solace;

When recited to a longing one, it heals

If recited to the longing, they find solace,

And when told to one who weeps, he applauds.

When narrated to a weeping one, it consoles

And if narrated to the weeping, they break into applause.

فَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِقَومٍ حِكمَةٌ

فَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِقَومٍ حِكمَةٌ

وَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِأَقوامٍ رُقى

وَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِأَقوامٍ رُقى

For some people, poetry offers wisdom,

For some people, poetry is wisdom

For in poetry, for some, lies wisdom,

And for other peoples, poetry offers healing charms.

For others, poetry is nobility

And in poetry, for others, lie healing spells.

أَنا لا أَستَعذِبُ الشِعرَ إِذا

أَنا لا أَستَعذِبُ الشِعرَ إِذا

لَم أَجِدهُ رَوضَةً أَو أُفُقا

لَم أَجِدهُ رَوضَةً أَو أُفُقا

I do not savor poetry if

I don’t find poetry sweet when

I do not find sweetness in poetry unless

I do not find it a garden or a horizon.

It is not an orchard or horizon

I find it to be a lush garden or a boundless horizon.

حَبَّذا لَيلَتَنا مِن لَيلَةٍ

حَبَّذا لَيلَتَنا مِن لَيلَةٍ

يُكرَمُ الأَحرارُ حُرّاً لَبِقا

يُكرَمُ الأَحرارُ حُرّاً لَبِقا

What a splendid night is ours,

Blessed be our night among nights

How splendid is this night of ours,

As free men honor a gracious free man!

When the free are honored with etiquette

Wherein free men honor a free and eloquent soul.

شاعِرٌ ما أَن جَرى في حَلبَةٍ

شاعِرٌ ما أَن جَرى في حَلبَةٍ

أَبَداً إِلّا وَكانَ الأَسبَقا

أَبَداً إِلّا وَكانَ الأَسبَقا

A poet who never ran in a race

A poet who never entered an arena

A poet who never entered an arena

Without being foremost.

Except he was the foremost

But that he emerged as the foremost victor.

كاتِبٌ لا بَل سَحابٌ هَتِنٌ

كاتِبٌ لا بَل سَحابٌ هَتِنٌ

كَم رَوى الأَرواحَ خَمراً وَسَقى

كَم رَوى الأَرواحَ خَمراً وَسَقى

A writer—no, rather a cloud pouring rain:

Not a writer, but a loving cloud

A writer? Nay, rather a pouring raincloud,

How often he has slaked souls' thirst with wine and given them drink!

How much did it water souls with wine and give drink

That has so often quenched spirits with wine and given them drink.

قُل لِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يَلحَقَهُ

قُل لِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يَلحَقَهُ

إِنَّ هَذا عارِضٌ لَن يُلحَقا

إِنَّ هَذا عارِضٌ لَن يُلحَقا

Tell whoever tried to catch up with him:

Say to whoever tries to catch up with him

Say to the one who attempts to overtake him:

Indeed, this rain cloud will never be overtaken.

This is a talent that cannot be caught up with

This is a fleeting marvel that can never be caught.

قَلَمٌ يَهمي عَلى أُمَّتِهِ

قَلَمٌ يَهمي عَلى أُمَّتِهِ

رَحمَةً إِذ تُمطِرُ الدُنيا شَقا

رَحمَةً إِذ تُمطِرُ الدُنيا شَقا

A pen that showers his nation

A pen that protects its nation

A pen that flows upon his nation,

With mercy, while the world rains misery;

With mercy while the world pours adversity

As a mercy when the world rains down misery.

وَإِذا ما أوذِيَت أَو ظُلِمَت

وَإِذا ما أوذِيَت أَو ظُلِمَت

أَمطَرَ الدُنيا شَواظاً مُحرِقا

أَمطَرَ الدُنيا شَواظاً مُحرِقا

And when it is harmed or wronged,

And if it is hurt or wronged

And if she is harmed or suffers injustice,

It showers the world with scorching flame.

It rains the world with blazing downpour

He rains upon the world a burning, smokeless flame.

وَدَوَت زَعَقاتُهُ كَاِبنِ الشَرى

وَدَوَت زَعَقاتُهُ كَاِبنِ الشَرى

ريعَ في عِرّيسِهِ أَو ضويِقا

ريعَ في عِرّيسِهِ أَو ضويِقا

And his cries resound like a lion of al-Shara

Its shrieks roar like a young camel

And his roars thunder like the lion of Al-Shara,

Startled in its lair or harassed.

Bleating in its enclosure or squeezed

When startled in his den or backed into a corner.

هُوَ لِلحَقِّ إِلى أَن يَنجَلي

هُوَ لِلحَقِّ إِلى أَن يَنجَلي

وَعَلى الباطِلِ حَتّى يُزهَقا

وَعَلى الباطِلِ حَتّى يُزهَقا

He stands for truth until it comes to light,

It is for the truth until it prevails

He belongs to the truth until it shines clear,

And against falsehood until it is extinguished.

And against falsehood until it perishes

And is against falsehood until it is vanquished.

أَنفَقَ العُمرَ عَلى خِدمَتِها

أَنفَقَ العُمرَ عَلى خِدمَتِها

آهٍ ما أَغلى الَّذي قَد أَنفَقا

آهٍ ما أَغلى الَّذي قَد أَنفَقا

He spent his life in its service;

He spent his life serving it

He spent a lifetime in her service;

Ah, how precious is what he has spent!

Alas, how costly is that which he spent

Ah, how precious is that which he has given away!

قُل لِمَن أَرجَفَ كَي يُقلِقُهُ

قُل لِمَن أَرجَفَ كَي يُقلِقُهُ

في حِماهُ إِنَّهُ لَن يَقلَقا

في حِماهُ إِنَّهُ لَن يَقلَقا

Tell whoever spread alarming rumors to unsettle him

Say to whoever tries to disturb him

Say to the one who spreads rumors to disturb him

In his sanctuary: he will never be unsettled.

In its protection, he will not be disturbed

Within his sanctuary: indeed, he shall not be shaken.

وَلِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يُغضِبَهُ

وَلِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يُغضِبَهُ

إِنَّهُ أَعَلى وَأَسمى خُلُقا

إِنَّهُ أَعَلى وَأَسمى خُلُقا

And whoever tried to anger him:

And whoever tries to anger him

And to the one who sought to provoke his anger:

He is indeed loftier and nobler in character.

He is most noble and most forbearing

He possesses a character far higher and more sublime.

أَأَميرٌ تَتَّقيهِ دَولَةٌ

أَأَميرٌ تَتَّقيهِ دَولَةٌ

يَتَوَقّى كاشِحاً مُختَلَقا

يَتَوَقّى كاشِحاً مُختَلَقا

Would a prince whom a state fears

A prince feared by a state

Is he a prince whom a state must fear,

Guard against a fabricated foe?

Fearing the daring and insolent

That he should guard against a fabricating foe?

وَهوَ مِثلُ الشَمسِ لَن يَبلِغَها

وَهوَ مِثلُ الشَمسِ لَن يَبلِغَها

صاعِدٌ مَهَما تَعالى وَاِرتَقى

صاعِدٌ مَهَما تَعالى وَاِرتَقى

And he is like the sun, which will never be reached

He is like the sun, none can reach it

While he is like the sun—never reached

By a climber, however high he rises and ascends.

No matter how high the climber climbed

By any climber, no matter how high he ascends.

إِنَّ يوبيلَكَ يُبيلُ النُهى

إِنَّ يوبيلَكَ يُبيلُ النُهى

هَنَّأَت بَغدادُ فيهِ جُلَّقا

هَنَّأَت بَغدادُ فيهِ جُلَّقا

Indeed, your jubilee overwhelms minds;

Your jubilee makes edicts null

Indeed, your jubilee dazzles the intellects;

On that occasion, Baghdad congratulated Jullaq.

Baghdad celebrated it with decoration

In it, Baghdad has sent congratulations to Damascus.