إِمحي السَوادَ عَن الأَهدابِ في المُقل

إِمحي السَوادَ عَن الأَهدابِ في المُقل

وَاِمحي اِحمرارا اللمى المَمزوحِ بَالقُبلِ

وَاِمحي اِحمرارا اللمى المَمزوحِ بَالقُبلِ

Wipe away the blackness from the lashes of the eyes.

Erase the kohl from the eyelids in the eye

And wipe away the redness of dusky lips mingled with kisses.

And erase the redness of the cheeks kissed

فَلَستُ أَرغَبُ جَفنَ العينِ مُكتَحِلا

فَلَستُ أَرغَبُ جَفنَ العينِ مُكتَحِلا

وَلَستُ أَنشدُ إِلا حمرَةَ الخجلِ

وَلَستُ أَنشدُ إِلا حمرَةَ الخجلِ

For I do not desire the eye's lid lined with kohl,

I do not wish eyelids with kohl

And I seek nothing but the blush of bashfulness.

I only recite the redness of shyness

وَلا تَودّك نَفسي غَير طاهِرَةٍ

وَلا تَودّك نَفسي غَير طاهِرَةٍ

كَأَدمُعِ القَلبِ في قارورَةِ الغَزلِ

كَأَدمُعِ القَلبِ في قارورَةِ الغَزلِ

And my soul desires you to be nothing but pure,

My soul does not want anything but purity

Like the heart's tears in the flask of love poetry.

Like tears of the heart in the bottle of poetry

يا بنتَ لبنان يا نبراسَ إِظلامي

يا بنتَ لبنان يا نبراسَ إِظلامي

كوني حياةً تَمشّى بَين أَعظامي

كوني حياةً تَمشّى بَين أَعظامي

O daughter of Lebanon, O beacon in my darkness,

O daughter of Lebanon, O light of my darkness

Be a life that walks among my bones.

Be my life walking between my bones

وَفي عُيونِيَ مرآةً أَراكِ بها

وَفي عُيونِيَ مرآةً أَراكِ بها

وَفي فُؤاديَ مُؤاساةً لآلامي

وَفي فُؤاديَ مُؤاساةً لآلامي

And in my eyes be a mirror in which I see you,

And in my eyes a mirror in which I see you

And in my heart be solace for my pains.

And in my heart a consolation for my pain

فَأَنتِ رَمزٌ لإيحائي وَإِلهامي

فَأَنتِ رَمزٌ لإيحائي وَإِلهامي

أَبصَرته من كوى حُبّي وَأَحلامي

أَبصَرته من كوى حُبّي وَأَحلامي

For you are a symbol of my promptings and inspiration,

You are a symbol of my inspiration and imagination

I saw it through the windows of my love and my dreams.

I saw it from the burning of my love and dreams

يا بِنتَ لُبنانَ كوني الجُزءَ من كبدي

يا بِنتَ لُبنانَ كوني الجُزءَ من كبدي

وَاِمشي مَعي في ذهِ الدُنيا يَداً بِيَدِ

وَاِمشي مَعي في ذهِ الدُنيا يَداً بِيَدِ

O daughter of Lebanon, be a part of my liver,

O daughter of Lebanon, be part of my being

And walk with me in this world, hand in hand.

And walk with me in this life hand in hand

فَأَمس كنتِ فتاةً تَلعَبينَ دداً

فَأَمس كنتِ فتاةً تَلعَبينَ دداً

لكِن شببتِ وَأَمسى اليَومُ غيرَ ددِ

لكِن شببتِ وَأَمسى اليَومُ غيرَ ددِ

For yesterday you were a girl playing games,

Yesterday you were a girl playing with her friends

But you have come of age, and today is no longer play.

But you have grown up and today is not like yesterday

فَأَنتِ أُختٌ تؤآسينَ الحَياةَ غداً

فَأَنتِ أُختٌ تؤآسينَ الحَياةَ غداً

وَأَنتِ أُمٌّ لهذا الكونِ بعد غدِ

وَأَنتِ أُمٌّ لهذا الكونِ بعد غدِ

For you are a sister who will console life tomorrow,

You are a sister sympathizing with life tomorrow

And you are a mother to this universe the day after tomorrow.

And you are a mother to this universe the day after tomorrow.

يا بنتَ لنان بنت المَجدِ وَالشانِ

يا بنتَ لنان بنت المَجدِ وَالشانِ

يا ظبيةً مرحَت في جَنَّةِ البان

يا ظبيةً مرحَت في جَنَّةِ البان

O daughter of Lebanon, daughter of glory and eminence,

O daughter of Lebanon, daughter of glory and prestige

O gazelle that frolicked in the garden of moringa trees,

O gazelle that frolicked in the gardens

خُذي اِحمِرارِكِ من زهرِ المروجِ فَفي

خُذي اِحمِرارِكِ من زهرِ المروجِ فَفي

المروجِ أَزهارُ طهرِ العالمِ الثاني

المروجِ أَزهارُ طهرِ العالمِ الثاني

Take your blush from the meadow flowers, for in

Take your redness from the flowers of the meadows, for in

the meadows are blossoms of the second world's purity.

The meadows are the flowers of the purity of the other world

وَكحلّي الجِفنَ بِالآدابِ وَاِفتَخِري

وَكحلّي الجِفنَ بِالآدابِ وَاِفتَخِري

بِأَنَّ كَحلَكِ من جَنّاتِ لُبنانِ

بِأَنَّ كَحلَكِ من جَنّاتِ لُبنانِ

And line your eyelid with good manners, and take pride

And line your eyes with literature and take pride

In your kohl coming from the gardens of Lebanon.

That your kohl is from the gardens of Lebanon

دَعي سِواكِ تَبيعُ الثَغرَ بِالذَهبِ

دَعي سِواكِ تَبيعُ الثَغرَ بِالذَهبِ

فَالثُغرُ ما اِنشَقَّ كَي يجني عَلى الأَدبِ

فَالثُغرُ ما اِنشَقَّ كَي يجني عَلى الأَدبِ

Let someone other than you sell her lips for gold;

Leave others selling their lips for gold

For lips did not part to transgress against decency.

For the lips were not meant to harvest money or goods

ولَم يَكن ضَرَبُ الأَفواهِ ذا ثَمَنٍ

ولَم يَكن ضَرَبُ الأَفواهِ ذا ثَمَنٍ

فَلا تَبيعي الهَوى مِن ذلِكَ الضَرَبِ

فَلا تَبيعي الهَوى مِن ذلِكَ الضَرَبِ

Nor did the honey of mouths have a price,

And striking mouths was never of any worth

So do not sell love drawn from that honey.

So do not sell passion for that kind of money

عُرِفتِ طاهِرَةً فَاِبقي مُثابِرَةً

عُرِفتِ طاهِرَةً فَاِبقي مُثابِرَةً

لا تَبدلي الفَلَّ بِالأَشواكِ وَالحَطبِ

لا تَبدلي الفَلَّ بِالأَشواكِ وَالحَطبِ

You have been known as pure, so remain steadfast.

You were known to be pure so persist

Do not trade Arabian jasmine for thorns and firewood.

Do not exchange the good for thorns and firewood

يا بنتَ لنانَ ما أَسمى مسمّاكِ

يا بنتَ لنانَ ما أَسمى مسمّاكِ

فَالزَهرُ يَجني شذاهُ من مَزاياكِ

فَالزَهرُ يَجني شذاهُ من مَزاياكِ

O daughter of Lebanon, how exalted is your name!

O daughter of Lebanon, your name is sublime

For flowers reap their fragrance from your virtues.

For flowers reap their fragrance from your traits

أَنتِ اِبنَةُ الكَرمِ المورثِ من قِدَمٍ

أَنتِ اِبنَةُ الكَرمِ المورثِ من قِدَمٍ

وَحَيثُ تَأوي ظِبى المرديتِ مَأواكِ

وَحَيثُ تَأوي ظِبى المرديتِ مَأواكِ

You are the daughter of generosity handed down since ancient times,

You are the daughter of inherited generosity

And where the gazelles of al-Mardit dwell is your abode.

Where gazelles take refuge, there lies your dwelling

فَإِن تعالى إِلَيكِ النوحُ من تَعِسٍ

فَإِن تعالى إِلَيكِ النوحُ من تَعِسٍ

إِرمي لعازر شَيئاً من عَطاياكِ

إِرمي لعازر شَيئاً من عَطاياكِ

So if a wretched soul's lament rises to you,

So if the unfortunate comes crying to you

Toss Lazarus something of your bounty.

Throw Lazarus something of your gifts

في ذاتِ لَيلٍ وَقد فاتَ الكَرى عَيني

في ذاتِ لَيلٍ وَقد فاتَ الكَرى عَيني

خَرجتُ أَسرحُ فكري مع صَديقَينِ

خَرجتُ أَسرحُ فكري مع صَديقَينِ

One night, when sleep had eluded my eyes,

On a dark night, when worries escaped my eye

I went out to let my thoughts roam with two friends.

I went out to wander with two friends

فَشمتُ نَجمَ الدُجى تَنضَمُّ سارِيَةً

فَشمتُ نَجمَ الدُجى تَنضَمُّ سارِيَةً

وَبِاِئتِلافٍ تَمَشّى كلّ نَجمينِ

وَبِاِئتِلافٍ تَمَشّى كلّ نَجمينِ

Then I saw the stars of night draw together as they traveled,

I smelled the star of darkness gathering loosely

And each pair of stars walked in harmony.

And two stars walking together

وَغَيمَتَين أَطلَّ البَدرُ بَينَهما

وَغَيمَتَين أَطلَّ البَدرُ بَينَهما

شَبيه جَوهَرَةٍ ما بَين نَهدَينِ

شَبيه جَوهَرَةٍ ما بَين نَهدَينِ

And the full moon appeared between two clouds,

And two clouds which the full moon peered through

Like a jewel between two breasts.

Like a jewel between two breasts

فَقُلتُ وَالنَفسُ تَعدو رائِدَ الأَمَلِ

فَقُلتُ وَالنَفسُ تَعدو رائِدَ الأَمَلِ

الاِئتِلافُ أَساسُ الجدّ وَالعَملِ

الاِئتِلافُ أَساسُ الجدّ وَالعَملِ

So I said, as my soul outran hope's forerunner:

I said, as my soul strode ahead with hope

Harmony is the foundation of diligence and work.

Alliance is the foundation of seriousness and action

فَفي الفَتاةِ دروسٌ نَستَنيرُ بِها

فَفي الفَتاةِ دروسٌ نَستَنيرُ بِها

إِنَّ الفَتاةَ حياةُ القَلبِ في الرجلِ

إِنَّ الفَتاةَ حياةُ القَلبِ في الرجلِ

For in a young woman are lessons from which we draw light.

For in women there are lessons we are enlightened by

Indeed, a young woman is the life of a man's heart.

Women are the lives of men's hearts

إِذا اِستَنارَت وَآخَته مصافَحَةً

إِذا اِستَنارَت وَآخَته مصافَحَةً

تَجري دِماءُ القوى في مهجَةِ الدُوَلِ

تَجري دِماءُ القوى في مهجَةِ الدُوَلِ

If she is enlightened and joins him in fellowship, clasping hands,

When she shines and shakes his hand in alliance

The blood of strength flows through the heart of nations.

The blood of strength flows in the veins of nations