1. خَتَمتَ بِالصَمتِ آياتٍ وَعرفانا

    لَمّا نَزَلتَ جوارَ اللَهِ سُبحانا

    You sealed verses and knowledge with silence,

    When you settled beside God—glory be to Him.

  2. آثَرتَ جيرَةَ إِبراهيمَ فَاِفَتَخَرَت

    بِأَن تَكونَ لَكَ الأَفلاكُ جيرانا

    You chose to be Ibrahim's neighbor, and took pride

    In having the celestial spheres as your neighbors.

  3. مَضيتَ حيثُ المعرّي قبَل ذاكَ مَضى

    وَالبُحتُرِيُّ وَأَعشى وَاِبنُ سِفيانا

    You went where al-Ma'arri had gone before,

    And al-Buhturi, and al-A'sha, and Ibn Sufyan.

  4. فَأَقبَلَت لِلقاكَ العربُ قاطِبَةً

    مُهَلِّلاتٍ زَرافاتٍ وَوِحدانا

    Then all the Arabs came to meet you,

    Joyfully acclaiming, in throngs and one by one.

  5. وَخَفَّ هومير بِالإِلياذِ محرقها

    أَمامَ عَينَيكَ بخوراً وَقُربانا

    And Homer hastened with the Iliad, burning it

    Before your eyes as incense and an offering.

  6. فَصافَحَتك أَينا وَهيَ باسِمَةٌ

    حُبّاً وَعانَقَتِ اليونانُ لبنانا

    Then Aina shook your hand, smiling,

    In love, and Greece embraced Lebanon.

  7. يا اِبنَ الأُلى رَفَعوا لِلضّادِ منزِلَةً

    وَشَيَّدوا لِجَلالِ العلمِ بنيانا

    O son of those who raised the standing of the tongue of ḍād,

    And built an edifice for the majesty of learning.

  8. ناداكَ مجدُك وَالأَجيالُ مصغيةٌ

    تَرمي إِلَيكَ أَزاهيراً وَريحانا

    Your glory called you, while the generations listened,

    Casting flowers and sweet basil toward you.

  9. نِلتَ الإِمارَةَ في الدارَين عَن ثِقَةٍ

    فَكُنتَ فَخراً لِمَوتانا وَأَحيانا

    You attained princely rank in both worlds, assuredly,

    And so you were a source of pride to our dead and our living.

  10. كُنتَ الأَميرَ عَلى جَنّاتِها فَغَدَت

    لَكَ الإِمارَة في جَنّاتِ رِضوانا

    You were the prince over its gardens; now

    Princely rule is yours in Ridwan's gardens.

  11. جَلست عَهداً عَلى عرشِ الجَمالِ فَطر

    وَاِجلِس عَلى سِدَّةِ الأَنوارِ أَزمانا

    You sat for a time upon beauty's throne; so fly,

    And sit upon the throne of radiance for ages.

  12. تَرَكتَ يا نسرُ إيوانَ الفَناءِ وَقد

    حَلَّقتَ كَي تَنتَحي لِلخُلدِ إيوانا

    You left, O eagle, mortality's hall, having

    Soared to seek a hall in eternity.

  13. ما زالَ طَيفَُ وَالأَبصارُ مضجعُهُ

    يرودُ حَولَ قصورِ العِلمِ يَقظانا

    A shade still—with eyes as his resting place—

    Roams wakefully around the palaces of learning.

  14. وَالعُربُ تَجمَعُ من أَنفاسِهِ نَسماً

    وَتَستَعيدُ بِها لِلفَضلِ ما كانا

    And the Arabs gather breezes from his breaths,

    And through them restore excellence to what it once was.

  15. يا واضِعاً نَفسَه في تُربِ بَلدَتِهِ

    رِفقاً وَضع نَفسَهُ في قَلبِ غَسّانا

    O one who laid himself in the soil of his town,

    Gently he laid himself in Ghassan's heart.

  16. عِظامُهُ كَنزُ غَسّانٍ وَمَفخرةٌ

    إِذا هَزَزتَ بلاها عاد مرجانا

    His bones are Ghassan's treasure and a source of pride;

    If you shake their decayed remains, they turn to coral.

  17. فَرجيل قَبَّل عَينَيه وَجَبهَتَه

    وَقامَ يَلثَمه موسى بن عمرانا

    Virgil kissed his eyes and his forehead,

    And Moses, son of Imran, rose to kiss him.

  18. وَأَنشَدَتهُ بناتُ الشعرِ أُغنِيَةً

    وَوَقَّعَتها عَلى القيثارِ أَلحانا

    And the daughters of poetry sang him a song,

    And played its melodies upon the lyre.

  19. وَجاءَ دانَتي وَهوغو يَسجدانِ لَهُ

    وَالماجِنُ بنُ نواسٍ جاءَ سَكرانا

    And Dante and Hugo came, prostrating themselves before him,

    And the libertine Ibn Nuwas came drunk.

  20. وَالفارِضُ الزاهِد الصوفِيُّ خَفَّ إِلى

    تَقبيلِهِ وَأَتاهُ المَجدُ ظَمآنا

    And al-Farid, the ascetic Sufi, hastened to

    Kiss him, and Glory came to him thirsting.

  21. ومَن لِلجِهادِ وَلِلأََقلامِ في وَطَني

    بَعد الفَقيدِ فَقيدِ العلمِ سلمانا

    And who is there for the struggle and the pens in my homeland,

    After the departed Salman, whom learning has lost?

  22. من لِلسِياساتِ تَأتيهِ فَيصدقها

    وَيستعيدُ بِها مَجداً وَسُلطانا

    Who will tend to statecraft when it comes to him, and be true to it,

    And through it regain glory and power?

  23. هَل الفَقيدُ سِوى ركنٍ نعزُّ بهِ

    هَوى فَأَسقَطَ لِلآدابِ أَركانا

    Was the departed anything but a pillar through whom we drew strength,

    That fell and brought down pillars of literature?

  24. لا العَينُ تَنفَعُ في منعاه إِن دَمَعت

    وَلا النواحُ يُعيدُ اليُبسَ رَيّانا

    No eye avails at the news of his death, even if it weeps,

    Nor can wailing make the withered lush again.

  25. عَرائِس الشِعر في برناس باكِيَةٌ

    تضمُّ مِن حُزنِها صَخراً وَصُوّانا

    The brides of poetry on Parnassus are weeping,

    Clasping rock and flint in their sorrow.

  26. كَأَنَّ أَرجاءَه بَعد الأُلى ذَهَبوا

    أَمسَت عَلَيهِم دياجيراً وَأَكفانا

    As though its reaches, after those people had gone,

    Had become deep darkness and shrouds over them.