دَعِ اِستِماعَكَ ذِكرى دَيرِ سَمعانِ

دَعِ اِستِماعَكَ ذِكرى دَيرِ سَمعانِ

فَما أَمَرَّ النَوى عَن دَيرِ مُرّانِ

فَما أَمَرَّ النَوى عَن دَيرِ مُرّانِ

Leave off listening to recollections of the Monastery of Sam'an;

Leave off listening to memories of the monastery of Simeon,

for how bitter is parting from the Monastery of Murran!

For the monastery of Mouran has not been made bitter by fate.

فيهِ شَماسَةً مِثلَ الشُموسِ إِذا

فيهِ شَماسَةً مِثلَ الشُموسِ إِذا

جاءوكَ بَينَ أَناجيلٍ وَصُلبانِ

جاءوكَ بَينَ أَناجيلٍ وَصُلبانِ

In it are deacons like suns, when

In it there is a deacon like suns when

they come to you amid Gospels and crosses.

They bring you amid Gospels and crosses.

وَكُلُّ قَسٍّ كَقُسٍّ إِن تَحَدَّثَ عَن

وَكُلُّ قَسٍّ كَقُسٍّ إِن تَحَدَّثَ عَن

عيسى بنِ مَريَمَ أَو موسى بنِ عِمرانِ

عيسى بنِ مَريَمَ أَو موسى بنِ عِمرانِ

And every priest is like Quss when he speaks of

And every priest is like a priest; if he speaks of

Jesus, son of Mary, or Moses, son of Imran.

Jesus son of Mary or Moses son of Amram,

وَفي الشَعانينَ مِن أَولادِ جَفنَةَ لي

وَفي الشَعانينَ مِن أَولادِ جَفنَةَ لي

ظَبيٌ يُناشِدُني أَشعارَ حَسّانِ

ظَبيٌ يُناشِدُني أَشعارَ حَسّانِ

And on Palm Sunday, among Jafna's descendants, I have

And among the palm trees there is to me from the children of Jafnah

a gazelle who recites Hassan's poems to me.

A gazelle who recites to me the poems of Hassân.

لِلَّهِ لَيلَةَ بِتنا وَهوَ ثالِثُنا

لِلَّهِ لَيلَةَ بِتنا وَهوَ ثالِثُنا

مِن مُسلِمٍ وَيَهودِيٍّ وَنَصراني

مِن مُسلِمٍ وَيَهودِيٍّ وَنَصراني

God be praised for the night we spent, with him the third of us—

By God, the night we passed with him, he being the third of us,

a Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian.

Of Muslim, Jew, and Christian,

وَراحَنا مِن ثَلاثٍ أَبيَضٍ يَقَقٍ

وَراحَنا مِن ثَلاثٍ أَبيَضٍ يَقَقٍ

وَأَصفَرٍ فاقِعٍ أَو أَحمَرٍ قاني

وَأَصفَرٍ فاقِعٍ أَو أَحمَرٍ قاني

And our wine was of three kinds: pure white,

And we left from the three of us—white, crackling,

and vivid yellow, or deep red.

Yellow, crumbling, or red, crumbling—

وَقالَ هَيّا فَقَد لاحَ الصَباحُ وَقَد

وَقالَ هَيّا فَقَد لاحَ الصَباحُ وَقَد

طابَ الصَبوحُ عَلى رَوحٍ وَرَيحانِ

طابَ الصَبوحُ عَلى رَوحٍ وَرَيحانِ

And he said, 'Come, for dawn has broken, and

And he said, “Come! For the dawn has shone, and the

the morning draught is sweet amid repose and fragrant herbs.'

predawn has sweetened, upon a soul and a basil,"

ما بَينَ سَطرا وَمَقرا جَنَّةٌ سَرَحَت

ما بَينَ سَطرا وَمَقرا جَنَّةٌ سَرَحَت

أَنهارُها في ظِلالِ الآسِ وَالبانِ

أَنهارُها في ظِلالِ الآسِ وَالبانِ

Between Satra and Maqra lies a paradise; freely wander

Between stream and meadow is an orchard whose

its rivers in the shade of myrtle and moringa trees.

rivers flowed in the shade of myrtle and acacia,

يَظَلُّ مَنثورُها وَالرَوضُ مُنتَثِراً

يَظَلُّ مَنثورُها وَالرَوضُ مُنتَثِراً

كَأَنَّما صيغَ مِن دُرٍّ وَمُرجانِ

كَأَنَّما صيغَ مِن دُرٍّ وَمُرجانِ

Its stock blossoms remain scattered, and the garden strewn,

Its flowers sprinkled about, and the meadow strewn

as though fashioned from pearls and coral.

As if it were molded from pearl and coral,

وَالطَيرُ تُنشِدُ في أَغضانِها سَحَراً

وَالطَيرُ تُنشِدُ في أَغضانِها سَحَراً

هَذا هُوَ العَيشُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ فانِ

هَذا هُوَ العَيشُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ فانِ

And the birds sing in its branches before dawn:

And the birds chant in its boughs at dawn a magic spell:

'This is life—except that it is fleeting.'

“This is life, if only it were not fleeting!”