أيَّ قدس يضُمَ هذا البناء

أيَّ قدس يضُمَ هذا البناء

حسدت أرضه عليه السماء

حسدت أرضه عليه السماء

What holiness this building holds!

What sanctity does this edifice enclose

The heavens envied its ground for possessing it.

The sky envied its land that it chose

أن يكن فوق هذه الأرض شيء

أن يكن فوق هذه الأرض شيء

فيه قدسيّةٌ فهذا البناء

فيه قدسيّةٌ فهذا البناء

If there is anything upon this earth

If anything on this earth sacred could be

with holiness in it, it is this building.

Then this is that sanctified edifice to me

هو من هذه البَنيّات لكن

هو من هذه البَنيّات لكن

شرُفت بالمقاصد الأشياء

شرُفت بالمقاصد الأشياء

It is one of these buildings, yet

It is but a structure, yet it is graced

things are ennobled by their purposes.

With great intentions that hallow a place

كلما جئته مُلمّاً تجلّت

كلما جئته مُلمّاً تجلّت

لي من تحت أسّه العلياء

لي من تحت أسّه العلياء

Whenever I came to visit it, there shone forth

Whenever I come to it, humbly, I see

before me, from beneath its foundation, sublimity.

Majestic glory underneath its roof so high

هو بِكر في ذي البلاد وللأط

هو بِكر في ذي البلاد وللأط

فال فيه حماية عذراء

فال فيه حماية عذراء

It is the first of its kind in this land; for the children

It pioneered in this land, and to protect

there is virgin protection within it.

Innocents in it, acts a chaste intellect

لم نكن قبل ذا نُفكّر فيما

لم نكن قبل ذا نُفكّر فيما

فكّرت فيه قبلنا الرُحماء

فكّرت فيه قبلنا الرُحماء

Before this, we had not thought of what

We never before thought of what was thought of

the compassionate had thought of before us.

By the merciful before we were brought of

كان للبُؤس في المواطن لفح

كان للبُؤس في المواطن لفح

من سَموم تذوي به الرضعاء

من سَموم تذوي به الرضعاء

In the dwellings, misery had a scorching blast

Misery's blight in homelands was a bane

of searing wind in which suckling infants withered.

That melted babies into woe and pain

ربّ طفل أودت به قِلّة الدَرّ

ربّ طفل أودت به قِلّة الدَرّ

على أن أمّه ثَدياء

على أن أمّه ثَدياء

Many a child was killed by too little milk,

A child, some by poverty were undone

though his mother had ample breasts.

Though their mothers had milk that could suckle one

أمّه من أبيه آمت فأمست

أمّه من أبيه آمت فأمست

ينهك البؤس جسمها والشقاء

ينهك البؤس جسمها والشقاء

His mother was widowed of his father, and came to be

A mother whose spouse made her hopes recede

ravaged in body by misery and hardship.

And penury wore down her body and deed

فحكى شخصها الخَيالة إذ لا

فحكى شخصها الخَيالة إذ لا

ح ذبول بجسمها وأرتخاء

ح ذبول بجسمها وأرتخاء

So her figure resembled a phantom, as

Her gaunt shape told that tale although she had

wasting and slackness appeared in her body.

No withering in her frame or muscles clad

وأرتمى ثديها وفيه جَفاف

وأرتمى ثديها وفيه جَفاف

لم يكن للرضيع فيهِ غذاء

لم يكن للرضيع فيهِ غذاء

And her breast sagged, dry within;

Her breast sagged without milk or any food

there was no nourishment in it for the infant.

To nourish the babe as a motherhood should

فهو أن لم يعِش فموت مُريح

فهو أن لم يعِش فموت مُريح

وهو أن عاش عاش فيه الداء

وهو أن عاش عاش فيه الداء

So if he did not live, death brought relief;

So if he did not live, death gave him release

and if he lived, disease lived within him.

And if he lived, he lived with disease

هكذا كانت المواليد تحيا

هكذا كانت المواليد تحيا

ولها من حياتها افناء

ولها من حياتها افناء

Thus newborn children used to live,

That's how newborns lived, their lives to cede

and their very lives brought them destruction.

Fated for extinction, their brief lives to bleed

ومن اللؤم أن نرى عندنا الأط

ومن اللؤم أن نرى عندنا الأط

فال تفنى لأنهم فقراء

فال تفنى لأنهم فقراء

And it is shameful to see the children among us

It's base that we see children with us fade

perish because they are poor.

For they are poor, hence their loss decades made

لا غذاء في جَوفهم لا كساء

لا غذاء في جَوفهم لا كساء

لا غطاء من فوقهم لا ِوطاء

لا غطاء من فوقهم لا ِوطاء

No food in their bellies, no clothing,

No food in their insides, no clothes for their backs

no cover above them, no bedding.

No covers above them, no shelter that packs

علّ ميتاً لو عاش منهم لأضحى

علّ ميتاً لو عاش منهم لأضحى

فيه للناس مأمل ورجاء

فيه للناس مأمل ورجاء

Perhaps one of their dead, had he lived, would have become

A child dead, if alive, a hope he'd have been

a source of hope and expectation for people.

Of succor for people, a prospect foreseen

ربّ من مات منهِم مات معه

ربّ من مات منهِم مات معه

شرف باذخ لنا وعَلاء

شرف باذخ لنا وعَلاء

Many a child among them died, and with him died

Many died with them whose honorable thought

our towering honor and eminence.

Brought us glory, esteem that their loss had wrought

ليس موت الأطفال هيناً فقد ين

ليس موت الأطفال هيناً فقد ين

بُغ منهم نوابغٌ أذكياء

بُغ منهم نوابغٌ أذكياء

The death of children is no small matter, for there may

Children's deaths are no triviality

emerge among them intelligent prodigies.

For geniuses could have stemmed from their seed

إنما هم كمثل أصداف بحر

إنما هم كمثل أصداف بحر

لست تدري دُرّ بها أم خلاء

لست تدري دُرّ بها أم خلاء

They are just like seashells:

They are like sea shells, you know not if they

you do not know whether they hold pearls or emptiness.

Hide a pearl inside or are empty in their gray

فلعلّ الطفل الذي مات منهم

فلعلّ الطفل الذي مات منهم

مات عقل بموته ودهاء

مات عقل بموته ودهاء

So perhaps the child among them who died

So the child who died maybe had a mind

took intellect and ingenuity with him in death.

That died with him, intelligence of its kind

أنه مثل وردة قطفتها

أنه مثل وردة قطفتها

قبل ما فتحها يدٌ عسراء

قبل ما فتحها يدٌ عسراء

He is like a rose plucked

He was a flower that an unkind hand plucked

before it bloomed, by a left hand.

Before it bloomed, its time by fate unstuck

جلّ هذا البناء حسناً وقدراً

جلّ هذا البناء حسناً وقدراً

فهو فيه فخامة ورُواء

فهو فيه فخامة ورُواء

This building is great in beauty and worth.

Exalted is this house in beauty and rank

For within it are grandeur and beauty.

With grandeur and breadth it is steadfast and frank

وعلا في معارج الحمد حتى

وعلا في معارج الحمد حتى

لم تُطاوله في العُلا الجوزاء

لم تُطاوله في العُلا الجوزاء

And it rose up the stairways of praise until

It climbed eulogies' steps so high that no height

not even al-Jawza could rival its loftiness.

Of glory under the stars matches its might

كلّما جال في مبانيه طرفي

كلّما جال في مبانيه طرفي

لمعت لي من جُدره العلياء

لمعت لي من جُدره العلياء

Whenever my gaze roamed through its buildings,

Whenever my eyes wander its halls and sights

sublimity shone before me from its walls.

I see splendor flash from its lofty heights

ولقد دلّ أنّ مَن شيّدوه

ولقد دلّ أنّ مَن شيّدوه

سادة في طباعهم كُرَماء

سادة في طباعهم كُرَماء

And it surely showed that those who built it

It shows it was built by folk noble in soul

are noble men, generous by nature.

Generous at heart, magnanimous their goal

شكر اللّه سعيهم من كرام

شكر اللّه سعيهم من كرام

بلغوا من فَخارهم ما شاءوا

بلغوا من فَخارهم ما شاءوا

May God reward the efforts of these generous men,

God reward their effort, successes unfurled

who attained the glory they desired.

Reached the pride that their spirits had swirled

سوف يبقى لهم على الدهر ذكر

سوف يبقى لهم على الدهر ذكر

فيه حمد لهم وفيه ثناء

فيه حمد لهم وفيه ثناء

Their memory will endure throughout time,

Their name through ages will lasting remain

with praise for them and commendation.

With praise and acclaim will their memory reign

فاز مَن شيّدوه بالحمد وأسوَدّ

فاز مَن شيّدوه بالحمد وأسوَدّ

ت وجوهاً بخزيها البخلاء

ت وجوهاً بخزيها البخلاء

Those who built it won praise, while

Those who built it are winners of all acclaim

the misers' faces turned black with shame.

While misers in shame have blackened their name

لا تُرَع أيها البناء المُعلّى

لا تُرَع أيها البناء المُعلّى

فلمرضى الأطفال فيك شفاء

فلمرضى الأطفال فيك شفاء

Fear not, O lofty building,

Do not falter O eminent upright home

for in you sick children find healing.

In you, children's cure and recovery roam

ولهم فيك مرضعات حوانٍ

ولهم فيك مرضعات حوانٍ

ولهم فيك طبّهم والدواء

ولهم فيك طبّهم والدواء

And in you they have tender-hearted wet nurses,

In you, wet nurses treat them with care

and in you they have medical care and medicine.

Doctors attend them, medicine is there

ولهم فيك مأمن وملاذ

ولهم فيك مأمن وملاذ

ولهم فيك صحّة ونماء

ولهم فيك صحّة ونماء

And in you they have a safe haven and refuge,

In you, safety and shelter they will find

and in you they have health and growth.

In you, health and growth they will bind

في عَلاليك من فنون المعالي

في عَلاليك من فنون المعالي

ما بفحواه عَيَّت الشعراء

ما بفحواه عَيَّت الشعراء

Within your upper chambers are forms of excellence

In your pavilions, virtues abound

whose meaning leaves poets at a loss.

That with eloquence poets expound

كلّمتنا منك المباني كلاماً

كلّمتنا منك المباني كلاماً

فيه منها فصاحة خرساء

فيه منها فصاحة خرساء

Your structures spoke to us in a language

Your walls spoke to me with voiceless tongue

of their own mute eloquence.

Eloquence within your silent lungs

إنما أنت غرّة الدهر تُتلى

إنما أنت غرّة الدهر تُتلى

فيك منّي قصيدة غرّاء

فيك منّي قصيدة غرّاء

You are the shining brow of time; there is recited

You are the century's pride, oft sung

in your praise a radiant poem of mine.

About you rises my eulogy young