فيمwhy التقاطعُmutual estrangement والأرحامُand kinship ties واشجةٌintertwined
فيم التقاطعُ والأرحامُ واشجةٌ
والدارُand the homeland جامعةٌuniting والملتقىand the meeting place أَمَمُnear at hand
والدارُ جامعةٌ والملتقى أَمَمُ
Why this estrangement, when kinship ties are entwined,
What good is this division, these severed ties,
and the homeland unites us, and the meeting place is near?
While homes unite, and tribes congregate?
اللهGod فيregarding قطعِsevering أَرحامٍkinship ties وَفصمِand snapping عرىbonds
الله في قطعِ أَرحامٍ وَفصمِ عرى
عهديmy knowledge بهاof them وهيand they are وثقىmost firm ليسnot تنفصمare broken
عهدي بها وهي وثقى ليس تنفصم
For God's sake, beware severing kinship ties and snapping bonds—
God forbid this severing of family bonds,
I have known them as the firmest bonds, never to be broken.
My covenant with them is my unbreakable bond.
تأبىrefuse وَشائجُkinship bonds منfrom قرباكمُyour kinship اشتبكتْhave intertwined
تأبى وَشائجُ من قرباكمُ اشتبكتْ
أنْto يُنقضَbe broken العهدُthe pledge والميثاقُand the covenant والذممand obligations of honor
أنْ يُنقضَ العهدُ والميثاقُ والذمم
The intertwined bonds of your kinship refuse
Kinship's ties, bound close to you, refuse
to let the pledge, the covenant, and obligations of honor be broken.
To see covenants, pacts and oaths undone.
أواصرُties عندناamong us منfrom وَصلِهاmaintaining them نعمٌblessings
أواصرُ عندنا من وَصلِها نعمٌ
بقطِby severing أَسبابِهاtheir cords تستنزلis called down النقمretribution
بقطِ أَسبابِها تستنزل النقم
We have ties whose keeping brings blessings;
To us, the bonds of kin are precious boons,
by severing their cords, retribution is called down.
Sever their causes, calamity will come.
حصنٌa fortress منof الشملِunity إنْif يفرعis breached فليسthen there is no لناfor us
حصنٌ من الشملِ إنْ يفرع فليس لنا
واللهby God منfrom بعدهafter it ياO قومpeople معتصمa refuge
والله من بعده يا قوم معتصم
Unity is a fortress; if it is breached, we have no
Our fellowship's a fortress, and if branches split
refuge after it, by God, my people.
By God, beyond it we've no safe haven.
أَفيis it in الحصافةprudence صدعshattering الشملِunity فيat زَمَنٍa time
أَفي الحصافة صدع الشملِ في زَمَنٍ
ونحنwhile we أحوجmost in need ماever نضويwe draw together وَنلتئَمand unite
ونحن أحوج ما نضوي وَنلتئَم
Is it prudent to shatter unity at a time
Is this the time, in narrow partisanship,
when we most need to draw together and unite?
To break our bonds, when we need to reunite?
وَهلand do ترىyou see فئةًa group فيin أمرِهاits affairs انقسمتْbecame divided
وَهل ترى فئةً في أمرِها انقسمتْ
إلاّexcept وَأصبحand became عقبىthe outcome أمرِهاof its affairs الندمregret
إلاّ وَأصبح عقبى أمرِها الندم
And have you ever seen a group divide over its affairs
Did you ever see a faction split in two
without regret becoming its final outcome?
And not come to regret the division?
ماذاwhat عسىmight أنكرتْhave found objectionable منin (جلّقJilliq) (حلبAleppo)
ماذا عسى أنكرتْ من (جلّق) (حلب)
بلrather ماwhat عسىmight أهلthe people of لبنانLebanon يريبهمtrouble them
بل ما عسى أهل لبنان يريبهم
What could Aleppo have found objectionable in Jilliq?
What could Janah expect? What might Aleppo fear
Rather, what could trouble the people of Lebanon?
From Lebanon's people? Nothing, I believe.
بلادُناour country وَيدُand the hand التقسيمِof partition تعلقهاclutches it
بلادُنا وَيدُ التقسيمِ تعلقها
كأَنهاas though it were رقعةٌa piece of cloth ينتابهاrepeatedly assails it جَلَمُshears
كأَنها رقعةٌ ينتابها جَلَمُ
Our country, with the hand of partition clutching it,
Our lands - the hand of partition gropes for them
is like a piece of cloth repeatedly assailed by shears.
As if they were patches taken by the blind.
أكلّis every حاضرةcity دارٌa seat لمملكةٍfor a kingdom
أكلّ حاضرة دارٌ لمملكةٍ
أبعادdistances ماwhat بينهنbetween them الفترthe thumb-to-index span والبصمand the ring-to-little-finger span
أبعاد ما بينهن الفتر والبصم
Is every city the seat of a kingdom,
Great cities, each an entire kingdom's seat,
the distances between them mere thumb-to-index and ring-to-little-finger spans?
Whose dimensions span miles wide.
لمفحصsurely a nesting hollow منamong أَفاحيصthe nesting hollows of القطاsandgrouse حرجcramped
لمفحص من أَفاحيص القطا حرج
حامتْhave circled عَلَىover سمْتهits position العقبانُthe eagles والرخمand the vultures
حامتْ عَلَى سمْته العقبانُ والرخم
Surely a cramped hollow among the sandgrouse's nests,
No narrow valley of Mount Lebanon
over which eagles and vultures have circled,
Where eagles and vultures might encroach,
أبقىmore enduring وَأوسعand more spacious عندin الظنِone's estimation منthan دولٍstates
أبقى وَأوسع عند الظنِ من دولٍ
يحصيmeasures مساوفهنَّtheir distances الشبرthe handspan والقدمand the foot
يحصي مساوفهنَّ الشبر والقدم
is, one would think, more enduring and spacious than states
More spacious to my mind than realms
whose distances a handspan and a foot can measure.
You could pace off by the yard, or mile.
وَكلّand every مملكةٍkingdom ضاقتْbecame cramped بساكنهاfor its inhabitant
وَكلّ مملكةٍ ضاقتْ بساكنها
ليستis not بمملكةٍa kingdom at all بلrather إنهاindeed it is رَجَمa grave
ليست بمملكةٍ بل إنها رَجَم
And every kingdom too cramped for its inhabitants
Every kingdom whose people overflow
is no kingdom, but a grave.
Becomes no kingdom, but angry crowds.
إنَّindeed التخاذلَmutual abandonment إلاّexcept فيin مواطنناour lands
إنَّ التخاذلَ إلاّ في مواطننا
خلقa trait تحاماهhave shunned it حتىeven الأعبدthe slaves القزمthe lowly
خلق تحاماه حتى الأعبد القزم
Indeed, mutual abandonment—except in our lands—
Only in our lands is cowardice
is a trait even the lowliest slaves have shunned.
A thing created even for the lowliest slave.
لقدindeed أضعناwe have squandered تراثَthe legacy of السالفينthe forebears سوىexcept
لقد أضعنا تراثَ السالفين سوى
نارٍa fire منof الحقدِhatred والأضغانِand rancor تضطرمblazes
نارٍ من الحقدِ والأضغانِ تضطرم
Indeed, we have squandered our forebears' legacy, except for
We've squandered our forebears' legacy
a fire of hatred and rancor that blazes.
Except for fires of malice that spark and swell,
أكلّماis it whenever قامarose داعٍa caller للوئامfor concord بناamong us
أكلّما قام داعٍ للوئام بنا
إذاsuddenly بأسماعناin our ears عنto قولهِhis words صعمdeafness
إذا بأسماعنا عن قولهِ صعم
Whenever a caller for concord rises among us,
Every time a peacemaker arises among us
do our ears suddenly turn deaf to his words?
Our hearing is deafened to his words.
منwho مبلغwill tell الحمسthe valiant منof (قيسٍQays) وَمنand of (يَمَنٍYemen)
من مبلغ الحمس من (قيسٍ) وَمن (يَمَنٍ)
إنّاindeed we عَلَىover كلevery أَمرٍmatter دَقَّis petty نختصمwe quarrel
إنّا عَلَى كل أَمرٍ دَقَّ نختصم
Who will tell the valiant men of Qays and Yemen
What can Qais or Yemen avail
that we quarrel over every petty matter?
When we dispute everything we hear?
بلrather مَنْwho يبلّغwill inform (مخزومMakhzum) التيwhich شمختheld itself high
بل مَنْ يبلّغ (مخزوم) التي شمخت
بآنفwith noses زانهنadorned them الكبرpride والشممand lofty dignity
بآنف زانهن الكبر والشمم
Rather, who will tell Makhzum, which held itself high
Or who might convey to Makhzoum's clan -
with noses adorned by pride and lofty dignity,
Those haughty, grand, aloof nobility -
إنّاindeed we عَلَىbefore الهونhumiliation نستخذيwe submit meekly فآنفناso our noses
إنّا عَلَى الهون نستخذي فآنفنا
إمّاeither مجدعةٌlopped off بالهونby humiliation أوor خزمpierced for nose-rings
إمّا مجدعةٌ بالهون أو خزم
that we submit meekly to humiliation, so our noses
That we demean ourselves, yet raise our noses,
are either lopped off by humiliation or pierced for nose-rings?
Whether bleating sheep or roaring lions.
قالواthey said وَفيand in الدينreligion بونٌa gulf دونَbarring وَحدتِناour unity
قالوا وَفي الدين بونٌ دونَ وَحدتِنا
إلىuntil متىwhen باسمin the name of هذاthis الدينِreligion تقتسمis partitioned
إلى متى باسم هذا الدينِ تقتسم
They said: "A gulf in religion bars our unity."
They said: without our unity, faith is wanting -
How long will our land be partitioned in this religion's name?
How long in the name of faith will you divide us?
لئنْif indeed أَصرّواthey persist عَلَىin أهواءِthe whims of أنفسِهمْtheir own selves
لئنْ أَصرّوا عَلَى أهواءِ أنفسِهمْ
لاneither الدينُreligion يبقىwill remain وَلاnor الدنياworldly life وَلاnor الشيمvirtues
لا الدينُ يبقى وَلا الدنيا وَلا الشيم
If indeed they persist in their own whims,
If they insist on following their whims,
neither religion nor worldly life nor virtues will remain.
Neither faith remains, nor worldly goods, nor repute.
Sol 6.1