1. قد بَناها عُمَرٌ رُكْنُ بَنِي

    بيِّهِمْ داراً زَهَتْ في صُقْعِها

    Indeed, it was built by ʿUmar, pillar of the clan of

    Bayhum—a house that shone in its district.

  2. في رُبَى بيروتَ قامتْ فحَكتْ

    دُرَّةَ التَّاجِ بسامي وَضْعِها

    On Beirut’s hills it rose, and so resembled

    The crown’s pearl in its lofty setting.

  3. وقفَ السَّعدُ على أبوابها

    وشَدَت وُرْقُ الهَنا في رَبعِها

    Good fortune stood at its gates,

    And the gray doves of joy sang within its precincts.

  4. فانجَلَت في بَلَدٍ تأريخُها

    أذِنَ اللهُ بهِ في رَفعِها

    So it shone forth in a town; its chronogram:

    “God gave leave for it to be raised.”