ألنَّاسُ في الدَّهرِ لَفْظٌ أنتَ معناهُ

ألنَّاسُ في الدَّهرِ لَفْظٌ أنتَ معناهُ

والدَّهرُ في النَّاسِ عبدٌ أنتَ مَوْلاهُ

والدَّهرُ في النَّاسِ عبدٌ أنتَ مَوْلاهُ

People are a word in time; you are its meaning.

People in life are but words, and you are their meaning,

And time among people is a slave; you are its master.

And life itself is your servant, and you are its master.

وفي يمينِكَ من سَيفٍ ومن قَلَمٍ

وفي يمينِكَ من سَيفٍ ومن قَلَمٍ

ما في حواشيهِ نيرانٌ وأمواهُ

ما في حواشيهِ نيرانٌ وأمواهُ

And in your right hand are a sword and a pen,

In your right hand is a sword and a pen,

whose edges hold fires and waters.

Both with fires and waters in their margins.

لقد جَرَى قَدَرُ الباري بمَكرُمةٍ

لقد جَرَى قَدَرُ الباري بمَكرُمةٍ

فقالَتِ النَّاسُ باسْمِ الله مجْراهُ

فقالَتِ النَّاسُ باسْمِ الله مجْراهُ

Indeed, the Creator's decree has flowed with a noble favor;

The will of the Creator has flowed with benevolence,

and the people said, "In God's name be its course."

So people say "In God's name" wherever it goes.

أفاد سُوريَّةَ المسعودَ طالِعُها

أفاد سُوريَّةَ المسعودَ طالِعُها

سُوراً نجومُ الثُّريَا ليسَ تَرقاهُ

سُوراً نجومُ الثُّريَا ليسَ تَرقاهُ

He gave Syria, whose rising star is blessed,

Its rising star gave Syria good tidings,

a rampart that the stars of the Pleiades cannot scale.

With stars like the Pleiades guarding over its people.

مَن لا تَضيقُ بتدبيرٍ سياستُهُ

مَن لا تَضيقُ بتدبيرٍ سياستُهُ

لو أنَّ كلَّ بني الدُّنيا رعاياهُ

لو أنَّ كلَّ بني الدُّنيا رعاياهُ

One whose governance would not be strained by administration,

A leader whose governance is not straitened by any strategy,

even if all the world's children were his subjects.

Even if all the people of the world were his subjects.

في صَدرِهِ بحرُ علمٍ فاضَ مندفِقاً

في صَدرِهِ بحرُ علمٍ فاضَ مندفِقاً

فأصبحَ الدُّرُّ من أدنى هَداياهُ

فأصبحَ الدُّرُّ من أدنى هَداياهُ

In his breast, a sea of knowledge overflowed, pouring forth;

In his heart is an overflowing sea of knowledge,

so pearls became among the least of his gifts.

Such that pearls have become his most trivial gifts.

لا يَستَمِدُّ فتاوَى الفِقهِ من أحَدٍ

لا يَستَمِدُّ فتاوَى الفِقهِ من أحَدٍ

وتَستَمِدُّ شيوخُ الفِقهِ فتواهُ

وتَستَمِدُّ شيوخُ الفِقهِ فتواهُ

He draws rulings of religious law from no one,

He seeks no one's legal opinions or edicts,

while the masters of religious law draw upon his ruling.

Yet the jurists seek edicts and counsel from him.

تَعاهَدَ الدِّينُ والدُّنيا بمجلِسهِ

تَعاهَدَ الدِّينُ والدُّنيا بمجلِسهِ

فما تُفارِقُ حُكَم الدِّينِ دُنياهُ

فما تُفارِقُ حُكَم الدِّينِ دُنياهُ

Religion and worldly life made a pact in his council;

Religion and worldly life frequent his gatherings,

so his worldly life never departs from religion's rule.

So that his worldly rule never breaks from religion.

ساسَ البلادَ بألطافٍ ومَعدِلةٍ

ساسَ البلادَ بألطافٍ ومَعدِلةٍ

منهُ فكانت جميعُ النَّاسِ تَهواهُ

منهُ فكانت جميعُ النَّاسِ تَهواهُ

He governed the land with kindness and justice

He governed the lands with kindness and justice,

emanating from him, so all the people loved him.

So that all the people came to adore him.

ألقَى السَّكينةَ في قُطرٍ أقامَ بهِ

ألقَى السَّكينةَ في قُطرٍ أقامَ بهِ

فلم تكَدْ رجفةُ الزَّلزالِ تَغشاهُ

فلم تكَدْ رجفةُ الزَّلزالِ تَغشاهُ

He brought tranquility to a region where he dwelt,

He brought tranquility to a region where he stayed,

so the tremor of an earthquake could scarcely assail it.

Such that scarcely a tremor could disturb it.

لو كانَتِ الأُسْدُ يوماً من رَعيَّتِهِ

لو كانَتِ الأُسْدُ يوماً من رَعيَّتِهِ

لم تفترسْ أحداً من حيثُ تلقاهُ

لم تفترسْ أحداً من حيثُ تلقاهُ

If lions were one day among his subjects,

If lions were once his subjects,

they would devour no one, wherever they encountered him.

They would prey on no one that crossed their path.

يَسمو لهُ فوقَ آفاقِ العُلَى شَرَفٌ

يَسمو لهُ فوقَ آفاقِ العُلَى شَرَفٌ

حتى تصيرَ الدَّراري دونَ أدناهُ

حتى تصيرَ الدَّراري دونَ أدناهُ

For him, honor soars above the horizons of exaltation,

Nobility rises above the highest horizons for him,

until the radiant stars lie below its lowest reach.

Until even the mighty are lower than his lowest.

وكلَّما ازدادَ مَجداً زادَ في دَعَةٍ

وكلَّما ازدادَ مَجداً زادَ في دَعَةٍ

فلم يكُن يزدهيهِ المجدُ والجاهُ

فلم يكُن يزدهيهِ المجدُ والجاهُ

And the more he grew in glory, the more he grew in serenity;

And the more glory he gains, the more humble he becomes,

so neither glory nor rank made him vain.

For prestige and status never made him vain.

أهلاً بقادمِ بيروتَ التي ابتَهجَتْ

أهلاً بقادمِ بيروتَ التي ابتَهجَتْ

فلو أطاقَ حِماها كان لاقاهُ

فلو أطاقَ حِماها كان لاقاهُ

Welcome to the newcomer to Beirut, which rejoiced;

Welcome to the arrival in Beirut, which has rejoiced,

had her precincts been able, they would have come to meet him.

And were it able, would have come to greet him itself.

حيَّا الحيا رَبْعَها الزَّاهي الخصيبَ كما

حيَّا الحيا رَبْعَها الزَّاهي الخصيبَ كما

حيّا الإلهُ بتكريمٍ مُحَيَّاهُ

حيّا الإلهُ بتكريمٍ مُحَيَّاهُ

May rain bless her radiant, fertile abode, just as

It saluted its blooming, fertile environs,

God has blessed his countenance with honor.

Just as God saluted it with a worthy greeting.

يا سيِّداً قامَ يَرعَى وجهَ خالقِهِ

يا سيِّداً قامَ يَرعَى وجهَ خالقِهِ

على الدَّوامِ وَعينُ اللهِ ترعاهُ

على الدَّوامِ وَعينُ اللهِ ترعاهُ

O master, who stands mindful of his Creator's face,

O lord who arose to shepherd the face of his Creator,

at all times, while God's eye watches over him.

With God's gaze always watching over him.

ظَفِرْتَ في طاعةِ الباري بنعمتِهِ

ظَفِرْتَ في طاعةِ الباري بنعمتِهِ

والنَّاسُ تَدعُو جميعاً زادَكَ اللهُ

والنَّاسُ تَدعُو جميعاً زادَكَ اللهُ

In obedience to the Creator, you have won his blessing,

You have succeeded, by God's grace, in obeying Him,

and all the people pray, "May God grant you more!"

And all people together pray, may God increase you.