1. قد قامَ رَبُّ الدَّارِ في أوطانِهِ

    وجَرَى الجَوادُ هُناكَ في مَيدانِهِ

    The lord of the house has arisen in his native lands,

    And the steed has galloped there in its arena.

  2. واخضَرَّ ما قد جَفَّ من نَبْتِ الرُّبَى

    فجرَت مياهُ الخِصبِ في عِيدانِهِ

    And the hills' once-withered vegetation grew green,

    So the waters of fertility flowed through its stems.

  3. عاد الرَّبيعُ إلى الدِّيارِ بزَهرهِ

    كزَمانِهِ بعدَ انقضاءِ زَمانِهِ

    Spring returned to the lands with its blossoms,

    As in its season, after its season had passed.

  4. وأفادهُ سَعدُ الشِّهابِ نَضارةً

    في آبَ لم تَخطُرْ على نَيْسانِهِ

    And Saʿd al-Shihab bestowed on it a freshness

    In August that its April had never imagined.

  5. أتَتِ الوِلايةُ أهلَ منَصبِها الذي

    لا يستحي أحَدٌ بلثمِ بَنانِهِ

    The governorship came to its rightful holder, whose

    Fingertips no one is ashamed to kiss.

  6. للمجدِ في لُبنانَ بيتٌ شامخٌ

    آلُ الشِّهابِ الرأسُ من أركانِهِ

    Glory has a lofty house in Lebanon;

    The Shihab family is chief among its pillars.

  7. قومٌ لهم شَرَفٌ قديمٌ من مَدَى

    زَمَنٍ عَصى التأريخَ حِفظُ أوانِهِ

    A people with ancient honor, reaching back to

    An age whose date history could not preserve.

  8. لو هَمَّ نُسَّابُ الحِجازِ بضبطِهِ

    بَلغَ السِّياقُ بهِ إلى عَدنانِهِ

    If the genealogists of the Hijaz attempted to trace it,

    The account would trace it back to its Adnan.

  9. كم قاطفٍ للزَّهرِ من عُرضِ الفَلا

    يا مَن قطفتَ الزَّهرَ من بُستانِهِ

    Many a one plucks flowers from the midst of the wilderness—

    O you who plucked flowers from their own garden!

  10. مَن كانَ مِن نسلِ البشيرِ فذاكَ لم

    تَكُنِ الممالِكُ فوقَ رِفعةِ شانِهِ

    Whoever came of Bashir's line—such a man was never

    Outranked by kingdoms in the loftiness of his station.

  11. ذاكَ الذي ضَبَطَتْ عِنانَ بِلادِهِ

    يَدُهُ كما ضَبَطَت عِنانَ حِصانِهِ

    He was the one whose country's reins were held fast

    By his hand, as it held the reins of his horse.

  12. قد كان يُطفي الماءُ جمرةَ غيرهِ

    والماءُ يُحرِقُهُ لَظَى نِيرانِهِ

    Water would extinguish another's ember,

    But water itself is burned by the blaze of his fires.

  13. وقد اقتبستَ خِصالَهُ وصفاتَهُ

    من حيثُ كُنتَ نشأتَ في دِيوانِهِ

    And you have borrowed his traits and qualities,

    Since you had grown up in his court.

  14. والأصلُ يجري في الفُروعِ زكاؤُهُ

    فيُولِّدُ الأثمارَ في أغصانهِ

    And the root's vigor flows through its offshoots,

    Thus bringing forth fruit upon its branches.

  15. سُرَّت بمَنصبِكَ البِلادُ لأنَّهُ

    في طالعٍ بالسَّعدِ عَقْدُ قِرانِهِ

    The lands rejoiced at your appointment, for it

    Was wed to good fortune under a rising star.

  16. ما زالَ يُهديكَ الهَنا بكتابهِ

    مَن ليسَ يُمكنُهُ الهَنا بلِسانِهِ

    He keeps sending you congratulations in his letter—

    He who cannot congratulate you with his tongue.