عُوجا على غَرْبِ لُبنانَ الذي اشتَهرَا

عُوجا على غَرْبِ لُبنانَ الذي اشتَهرَا

فذلكَ الغَرْبُ شَرْقٌ أطلَعَ القَمَرا

فذلكَ الغَرْبُ شَرْقٌ أطلَعَ القَمَرا

Turn aside, you two, toward Lebanon's famed west;

O Ajja on the west of Lebanon that became famous

for that west is an east that has brought forth the moon.

That west is an east where the moon rose

قد مَدَّ للبَرِّ كَفاً فاجتَنَى ثَمَراً

قد مَدَّ للبَرِّ كَفاً فاجتَنَى ثَمَراً

ومَدَّ للبحرِ كَفاً فاجتَنَى دُرَرَا

ومَدَّ للبحرِ كَفاً فاجتَنَى دُرَرَا

It stretched a hand toward the land and gathered fruit,

It extended a hand to the land and picked fruit

and stretched a hand toward the sea and gathered pearls.

And extended a hand to the sea and picked pearls

لئن تَكُنْ أرضُهُ أدنَى بِلادِكما

لئن تَكُنْ أرضُهُ أدنَى بِلادِكما

فتِلكَ أُسٌّ عليهِ البيتُ قد عَمَرا

فتِلكَ أُسٌّ عليهِ البيتُ قد عَمَرا

Though its land be the lowest of your lands,

If its land is lower than your countries

it is a foundation on which the house has flourished.

It is a base on which the house was built

والأصلُ أدنَى منَ الأغصانِ مَنزلةً

والأصلُ أدنَى منَ الأغصانِ مَنزلةً

وَهْوَ الذي يُرفِدُ الأغصانَ والثَمَرا

وَهْوَ الذي يُرفِدُ الأغصانَ والثَمَرا

And the root lies lower in station than the branches,

And the origin is lower in status than the branches

yet it is what nourishes the branches and the fruit.

Yet it is what provides for the branches and the fruit

إذا بَدا لَكُما وجهُ الأميرِ بهِ

إذا بَدا لَكُما وجهُ الأميرِ بهِ

فسَبِّحا اللهَ إرغاماً لِمَنْ كَفَرا

فسَبِّحا اللهَ إرغاماً لِمَنْ كَفَرا

When the prince's face appears to you two there,

When the face of the Prince appears to you

then glorify God, you two, to humble whoever disbelieves.

Glorify God forcibly against those who disbelieved

لا تَصرِفا طَيِّباتِ الشِّعرِ في غَزَلٍ

لا تَصرِفا طَيِّباتِ الشِّعرِ في غَزَلٍ

بحُبِّ ظبيٍ وشَكوَى صاحبٍ هَجَرا

بحُبِّ ظبيٍ وشَكوَى صاحبٍ هَجَرا

Do not spend poetry's finest gifts on love verse,

Do not divert the finest poetry to love verses

with love for a gazelle and lament over a companion's desertion.

About the love of a gazelle and the complaint of an abandoned lover

إذا رأينا بديعَ اللُّطفِ مُنفرِداً

إذا رأينا بديعَ اللُّطفِ مُنفرِداً

عن رُتبةِ النَّاسِ عِفْنا مَذَهبَ الشُّعَرا

عن رُتبةِ النَّاسِ عِفْنا مَذَهبَ الشُّعَرا

When we see a marvel of graciousness standing apart

When we see the finest gentleness alone

from the rank of men, we disdain the poets' way.

Away from the ranks of people, we criticize the approach of poetry

وناظِمُ الشِّعرِ نسَّاجٌ يَحوكُ بهِ

وناظِمُ الشِّعرِ نسَّاجٌ يَحوكُ بهِ

لكُلِّ قومٍ على مقدارِهْم حِبَرَا

لكُلِّ قومٍ على مقدارِهْم حِبَرَا

And the composer of poetry is a weaver who weaves with it

And the composer of poetry is a weaver who weaves with it

for every people patterned cloth befitting their stature.

For each people according to their measure, ink

لَقد مدَحتُ أباهُ قَبلهُ فسَطَتْ

لَقد مدَحتُ أباهُ قَبلهُ فسَطَتْ

على يَراعي دُيونُ المَدحِ فانكَسَرا

على يَراعي دُيونُ المَدحِ فانكَسَرا

Indeed, I praised his father before him; then bore down

I certainly praised his father before him so

upon my reed pen the debts of praise, and it broke.

The debts of praise spread over livelihoods and broke

فصارَ عندي لهُ مدحٌ يَحِقُّ لهُ

فصارَ عندي لهُ مدحٌ يَحِقُّ لهُ

كسباً ومَدحٌ بحقِّ الإرثِ قد غَبَرا

كسباً ومَدحٌ بحقِّ الإرثِ قد غَبَرا

So I have praise for him that is rightfully his,

So for me there is praise for him that is deserved

by merit, and praise that remains his by right of inheritance.

Earned praise and praise by the right of inheritance that became obligatory

من للشُيُوخِ بأنْ يُعطَوا فُؤَادَ فتىً

من للشُيُوخِ بأنْ يُعطَوا فُؤَادَ فتىً

كأنَّهُ قَلبُهم في الدَّهرِ قد فُطِرا

كأنَّهُ قَلبُهم في الدَّهرِ قد فُطِرا

Who can secure for the elders a young man's heart,

Who has the right to give the old men the heart of a young man

as though it were their own heart, fashioned in time?

As if it were their heart created in this life

نالَ الكمالَ الذي عِندَ الشُّيُوخِ وقد

نالَ الكمالَ الذي عِندَ الشُّيُوخِ وقد

خَلَّى لهم بعد ذاكَ الشَيْبَ والكِبَرا

خَلَّى لهم بعد ذاكَ الشَيْبَ والكِبَرا

He attained the perfection found among the elders, and

He attained the perfection that is with the old men and then

left them, after that, gray hair and old age.

Left them after that old age and senility

أستغفِرُ اللهَ إنّي لَستُ أمدحُهُ

أستغفِرُ اللهَ إنّي لَستُ أمدحُهُ

كما زَعمتُ أطالَ القَولُ أم قَصُرا

كما زَعمتُ أطالَ القَولُ أم قَصُرا

I ask God's forgiveness: I am not praising him,

I ask Allah’s forgiveness, I do not praise him

as I claimed, whether my words run long or short.

As I claimed, did the speech lengthen or shorten

هُوَ الذي نالَ ما قد نالهُ وأنا

هُوَ الذي نالَ ما قد نالهُ وأنا

أُذيعُ للنَّاسِ عن أخلاقهِ خَبَرا

أُذيعُ للنَّاسِ عن أخلاقهِ خَبَرا

He is the one who attained what he attained, while I

He is the one who attained what he attained, and I

spread among the people news of his character.

Announce to the people about his morals, news

لَقد طَلَبتُ لهُ مِثلاً فأجَهَدني

لَقد طَلَبتُ لهُ مِثلاً فأجَهَدني

هذا الطِّلابُ فمنْ يُلقي معي نَظَرا

هذا الطِّلابُ فمنْ يُلقي معي نَظَرا

Indeed, I sought an equal for him, and was exhausted

I certainly looked for an equal for him, but this search exhausted me

by this quest; who will look with me?

Who will look with me?

ومَن تُرى عِندَنا مثلُ الأميرِ فَمنْ

ومَن تُرى عِندَنا مثلُ الأميرِ فَمنْ

سألتَهُ قالَ من مِثلُ الأمير تُرَى

سألتَهُ قالَ من مِثلُ الأمير تُرَى

And who among us, I wonder, is like the prince? For whoever

And who do we have like the Prince, so if

you ask says, 'Who is like the prince, I wonder?'

You asked, who can there be like the Prince?

يزورُهُ الشِّعرُ مُلتاحاً على خَجَلٍ

يزورُهُ الشِّعرُ مُلتاحاً على خَجَلٍ

فيَستظِلُّ بطَيِّ الصُحْفِ مُستَتِرا

فيَستظِلُّ بطَيِّ الصُحْفِ مُستَتِرا

Poetry visits him, parched and bashful,

Poetry visits him shyly

then takes shade in the folds of the pages, hiding itself.

And takes shelter in the fold of pages, hidden

في كلِّ يومٍ على وَجهٍ نُقلِّبُهُ

في كلِّ يومٍ على وَجهٍ نُقلِّبُهُ

لَفظاً ومَعنىً ولا نَقضي بهِ وَطَرا

لَفظاً ومَعنىً ولا نَقضي بهِ وَطَرا

Each day we turn it over in some fashion,

Every day we turn it over

in word and meaning, yet with it we do not fulfill our desire.

In diction and meaning, and we never finish a composition

يا ابنَ الأمينِ الذي أعطْتكَ شيِمتُهُ

يا ابنَ الأمينِ الذي أعطْتكَ شيِمتُهُ

خَمْساً فَزِدْتَ علَيهِنَّ اثنَتَيْ عَشَرا

خَمْساً فَزِدْتَ علَيهِنَّ اثنَتَيْ عَشَرا

O son of al-Amin, whose character gave you

Oh son of the Trustworthy one whose qualities gave you

five, and you added twelve to them.

Five, and you added twelve to them

ليسَ اللَّبيبُ الذي يأتيكَ مُمتدحاً

ليسَ اللَّبيبُ الذي يأتيكَ مُمتدحاً

إنَّ اللَّبيبَ الذي يأتيكَ مُعتذِرا

إنَّ اللَّبيبَ الذي يأتيكَ مُعتذِرا

The discerning man is not one who comes to you with praise;

The sensible one is not the one who comes to you praising

indeed, the discerning man is one who comes to you apologizing.

The sensible one is the one who comes apologizing

قد فُقتَ من كانَ فوقَ النَّاسِ مَكرُمَةً

قد فُقتَ من كانَ فوقَ النَّاسِ مَكرُمَةً

فأنتَ قد صِرتَ فوقَ الفَوقِ مُقتدرِا

فأنتَ قد صِرتَ فوقَ الفَوقِ مُقتدرِا

You have surpassed in nobility whoever stood above men,

You surpassed the one who was most generous over people

so you have become mighty, above even the highest.

So you have become most capable over the most capable

كأَنَّما الدَّهرُ فينا شاعِرٌ فَطِنٌ

كأَنَّما الدَّهرُ فينا شاعِرٌ فَطِنٌ

وأنتَ في نفسِهِ مَعنىً قَدِ ابتُكِرا

وأنتَ في نفسِهِ مَعنىً قَدِ ابتُكِرا

It is as though Time among us were an astute poet,

It is as if time among us is an ingenious poet

and you a meaning newly conceived in his mind.

And you are a meaning it invented