1. تنَّبهَ الدهرُ بعدَ ما هَجَعا

    وقد صَحا غِبَّ سُكرِهِ وَوَعى

    Time awoke after it had slumbered.

    And it sobered after its drunkenness and came to its senses.

  2. وراجَعَ الدهرُ رأيَهُ فرأى

    كُلاً عن الرُشدِ والهُدى رَجَعا

    And Time reconsidered its judgment and saw

    That everyone had turned away from sound judgment and guidance,

  3. وأَنَّ كُلاً بمشيِهِ عَثِرٌ

    ولم يَقُل نحوَهُ الشقيقُ لَعا

    And that everyone stumbled as he walked,

    Yet his brother did not tell him, "Rise again!"

  4. قد خِيلَ هذا الزمانُ في مَرَضٍ

    واكثرُ الناسِ فيهِ منوجعا

    This age indeed seemed ill,

    And most people in it were in pain.

  5. عزَّ الدواءُ الذي نرومُ بهِ

    نفعاً لأَدوائِنا ومُنتَفَعا

    Hard to find is the remedy through which we seek

    Benefit for our ailments and something of use.

  6. وكلُّ مَن في فؤَادِهِ وَجَعٌ

    يطلُبُ شيئاً يُسكِّنُ الوَجَعا

    And everyone with pain in his heart

    Seeks something to soothe the pain.

  7. حازَ السِياساتِ كلُّ ذي رَفَهٍ

    تَراهُ كلَّ الزمانِ مضَّجِعا

    Every man of ease gained political authority,

    You see him reclining all the time.

  8. ونَصَبَ الدهرُ كل منخفضٍ

    غدا بريبِ الزمانِ مرتفعا

    And Time installed every lowly man,

    Who rose high through time's vicissitudes.

  9. فتاهَ ذو الجهل في غَوايتِهِ

    بالزَيفِ كِبراً وأَهمَلَ الوَرَعا

    So the ignorant man swaggered in his error,

    Arrogant in falsehood, and neglecting piety.

  10. وحِندِسُ الكُفرِ طالَ مُطرَفَهُ

    دامَ مَصِيفاً بِهِم ومُرتَبعا

    And the mantle of unbelief's deep darkness grew long;

    It remained among them, a summer and spring abode.

  11. ولم يَكُن من يُزيحُ ظُلمَتهُ

    وما تسنَّى بهِ وما شَرَعا

    And there was no one to dispel its darkness,

    Nor could anyone do so, nor had anyone begun,

  12. حتى أَضا كوكب الصَباحِ بأُفقِ

    بِيعةِ اللَهِ نُورُهُ طَلَعا

    Until the morning star shone on the horizon

    Of God's church, where its light arose.

  13. فسارتِ الخَلقُ في أَشعَّتِهِ

    فلن تَرى في الطريقِ منقطعا

    So humankind journeyed in its rays,

    And you will see no one stranded on the road.

  14. وانجابَ جِنحُ الظَلامِ وانبعثَت

    أنوارُ شمسٍ ضِياؤُها لمعا

    And the wing of darkness withdrew, and forth arose

    The lights of a sun whose radiance gleamed,

  15. بالسيِّدِ النَدسِ والإِمام هُدى ال

    هُداةِ مَن للعُداةِ قد قَمَعا

    Through the discerning lord and leader, guide of the

    Guides, who had subdued the foes:

  16. كيرلس الألمعيِّ مَن لَمَعت

    بهِ المَزايا وشملُها اجتَمَعا

    Cyril the brilliant, in whom shone

    The virtues, all gathered together.

  17. ردَّ العَدُوَّ الرديَّ مُنخذِلاً

    حارَ نُهاهُ وقلبُهُ انصدَعا

    He turned the vile enemy back in defeat;

    His mind was bewildered, and his heart split apart.

  18. وَيحَ عَدُوٍّ لهُ قَضَى حَسَداً

    لو لم يَكُن حاسداً لما فقعا

    Alas for his enemy, who perished of envy!

    Had he not been envious, he would not have burst.

  19. أَعداؤُهُ قد غدت سَواسَيةً

    كُبودُهم قد تَقطَّعَت قِطَعا

    His enemies have all become alike;

    Their livers have been torn into pieces.

  20. يا مُوهَمَ العقلِ أَن يُحاجيَهُ

    دَعِ التكاليفَ واقصِرِ الطَمَعا

    O you, deluded that your mind can match wits with him,

    Leave off these burdensome efforts and curb your ambition.

  21. هذا الوحيدُ الفريدُ في مَلاء

    بكى مُناويهِ نادباً ونَعَى

    This unique, peerless man, amid an assembly,

    Wept for his adversary, lamenting and proclaiming his death.

  22. مَريعُ ضِدِّ مَريعُ فضلِ حجىً

    أَمرَعَ واديهِ بالتُقى مَرَعا

    Terrifying to his foe, fertile in intellectual excellence,

    His valley grew richly fertile with piety.

  23. تَرَعرَعَت بالكَمالِ قامتُهُ

    فطالَ فيهِ الكمالُ وارتفعا

    His stature grew with perfection,

    And perfection in him grew tall and rose high.

  24. غُذي لِبانَ العَفافِ من صِغَرٍ

    طِفلاً ودَرَّ الدِيانةِ ارتضعا

    He was fed the milk of chastity from a tender age,

    As an infant, and suckled the flowing milk of devotion.

  25. فاول العُمر ثُمَّ آخرُهُ

    غدا سواءً بمجدهِ شَرَعا

    Thus the beginning of his life, and then its end,

    Were alike in his glory, on an equal footing.

  26. سَعَى لإِدراك كلِّ محمدةٍ

    يا خيرَ مَسعىً ومَن اليهِ سعى

    He strove to attain every praiseworthy quality;

    O finest aim, and finest seeker after it!

  27. راعي الرُعاةِ الذي أُريعَ بهِ

    قلبُ العِدى راعَ ضدَّهُ ورعى

    The shepherd of shepherds, through whom was terrified

    The heart of his foes; he frightened his enemy and tended his flock.

  28. قد فَخَرَ الكلُّ في رئاستهِ

    اهدى الأَماني وابهجَ البِيَعا

    Everyone took pride in his leadership;

    He bestowed hopes and gladdened the churches.

  29. يا أَيها اللَوذَعُ الوديعُ لقد

    أُودِعتَ بِرّاً يا أَشرفَ الوُدَعا

    O keen-witted, gentle one, you have indeed

    Been endowed with goodness, O noblest of the gentle!

  30. فيا ابانا وما سِواكَ ابٌ

    كن ناظراً نحوَنا ومُستمِعا

    So, our father—none but you is a father—

    Look toward us and listen.

  31. نرومُ منكَ الدُعاءَ اجمعنا

    فارمُق إلى من دَعاكَ حينَ دعا

    We all seek prayer from you;

    So look toward the one who called on you when he prayed.

  32. لكَ التهاني بثبتِ حقِّكَ في

    رعيَّةِ اللَهِ أَجمَعِينَ معا

    Congratulations to you on the confirmation of your right among

    God's flock, all of them together.

  33. أَلبستَنا خِلعةَ الثَناءِ ضُحىً

    والضدُّ ثوبَ الهَناءِ قد خَلَعا

    You clothed us in praise's robe of honor at midmorning,

    And the foe has cast off the garment of happiness.

  34. فصاحَ طيرُ الأَراكِ عن هَزَجٍ

    تنبَّهَ الدهرُ بعدَ ما هجعا

    So the birds of the arak tree cried out in song:

    Time awoke after it had slumbered.