بِبِحارِ جُودِكَ تَغرَقُ الأمجادُ
وبسَيف عزّك تُذبَحُ الأوغادُ
With the seas of your generosity glories sink,
And by the sword of your glory the evildoers are slaughtered.
وَبِنورِ وَجهكَ ذا الزمانُ منوّرٌ
فله الهَنا بك كلُّه أعيادُ
By the light of your radiant face this age is illuminated,
So for it, through you, every day is a celebration.
وَبِحُسنِ رَأيِك والرشادُ يَحوطُهُ
يَبدو صَوابٌ نَحوَهُ وَسَدادُ
By the excellence of your wisdom and guidance surrounded,
Truth towards it appears and righteousness.
وَبِظِلِّ عَدلِكَ لا زَوالَ يَمُسُّهُ
تَحيا بِلادٌ عَمَّها وَعِبادُ
In the shade of your justice without decline,
Lands live covered by it and people.
وَبِبابِ جاهِكَ كلُّ سَعدٍ واقفٌ
وَبِبابِ مَجدكَ تَخضَعُ الآسادُ
At your door of glory every bliss stands still,
And at your door of grandeur the lions bow down.
وَبُروقُ عَزمِكَ إِنَّهنّ سَواطِعٌ
وَسُيوفُ بَأسِكَ إِنَّهنّ حِدادُ
The lightning of your resolve, they are surely radiant,
And the swords of your might, they are surely sharp.
فَإِذا ذكرت عَلى العدوّ كَأَنَّهُ
في كَفِّهِ سَمَكٌ هُوَ الرعّادُ
So when you are remembered against the enemy as though
In his hand a snake, it is the trembling.
وَإِذا سَطَوتَ عَلى الأُلوفِ مِنَ العِدا
شتّتّهُم فألوفهم آحادُ
And when you assault thousands of enemies
You scatter them and their thousands become individuals.
وإذا سَللتَ على العِداة قواضباً
فَغِمادُها الأحشاءُ والأكبادُ
And when you steal upon the enemies with spears
Their sheaths are the intestines and the livers.
وَإِذا هَزَزتَ عَلى العِداةِ أَسِنَّةً
نُظِمَت بِها الهاماتُ وَالأجسادُ
And when you shake over the enemies tongues
With them the skulls and the bodies are composed.
وَإِذا جَرى ذِكرُ الكِرامِ بِمَحفَلٍ
ذَكَروكَ وَحدَكَ وَاِنتَهى التّعدادُ
And when the mention of the generous comes in an assembly
They mention you alone and ceases the counting.
أَنتَ الكِرامُ وَبِاِسمِهم تُدعى وكَمْ
بِاِسمِ الجُموعِ تَسمَّتِ الأَفرادُ
You are the generous and with their name you are called and how
With the name of the groups the individuals are named.
ما كُنتَ تَنهَرُ سائِلاً أَبَداً وَلَو
كَثرت عَلَيكَ مِنَ الوَرى القُصّادُ
You were never scolding a questioner, even if
The pickers on you became many.
وَلَئِن نَهَرت لَهُ البِشارَةَ إِنّه
يَحيا بِجودِكَ جِسمه وَفؤادُ
And if you scolded him the good news, he
Lives by your generosity his body and heart.
وَالأَرضُ تبشر بِالرّبيعِ إِذا أَتى
مِن قَبلِهِ الإِبراقُ وَالإِرعادُ
And the earth gives good news of spring, when there comes
From its direction the lightning and thunder.
وَإِذا خَلَوتَ عَنِ النظيرِ فَلَم يحل
أَن لا يُرى لَكَ في الوَرى أَندادُ
And when you are without peer, it is not right
That equals to you in the lands are seen.
فَإِذا اِدَّعى فيكَ الزَّمانُ مُشابِهاً
قَد صَدَّهُ عَمّا اِدَّعى الأَفرادُ
So when the time claims in you a resemblance
The individuals have prevented what it claimed indeed.
ما كانَ مِثلُك في الوجودِ مُملَّكٌ
أَنّى بِمِثلِكَ يَسمَحُ الإيجادُ
None like you in existence a king,
How with your like will creation allow!
يا راكِباً فَوقَ السُّهى مَتنَ العُلى
بِالسَّعدِ حين تَقودُها تَنقادُ
O rider above fine bred horses the summit of grandeur
When you lead them, to your good fortune they yield.
لَو كانَ بَيتُكَ في السّماءِ لَكانَ في
كَبدِ السّماءِ عَلى السّعودِ يُشادُ
If your house was in the sky, it would have been in
The chest of the sky based on ascent erected.
لَو كُنت نَجماً ما بَدَت شَمسٌ وَلا
ضَاءَت بِغَيركَ في الأنامِ بِلادُ
If you were a star, no sun would appear and no
Lands by other than you would shine for the people.
لَو أُسعِد الإسعادُ دونَك مِن فَتى
فَلَكم بمثلِكَ يسعدُ الإِسعادُ
If bliss below you for a youth occurs
How with your like would bliss make one blissful!
لَك همّةٌ كَالبرقِ وَهيَ عَلِيَّةٌ
كَالرّيشِ تَبدو عِندَها الأَوتادُ
You have an ambition like lightning and it is high
Like a feather appearing by it the tent pegs.
لَكَ هَيبةٌ مِنها الضَّياغِمِ تَختَشي
وَيَدكُّ مِنها في الوَغى الأَطوادُ
You have awe so that the clouds fear it
And in battle the warriors flee from it.
يا سَعدَ عكّا إِذ رَفَعتَ مَنارَها
وَالغيلُ تَرفَعُ قَدرَهُ الآسادُ
O Sa`d’s pride when you raised its minaret
And the floods raise the worth of lions.
جاءَ الفرنسيسُ اللّئامُ لِمَرجِها
فَثَناهُمُ عَن أَخذِها الإِبعادُ
The despicable Frenchman came to its meadows
So remoteness pushed them back from taking it.
عَمَّ العَمى مِنهُم عُيونَ بَصائِرٍ
وَتَخيَّلوا أَنَّ الضّلالَ رَشادُ
Blindness from them afflicted insightful eyes
And they imagined misguidance as guidance.
مِن جَهلِهِم أَلقَوْا بِأَيديهِم إِلى
نَحوَ الهَلاكِ ضَلالةً وَاِنقادوا
From their ignorance they threw with their hands to
Towards destruction, misguidance, and being led.
قَهَروا مُلوكاً بِالقتالِ فَحَصَّلوا
بِالحَربِ ما شاؤوا بِهِم وَأَرادوا
They fought kings in war and so obtained
By battle what they desired for themselves.
لَكِن خُلِقت لِقَهرِهِم وَلِذَبحِهم
فَلِقَهرِهم لا شكّ أَنتَ مُرادُ
But to subdue and slaughter them I was created,
So to subdue them, no doubt you are the wanted.
أَطفأتَ نارَ حُروبِهم بِمثالِها
فَمَضَت وَما مِنهُم لَها إِيقادُ
You extinguished the fire of their wars equivalently
So it passed and from them no ignition remains.
ما حارَبوكَ حُروبَهم إِلّا غَدَوْا
يَعلوهُمُ الإِذلالُ وَالإِكمادُ
They did not fight you in their wars except they became
Covered by humiliation and suppression.
أَلبَستَهم حُمرَ البرودِ مِنَ الدِّما
فَنِساؤُهُم أَثوابُهُنَّ سَوادُ
You dressed them in red blood-drenched coats
So their women’s clothes became black.
وَكَأَنَّهُم لا شَكَّ جَمرةُ لَيلةٍ
قَد أَصبَحَت في الصّبحِ وَهيَ رَمادُ
And as though they are no doubt embers of a night
That became in the morning and they are ashes.
يا فَخرَ عَكّا في البِلادِ فَإِنّها
تاجُ البِلادِ وَسورُها وَعِمادُ
O pride of Akkar in the lands, as it is
The crown of lands, its fence and pillar.
فيها حَميتُ الدِّينَ دينَ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَهَدَمت لِلكفّارِ ما قَد شادوا
In it I defended the religion, the religion of Muhammad
And destroyed for the infidels what they constructed.
وَبكَ اِحتَمَت أَموالُنا وَبِلادُنا
وَدِماؤُنا وَالعِرْضُ وَالأَولادُ
And it protected our money, our lands,
Our blood, honor, and children.
يا وَيلَ قَومٍ أَنكَروكَ جَهالَةً
وَالغِيُّ جَهلٌ وَالضّلال عِنادُ
O woe to a people who denied you ignorantly
And ignorance is deviation and obstinacy transgression.
لَو أَنكَروا ما قَد فَعَلتَ فَإِنَّما
إِنكارُ فَضلِكَ في الدُّنى إِلحادُ
If they denied what you have done, it is only
Denial of your superiority in life blasphemy.
ما كان ربُّكَ بِالمُضيعِ مُجاهداً
وَلِوَجهِهِ قَد كانَ منهُ جِهادُ
Your Lord was not neglectful in waging jihad
And for His sake there was jihad from Him indeed.
فَلَقَد حَباكَ مِنَ الثّناءِ حَميدَهُ
حَتّى غَدَت تَأتي بِهِ الأَضدادُ
So He granted you from His praised traits
Until foes come with it.
وَحَميدُ صيتٍ في الأَنامِ كَعَنبرٍ
حَتّى فَشا وَأَشاعَهُ الحسّادُ
And praise of fame among the people like amber
So it spread and circulated it the envious.
وَجِهادُهم أَعلى مَناقِبَكِ الَّتي
يَفنى لَدى إحصائِها الأعدادُ
And their jihad your highest attributes that
Numerating them the numbers are exhausted.
بَل تِلكَ مِن حَسناتِكَ الحَسناءِ في
يَومِ القِيامَةِ وَهيَ نِعمَ الزّادُ
Rather those are of your good deeds, excellent on the
Day of Judgment, and they are blessed provision.
لَو لَم يَكُن لَكَ غَيرَها لَكَفَتكَ في
يَومٍ يَقومُ النّاسُ وَالأَشهادُ
If you had none other than them, they would suffice you on a
Day people rise and witnesses.
يا أَيّها الجزَّارُ أَعناقَ العِدى
يا مَن هوَ السّاداتُ وَالأَمجادُ
O slayer of the enemies’ necks,
O you who are the masters and glories.
إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ مِمّن يُحبُّونُ الّذي
أَحبَبته وَلِمَنْ بَغضتَ يُعادو
I am someone who loves those you loved
And becomes hostile to those you hated.
وَمِنَ الّذينَ حَديثُ شُكرِكَ عِندَهم
يُتلى لديهم دائماً ويُعادُ
And of those whose talk of your gratitude is by them
Recited always and repeated.
هُم أَهلُ بَيروتَ الَّذينَ تَزَيَّنت
مِنهُم بِدُرِّ عَطائِكَ الأَجيادُ
They are the people of Beirut whom adorned
From them the full moon of your generosity the generous.
وَمَلَكتَهم وَوِدادُهُم لَكَ صادِقٌ
ما إِن لَهُم فيمَن سِواكَ وِدادُ
And their allegiance to you is sincere
They have no allegiance in others but you.
لا نَقصَ فيهِ وَلَست فيهِ مُشاركاً
بَل فيكَ دَوماً لَم يَزَل يَزدادُ
No shortage in it and you have no partner in it
But in you always it increases.
وَلَقَد خَدَمتُكَ مادِحاً بِقَصيدَةٍ
وَمَديحُ مِثلك في الأنامِ رَشادُ
And I have served you praising with a poem
And praising the like of you among the people is righteousness.
كَخَريدَةٍ يُرخي الحياءُ جُفونَها
وَيَميسُ فيكَ قَوامُها الميّادُ
Like an oryx whose eyelids modesty relaxes
And in you its stature steadies bending to drink.
جاءَت إِلَيكَ لِكَي تُقَبِّلَ راحَةً
يَحيا بِها العافونَ والوُرّادُ
It came to you to kiss a hand
By which the living and visitors live.
ما قَصدُها إِلّا الرّضاءُ وَإِنّها
تَرجو القَبولَ وَإِنّه لَمُرادُ
Its intention was only approval and it
Hopes for acceptance and that is the wanted.
وَاِسلَمْ وَدُمْ بِالسَّعدِ في شَرَفِ العُلى
لَكَ يَلزَمُ الإِسعافُ وَالإِسعادُ
And submit with good fortune in the honor of ascent
For you suitability and prosperity are mandated.
ما طابَ مِن عَرفِ الكَلامِ وَطيبِهِ
بِمَديحِكَ الإِنشاءُ وَالإِنشادُ
The diction of prose and its fragrance are not good
With your praise in composition and recital.
