دِمشقُ لكِ البُشْرى بِعَودِ المَحاسني
فَطيبي بِأنْسٍ ماؤُهُ غيرُ آسِنِ
Damascus, good tidings to you of the return of virtues,
So delight in a water as sweet as honey,
وَطيري مِنَ الأَفراحِ وَالصّفوِ وَالهنا
بِأَجنِحَةِ السرّا بِدونِ تَهاوُنِ
And flutter with joy, clarity and bliss,
On the wings of the sublime without any regression.
وَتيهي عَلى الدّنيا بِشَمسِ أَكارِمٍ
إِلَيكِ لَقَد رُدَّت بِأَعلى الأَماكِنِ
And wander upon the world with the sun of generosities,
To you the highest places have been returned.
وَعاد بِها فيك السّعودُ عَلى الصّفا
وَأَنورتِ أَرجاءً عَلى كلِّ ساكِنِ
And with it the auspices have returned to you in purity,
And you have illuminated every resident.
وَهاتيكِ شَمسُ الفضلِ وَالمَجدِ والعُلى
تَميلُ عَلى المَعروفِ نَحوَ المَيامِنِ
And here is the sun of nobility, glory and loftiness,
Inclining towards good on the right side.
وَما هيَ إِلّا أَسعدُ الجدِّ وَالذّرى
وجوهرُ عِقد الفضلِ بين المعادِنِ
And it is none other than the happiest ancestry and offspring,
And essence of the necklace of virtues among minerals.
وَمَن كانَ شِبلَ المَجدِ وَاِبنَ مَحاسنٍ
لَدى كَونِهِ حَملاً ونَجل الأحاسِنِ
And whoever was the cub of glory and the son of virtues,
Is in his existence a burden and star of the most beautiful.
وَقَد عادَ بِالفَتوى فَيا فَخرَ جِلَّقٍ
وَكانَ لَها أَهلاً وليس براشِنِ
And he has returned with jurisprudence. So O pride of venerable ages!
He was worthy of it and not pejorative.
وَيَومَئِذٍ قالَت دِمشقُ تَفاخراً
أَنا الرّوضَةُ الغنّاءُ طوبى لِساكِني
And then Damascus said boastfully:
I am the singing garden, blessing to my residents!
وَفي أَسعَدٍ إِذ عادَ عادَ تَشَرُّفي
وَلي الشّرفُ الأَعلى بِبَيتِ المَحاسِنِ
And during the happiest, when he returned, my pride returned,
And the highest pride is mine, the house of virtues.
وَهَل كانَ في البلدانِ بَدرٌ كَأَسعَدٍ
وَلَم تَحوِ مِن بَدرٍ كَبدريَ بائِنِ
And was there in the countries a full moon like Asaad?
And no full moon can equate to my apparent full moon.
هُمامٌ وَحيدٌ وَهوَ في الفضلِ مُفردٌ
وَما إِن لَهُ مِثلٌ وَلَيسَ بِكائِنِ
Unique pillar, and he is uniquely virtuous,
He has no equal and none will exist.
فَقيهٌ نَبيهٌ صادِقُ الفِكرِ حاذقٌ
رَفيعٌ لَهُ بِالطبعِ حسنُ التطامُنِ
A knowledgeable jurist, brilliant minded, truthful, perceptive,
Lofty who has by nature a beautiful calmness,
مَهيبٌ لَهُ هابَت لُيوثٌ أَفاضِلُ
وَكَم عِندَهُ ذَلّت ذَوات البراثِنِ
Awe-inspiring, even lions are in awe of him,
And how many fierce ones have submitted before him!
كَريمٌ أَخو بَذلٍ كَثيرُ دَواخنٍ
وَما كُلُّ ذي بَذلٍ كَثيرِ الدواخِنِ
Generous, brother of unlimited open-handedness,
Not everyone open-handed has open doors.
لَهُ ظاهِرٌ قَد عَمَّه الحسنُ كلُّهُ
وَظاهِرُهُ لا شكّ عُنوانُ باطِنِ
He has an external beauty that has encompassed all of him,
And his external is without doubt a sign of his essence.
وَقَد رَكِبَ المَعروفَ في طَلَبِ العُلى
وَنالَ إِلَيها السّبقَ يَومَ التراهُنِ
And he rode goodness in seeking loftiness,
And attained the lead on the day of racing.
وَما كانَ نَيلُ السّبقِ يَوماً لِغَيرِهِ
وَلَيسَ يَنالُ السّبقَ كلُّ مُراهِنِ
And none attained the lead except him,
Not everyone racing attains the lead.
وَقَد ظَلّتِ العلياءُ تَخدُمُ بَيتَهُ
وَما خَدمَت إِلّا لِخَيرِ المَساكِنِ
And the noble ones continued serving his house,
And none served except the best residence.
تَحلَّى بِحُسنِ الصّفحِ وَالحِلمِ وَالنّدى
وَقَد رَكِبَ المَعروفَ أَكرَمُ صافِنِ
Adorned with excellent forgiveness, patience and dew,
The best rider of goodness rode.
إِمامٌ بِفَتواهُ تَتيهُ دِمَشقُهُ
تَجرُّ ذُيولَ الفَخرِ بَينَ المَدائِنِ
A jurist whom his Damascus wanders,
Dragging the trains of pride between residences.
وَلَم تحسُنِ الفَتوى وَلَيسَ حَميدةً
إِذا لَم تَكُن يَوماً بِبَيتِ المَحاسِني
And jurisprudence did not become good and praiseworthy,
Unless one day it was the house of virtues.
أُهَنّئه بالعَودِ والعَودُ أَحمَدٌ
على صِدق ودٍّ لَستُ فيهِ بِمائِنِ
I congratulate him on the return, and the return is auspicious,
With sincerity and affection I have no doubts.
وَعَوَّذتُهُ بِاللَّهِ مِن كلِّ حاسِدٍ
وَمِن كلِّ شَيطانٍ وَعَين لِعائنِ
And I protected him from every envier,
And every devil and every spying eye.
فَلا زالَ مَلحوظاً بِعَينِ عِنايَةٍ
وَلا زالَ مَحفوظاً لِيَومِ التغابنِ
So he remains observed by the eye of providence,
And remains protected for the day of reckoning.
