نادِ القَريحَةَ ما اِستَطَعتُ نِداءَها
إِنَّ الحُقوقَ لِتَقتَضيكَ أَداءَها
Call upon inspiration as much as you can call upon it
Indeed, rights require you to fulfill them
مهما ينل منها الجمود فإن من
إعجاز أحمد ما يفجر ماءها
No matter how much inertia afflicts it, for
The miracle of Ahmed is what makes its water gush
مَهما تَراكَمَتِ الغيومُ بِأُفقِها
فَاليَومُ عِندَكَ ما يُعيدُ جَلاءَها
No matter how much the clouds accumulate on its horizon
For today, you have what brings back its serenity
لا تَعتَذِر عَنها بَكرَ نَوائِبٍ
سَدَّت عَلَيها نَهجَها وَسَواءَها
Do not make excuses that early misfortunes have closed
Its path and plain upon it
فَأَهَمُّ ما هَمَتِ السَحابُ إِذا مَرَّت
هوجُ العَواصِفِ دَرَّها وَسَخاءَها
For the most important thing clouds intend when they pass
Is the abundance of its rain and generosity
وَالحَكُّ يَستَوري الزِنادَ وَإِنَّما
تُربي الصَوارِمَ بِالصِقالِ مَضاءَها
The right to speak frankly takes the flints and indeed
Swords are honed by constant sharpening
وَالرُمحُ يَكسَبُ بِالثِقافِ مَتانَةً
وَالخَيلُ يُظهِرُ عَدوُها خَيلاءَها
And the spear gains sturdiness through straightening
And horses display their might in galloping
حاشا القَرائِحَ أَن تَضَنَّ بِوَدقِها
ما دامَ شَوقي كافِلاً أَنواءَها
Far be it that talents would be stingy with their gifts
As long as Shawqi takes care of inspiring them
الشاعِرُ الفَذُّ الَّذي كَلِماتَهُ
ضَمَنَ النُبوغُ عَلى الزَمانِ بَقاءَها
The supreme poet whose words
Genius guaranteed would remain through time
أَنسَت فَصاحَتَهُ أَوائِلَ وائِلٍ
وَغَدَت هَوازِنٌ مَعَ ثَقيفٍ فِداءَها
His eloquence made the early poets forgetful
And Hawazen and Thaqif became ransoms for it
في كُلِّ كائِنَةٍ يَزِفُّ قَصيدَةً
توتي جَميعَ الكائِناتِ بَهاءَها
For every creature he sends forth a poem
That adorns all creatures with splendor
غَدَتِ المَعاني كُلَّها مِلكَها لَهُ
فَأَصابَ مِنها كُلَّ بَكرٍ شاءَها
All meanings became his possession
So he attained from them whatever virgin he desired
وَكَسا اللِسانَ اليَعرُبِيَّ مَطارِفاً
هَيهاتَ يَنتَظِرُ الزَمانَ فَناءَها
And he clothed the Arabic tongue in fine mantles
Alas, time waits not for its demise
سَتُخَلِّدُ الأَوطانُ مِن تَكريمِهِ
ذِكرى تُطَبِّقُ أَرضَها وَسَماءَها
Countries will immortalize in honoring him
A memory that blankets their lands and skies
لَو أَنصَفَت لُغَةُ الأَعارِبِ قَدرَهُ
صَلَّت عَلَيهِ صَباحَها وَمَساءَها
If the language of Arabs did him justice
Its mornings and evenings would bless him
مِن كَلِّ مَوضوعٍ أَصابَ شَواكِلاً
بَلَغَت بِمَقتَلِها الصُدورُ شِفاءَها
For every subject Shawqi obtained its pinnacles
His verses reached hearts and cured them
يَبكي شِكِسبيرَ عَلى أَمثالِها
وَيَبيتُ غَوَتهُ حاسِداً عَلياءَها
Shakespeare cries for the likes of it
And Goethe enviously spends the night loathing it
وَلَوَ أَنَّ آلِهَةَ الفَصاحَةِ عِندَهُم
أَدرَكنَ شَوقي خَفَفَّتُ غُلَواءَها
If the gods of eloquence had known Shawqi
They would have softened their great pride
صَنّاجَةَ الشَرقِ الَّذي نَبَراتُهُ
تَجلو المَشارِقَ عِندَها غَمّاءَها
The East's artisan whose tones
Clear its horizons of clouds
في كُلِّ حَرفٍ مِن حُروفِ يَراعِهِ
وَتَرٌ يُثيرُ سُرورَها وَبُكاءَها
In each letter of his composition
Is a melody that stirs its joy and tears
ما حَلَّ بِالإِسلامِ بَأسُ مُلِمَّةٍ
إِلّا وَرَجَّعَ شِعرُهُ أَصداءَها
No affliction befell Islam without
His poetry returning its echoes
يُبدي فَظاعَتَها وَيوسِعُ هَولَها
وَصفاً وَيُذكِرُ داءَها وَدَواءَها
Revealing its horrors, detailing its pains and cure
His poems were images to revive his country
كانَت قَصائِدُهُ لِبَعثِ بِلادِهِ
صُوَراً اَرادَ مِنَ البَلى إِحياءَها
And I see nights cannot empower a nation
Unless its intimate thoughts are its poets
وَأَرى اللَيالي لا تَعزِز أُمَّةً
إِن لَم يَكُن سَوّاسُها شُعَراءَها
How history in its pages has proven
Nations whose chanting inspires their foundation
كَم اَثبَتَ التاريخُ في صَفَحاتِهِ
أُمَماً غَدا اِنشادُها إِنشاءَها
By my life, a tribe is lost in life
If its actions do not accompany its names
ضَلَّت لِعَمري في الحَياةِ قَبيلَةٌ
لَم تَصطَحِب أَفعالُها أَسماءَها
And Arabs do not start gathering their groups
Unless you hear their anthem and fervor
وَالعَربُ لا تَبدَأ بِجَمعِ جُموعِها
إِلّا سَمِعتَ نَشيدَها وَحَداءَها
He honored us with Ahmad, a poet true
Bearing in spirit its mark
أَكرَمَ بِأَحمَدَ شاعِراً وافى لَنا
في روحِ حامِلاً سيماءَها
I recite his poems so my mind fills
With joy dispelling its sorrows and hardship
أَتلو قَصائِدَهُ فَتَملَأُ مُهجَتي
فَرَحاً يُزيلُ هُمومَها وَعَناءَها
And I remain proud of them as if for me
Apart from all people, is their praise and sublimity
وَأَظَلُّ مُفتَخِراً بِها فَكَأَنَّ لي
دونَ الأَنامِ ثَناءَها وَسَناءَها
My soul has sincere affection for him
Fulfilling the covenant of its growth
نَخَلت لَهُ نَفسي مَوَدَّةَ وامِقٍ
وَفّى عِهادُ عُهودِها إِنماءَها
We attribute to Lakhm the strength of its origin
And it seeps from heavenly water in clarity
نَعزو إِلى لَخمٍ مِتانَةً أَصلَها
وَتَمُزُّ مِن ماءِ السماءِ صفاءَها
No flaws can be expected of it
None can impugn its structure
لا ترتجي منهاالنمائم ثلمة
كلا ولا توهي الهنات بناءها
You asked that my poetry fulfill my affection
And I find it falls short of matching it
ناشَدتَ شِعري أَن يَفي بِمَوَدَّتي
وَأَراهُ يَعجَزُ أَن يَجيءَ كِفاءَها
My bond with poetry is as if it were
A debt the winds demanded be paid
قَد صارَ عَهدي بِالقَريضِ كَأَنَّهُ
دِمَنٌ تَقاضَتها الرِياحُ عَفاءَها
I call but what would please me does not come
And poetry is finding souls approval
أَدعو فَلا يَأتي الَّذي أَرضى بِهِ
وَالشِعرُ أَن تَجِدَ النُفوسَ رِضاءَها
And poetry is depicting consciences flourishing
Drawing out their curves and bends
وَالشِعرُ ما رَسَمَ الضَمائِرَ ناثِلاً
مِنها الكَنائِنَ نافِجاً أَحناءَها
And poetry leaves meanings depicted
So you can nearly touch their haze
وَالشِعرُ ما تَرَكَ المَعاني مُثَّلاً
فَتَكادُ تَلمِسُ بِالَكُفِّ هَباءَها
And poetry is where it is said "who said this?"
Not "who vomited this?"
وَالشِعرُ حَيثُ يُقالُ مَن ذا قالَها
ما الشِعرُ حَيثُ يُقالُ مَن ذا قاءَها
And there is a soul, bitter, that sometimes
Dictates to me its whims from on high
وَهُناكَ نَفسٌ مَرَّةً ما تَأَتَلي
تُملي عَلَيَّ مِنَ العُلا أَهواءَها
If you do not first find inciting me
You blame me for its praises and rhyme
إِن لَم تَجِدين في العَجاجَةِ أَوَّلاً
نَكَرتَ عَلَيَّ ثَلاثَها وَثَناءَها
Oh Shawqi, you left the race behind
With leadership that made racers trail it
وَفَّرتَ يا شَوقي السِباقَ عَلى الوَرى
بِرِياسَةٍ باتَ السِباقُ وَراءَها
Necks sever seeking its goals
Even wishes do not hover near it
تَتَقَطَّعُ الأَعناقُ عَن غاياتِها
حَتّى الأَماني لا تَحومُ حِذاءَها
By God, you gave leadership its due
And grasped its necklace and gained its love
تَاللَهِ أَعطَيتَ الرِياسَةَ حَقَّها
وَعَقَدتَ حَبوَتَها وَنِلتَ حباءَها
And you trounced all the brilliant
And triumphed over the garden of genius in all things
وَبَذَذتَ أَهلَ العَبقَرِيَّةِ كُلَّهُم
وَبَزَزتَ جَنَّةَ عَبقَرَ أَشياءَها
When I saw you had drained the depths of its nature
I cast off from myself its bucket and pulley
لَمّا رَأَيتُكَ قَد نَزَحتَ قَليبَها
أَلقَيتَ عَنّي دَلوَها وَرَشاءَها
So be joyous on the throne of leadership in poetry that
Handed you its banner and loyalty
فَاِسعَد بِعَرشِ إِمارَةِ الشِعرِ الَّتي
أَلقَت إِلَيكَ لِواءَها وَوَلاءَها
And do right for an Arabic nation
For you remain the joy of its eye and light
وَتَهَنَّ وَاِبقَ لِأُمَّةٍ عَرَبِيَّةٍ
لا زِلتَ قُرَّةَ عَينِها وَضِياءَها
