هَلّا وَأَنتَ الجَوهَرُ المُختارُ

عَن نَيلِ مِهلِكَ تَصبِرُ الأَقدارُ

Come now, you who are the chosen essence,

Remaining patient in the face of fate's deadly cup,

وَتَكونَ عَن دارِ العُلى مُتَأَخِّراً

وَإِلى العَلاءِ لَكَ السِباقُ شِعارُ

Though you may lag behind from the abode on high,

Racing to the heights has long been your motto.

سابَقتَ في الدُنيا إِلى ما بَعدِها

وَكَذا الفَناءُ إِلى البَقا مِضمارُ

You were first to the afterlife before this life,

Just as annihilation comes before perpetuity.

أَبَقيتُ مِن غُرَرِ الفِعالِ مَآثِراً

اليَومَ هُنَّ بِراحَتَيكَ مَنارُ

You left behind the jewels of great deeds as ruins;

Today they shine as beacons with your repose.

وَتَرَكتَ مِن ظُلمِ الحَياةِ لَيالِياً

هِيَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ كُلِّها أَسحارُ

You left behind nights of life's darkness

That now seem like dawn with your Lord.

إِلّا تَكُن تِلكَ الحَياةُ طَويلَةٌ

فَلَقَد يُساوي العامَ مِنكَ نَهارُ

Unless that life was overly long,

A single day for you would equal a year.

أَو كُنتَ وَدَّعتَ الأَحِبَّةَ عَبطَةً

بَكراً فَعَمرُكَ وَحدَهُ أَعمارُ

Or you bid farewell to loved ones too soon

In the morn, so your life alone held lifetimes.

كَم في الشَبابِ الغَضِّ مِنكَ كُهولَةً

وَعَلَيهِ مِن دونِ المَشيبِ وَقارُ

How much in your exuberant youth seemed old age,

And on it, without graying, was dignity.

سُرعانَ ما اِختَرتَ الرَحيلَ أَشَدَّ ما

اِحتاجَت لَكَ الأَوطانُ وَالأَوطارُ

You chose departure when your homelands

Most needed you, in all their regions.

لَو لَم نَكُن نَدري وَفاكَ وَإِنَّهُ

أَجَلٌ لَقُلنا جَفوَةً وَنِفارُ

Had we not known your loyalty, we would have said

"Indifference" and "estrangement," but this was fate.

لِبَيتٍ مِن مَلَأ المَلائِكِ داعِيا

فَوراً وَشَأنَكَ في الأُمورِ بِدارُ

You sped to a house of angels, calling,

And your way is swift in matters, even there.

وَجَدوكَ أَجدَرَ بِالجَنانِ وَشاقَهُم

يَومَ تُجاوِرُهُم وَنِعمَ الجارُ

They found you more deserving of Heaven, though it pained them

The day you became their neighbor; what a fine neighbor!

غارَت مِنَ الأَرضِ السَماءِ نَفاسَةً

بِكَ وَالضَرائِرَ بَعضَهُنَّ يَغارُ

The heavens envied the earth for your sake

And some of its brides wept for you.

فازَت بِكَ الخَضرا لِذاغَبراؤُنا

تَبكي نَواكَ وَدَمعَها أَنهارُ

The verdure won you from our dusty grayness

That cries your loss, its tears rivers.

لا غَروَ أَن نَرزا بِفَقدِكَ ماجِداً

فَبِكُلِّ مَجدٍ لِلمَنِيِّةِ ثارُ

No wonder we grieve your noble loss,

For death takes all glory as booty.

أَو أَن تَكونَ لِسَهمِ دَهرِكَ مُعرِضاً

هَدَفاً فَأَغراضُ الكِبارِ كِبارُ

Or that you fell to the arrows of fate,

Since the targets of great men are great.

ما كانَ خَطبُكَ سَيِّداً قَد غابَ بَل

جَمعاً يَضيعُ وَجانِباً يَنهارُ

Your plight was no personal loss, but rather

A group that scatters and a side that crumbles.

قَد كُنتَ في الأَوطانِ قِبلَةً مَعشَرٌ

يَهدونَ هَديَكَ إِن سَروا أَو ساروا

You were a beacon for your folk; a group

Guided by your guidance, if they went or stayed.

كانوا إِذا ما أَبصَروكَ أَمامَهُم

رَشَدوا وَإِن ضَلّوا سَبيلكَ حاروا

Whenever they saw you before them,

They followed the right path, and if misguided, sought your path.

ذَكَروا مَكانَ أَبيكَ في أَيّامِهِ

عِلماً إِلَيهِ بِالبَنانِ يُشارُ

They recalled your father's place in his day

As a monument among monuments.

فَحَذَوتُ حَذوَ أَبيكَ بَل جاوَزتَهُ

إِنَّ البَنينَ لِأَهلِهِم أَسرارُ

But you surpassed your father - sons are their fathers' secrets -

Not content that word of your glory was enough,

لَم تَجتَزِئ بِتَليدِ مَجدِكَ عالَماً

أَنَّ الرِجالَ إِذا مَضَت أَخبارُ

That when men pass on, their legends pass too;

So you rose to the sublime through your spirit,

فَنَهَضتُ لِلعَليا بِنَفسِكَ طالِعاً

أَنجادِها وَالفَضلُ لَيسَ يُعارُ

Since excellence cannot be diminished.

You became a beacon for the noble Arabs

أَمسَيتَ في العُربِ الكِرامِ مَنارَةً

تَعشو لِضَوئِكَ يَعرُبَ وَنِزارُ

Lit by your glow, whether settlers or nomads.

With resolute, deep-rooted gallantry

بِعَزائِمَ مَشبوبَةً وَمَكارِمٌ

عَنهُنَّ بيعانِ الكِرامِ قِصارُ

Beside which the gallantry of the noble pales.

Your traits among the people were singular -

كانَت خِلالَكَ في الأَنامِ فَريدَةً

بِنَظيرِها تَستَطرِفُ الأَشعارُ

Poetry itself stands in awe.

Eulogists could not do you justice;

لَم يَقصِرِ المِداحَ فيكَ وَرُبَّما

سَكَتِ اللِسانَ وَقالَتِ الآثارُ

Sometimes the tongue falls silent and relics speak.

Beneath it the soul cowers, crouching

الهِمَّةُ القَعساءُ يَربِضُ تَحتَها

جَأشَ بِركَنٍ ذَراهُ لَيسَ يُطارُ

At a butte it sees as unassailable.

It faces tribulations with the heart of a hero;

تَلقى الخُطوبُ بِقَلبِ شَهمٍ عِندَهُ

أَبدا كِبارَ الحادِثاتِ صِغارُ

Ever deeming the greatest events as small.

It made your country forbidden to a single tyrant -

حَرَمَت بِلادَكَ في مَصابِكَ واحِداً

هُوَ في الحَقيقَةِ جَحفَلٌ جَرّارُ

In truth, a belligerent, fierce transgressor.

I imagine the horizons without you now empty,

أَتَخَيَّلُ الأَرجاءَ بَدَكَ قَد خَلَت

فَكَأَنَّما تِلكَ الرُبوعُ قِفارُ

As if those plains have become deserts.

No coast is a coast when you left its sands

لا الثَغرُ ثَغرٌ إِذ غَدَوتَ بِرَملِهِ

رَهنَ الضَريحِ وَلا الدِيارُ دِيارُ

Captive to the tomb - no home still home.

Dear uncle Amin, it pains me that

أَعزِز عَلَيَّ أَبا أَمينٍ أَنَّهُ

أَمَلي بِقُربِكَ عادَ وَهوَ بَوارُ

My hopes of your proximity are gone, vanished.

I had hoped to see you, but instead,

قَد كُنتُ أَرجو اَن أَراكَ وَإِذ بِهِ

ما بَعدَ ذِياكَ العَشى عَرارُ

No evening remains after your loss.

Throughout your long absence you were the focus

قَد كُنتَ طولَ البُعدِ نَصبَ نَواظِري

وَيَرى الفُؤادَ وَلا تَرى الأَبصارُ

Of my sight though not seen, the heart's sight.

Forever I conversed with your spirit as if

أَبدا أُطارِحَكَ النَجي كَأَنَّنا

رُغمَ المَساوِفِ كُلِّها سَمّارُ

We scorned the passage of all time.

No thought of Beirut crossed the mind

ما مَرَّ عَن بَيروتَ سانِحٌ خاطِرٌ

إِلّا وَمَثَّلَ شَخصَكَ التَذكارُ

Without your image arising in memory.

Could it be otherwise when you were its pillar

أَولا تَكونَ كَذا وَأَنتَ بِأَرضِها

قُطبَ الرَحى وَعَلى القُطوبِ يُدارُ

And the world turns upon its poles?

Dear uncle Amin, I grieve you in verse

أَعزِز عَلَيَّ أَبا أَمينٍ أَنَّني

أَرثيكَ نَظماً وَالدُموعُ نِثارُ

While my tears flow freely like pearls tossed.

Weeping has blinded me, so my eyes

سَدَّكَ البُكاءُ بِمُقلَتَيَّ فَأَدمُعي

بِهِما غِزارٌ وَالرُقادُ غِرارُ

Pour copious, streaming tears.

Dear uncle, it pains me that you passed

أَعزِز عَلَيَّ بِأَن مَضَيتَ وَلَم تَزَل

تِلكَ المُنى وَفَنيقِهِنَّ حُوارُ

While Phoenicia and its maidens still gleam.

And the people curse intermittent flashes

وَالناسُ شائِمَةٌ بِوارِقٍ لَمَّعاً

تَخبو وَتومِضُ وَالقُلوبَ حِرارُ

That glow and fade while hearts burn.

They recall you at each and every ordeal -

يَتَذَكَّرونَكَ كُلَّ حَزَّةٍ مَأزِقٌ

وَلَدَيَّ الحَنادِسَ تُنشِدُ الأَقمارُ

At my side history sings like planets.

For your view in tribulations was a piercing sword,

إِذ سَيفٌ رَأيُكَ في الحَوادِثِ فَيصَلُ

وَنَدى يَمينُكَ ديمَةً مِدرارُ

And the dew of your hand a flowing stream.

You were the refuge and fortress of hearts,

وَمِنَ القُلوبِ مَعاصِمٌ وَمَعاقِلُ

وَمِنَ العُقولِ أَسِنَّةٍ وَشِفارُ

The blade and edge of minds.

Your pact with your comrades was to recall

قَد كانَ عَهدُكَ لِلرِفاقِ تَذكاروا

حَقَّ البِلادِ وَأَنَّكُم أَحرارُ

The nation's right and that you are all free.

The nation's right is to fully possess

حَقُّ البِلادِ بِأَن تَكونَ لِأَهلِها

مَلِكاً صَريحاً ما عَلَيهِ غُبارُ

Its land, overtly, without obscurity.

Either our soil is purely our own

أَو طانُنا في الأَرضِ خالِصَةً لَنا

نَحنُ الطُيورُ وَهَذِهِ الأَوكارُ

Since we are its birds and this is our nest.

Depart not, Ahmad, for if you are gone

لا تَبعِدَن فَإِن تَغِب يا أَحمَدَ

تَحتَ الثَرى فَلِأَحمَدٍ أَنصارُ

Beneath the earth, Ahmad still has partisans.

Gleams of salvation loom - dawn breaks

لاحَت تَباشيرُ الخَلاصِ وَإِنَّما

يَبدو الصَباحُ وَقَبلَهُ الإِسفارُ

After the darkness - and the dawn comes fast.

The misguided deemed our country as plunder;

ضَلَّ الأَلىى حَسِبوا البِلادَ غَنائِماً

تِلكَ الجِنانِ جِنانُ جَلَّقُ نارُ

Those infernos kindle Hell's blaze.

Those with sights on the Euphrates and Tigris -

وَالطامِحونَ إِلى الفُراتِ وَدِجلَةَ

مَجرى الفُراتِ وَدِجلَةَ تَيّارُ

The course of the great rivers is torrential.

Those peddling Jerusalem are money-changers -

وَالبائِعونَ القُدسَ رَهطُ صَيارِفٍ

ما لِلصَيارِفِ عِندَنا دينارُ

In our realm, money-changers have no dinars.

Their forefathers made our forefathers' lands

قَد كانَ أُمَّ بِلادِنا أَباؤُهُم

أُمَماً فَلاقى ريحُهُم إِعصارُ

Nations, so their winds met hurricanes.

If they recalled past events,

لَو يَذكُرونَ مِنَ الحَوادِثِ ماضِياً

ما غَرَّهُم لِمَقامِنا اِستِحقارُ

They would not scorn our abode.

But they deemed time to be secure, as if

لَكِنَّهُم أَمِنوا الزَمانَ كَأَنَّما

بَينَ الزَمانِ وَبَينَهُم آصارُ

Between them and time were barriers.

And imagined those eras were gone, never to return -

وَتَوَهَّموا تِلكَ العُصورُ وَقَد خَلَت

لَيسَت تُعادُ وَما لَها تِكرارُ

No repetition, no echo.

Nay, by your Lord, their reckoning went astray!

كَلّا وَرَبُّكَ ما أَصابَ حِسابَهُم

وَلِكُلِّ قَومٍ نَهضَةً وَعِثارُ

For each people there is rise and fall.

Time is ever-turning, ever the same,

إِنَّ الزَمانَ هُوَ الزَمانُ تَقَلُّباً

ما دامَ إِلّا الواحِدُ القَهّارُ

As long as only the One Firm lasts.