بمعوديّةِ الدين العتيقِ

بماري بطرسٍ بالجاثليقِ

With the antiquity of religion,

By the baptismal rites of the ancient faith,

With Mary of Peter the Patriarch,

By Saint Peter, and by the Catholicos,

بشمعونٍ بيوحنّا بمتّى

بماري سرجسِ القسّ الشفيقِ

With Simeon, John, Matthew,

By Simon, by John, and by Matthew,

With Mary of Sergius the kind priest,

By Saint Sergius, the priest compassionate,

بمارةِ مريم وبيوم فِصح

وبالقربانِ والخمرِ العتيقِ

With the day of Easter

By the Lady Mary, and by Easter Day,

And the old wine and bread,

By the Holy Eucharist, and wine aged long,

وبالصُلبان ترفعها رماحٌ

تلالا حين تومضُ بالبريقِ

With the crosses raised on spears

By crosses hoisted high upon the staffs,

That flash with light over the hills,

That shimmer when they flash with brilliant light,

وبالناقوس بالبيتِ اللواتي

تقام بها الصلاةُ لدى الشروقِ

With the bells, the houses of prayer

By the church bell within the house of prayer,

Where dawn prayers are held,

Where morning prayers are held at break of dawn,

بقلّاباتِ دومة بالمقاسي

ومذبحِها بها الحسن الأنيق

With the pulpits of Domeh, its altar

By Dumat’s cells where ascetics endure,

With its elegant beauty,

And by its altar, elegant and fair,

بداودَ وما يتلونَ منهُ

بترجيع يُردّدُ في الحلوقِ

With David and those who recite him

By David, and the Psalms that they recite,

Chanting in the throats,

In chanting echoes rolling in their throats,

ورهبان الصوامع في ذُراها

مقامهمُ على جهدٍ وضيق

And the monks of monasteries in their cells

By hermits in their mountain cells on high,

Despite hardship and distress,

Who dwell in hardship and in narrow straits,

بروح القدس إذ فهمَ ابنُ رضوى

ورأسِ يحنّا برنسه حليقِ

With the Holy Spirit when the son of Ridwa understood

By the Holy Spirit, as Ibn Radwa knew,

And John's head was shaved clean,

And John’s own head, with shaven tonsure bare,

بزكّى بل بمتّى بل بيحيى

وإمساكٍ بذي الدين الوثيقِ

With Zakkiyah, Matthew, John,

By Zechariah, Matthew, nay, by John,

And upholding the solid faith,

And holding fast to faith that binds so tight,

بميلادِ المسيحِ بيوم ذبح

وباعوثٍ لتأدية الحقوقِ

With Christ's birth, the day of slaughter

By Christ’s nativity, by Passion’s day,

And payment of dues,

And Eastertide to pay the rites their due,

وأيام الشعانين المبدّى

وشَمعلةِ النصارى في الطريق

And Palm Sunday's beginnings

By days of Palms, displayed for all to see,

And the Christians' candles on the road,

And Christians bearing candles in the street,

بنوح والسفينةِ حين تسعى

على الجودي لمعاً كالبروقِ

With Noah and the ark sailing

By Noah and the Ark that sailed the surge,

Gleaming like lightning on the waves,

On Judi’s mount, gleaming like lightning flash,

بهيكلِ أسقفٍ وبما يليه

ونشرِ البندِ والعلمِ الخفوقِ

With a bishop's church and what follows it

By Bishop’s altar and what lies beyond,

And spreading the edict and the fluttering banner,

The spread of banners and the fluttering flags,

وما صلّى وصامَ بطورسينا

أشعيا عند مفترقِ الصديق

And what Isaiah prayed and fasted

By him who prayed and fasted at Mount Sinai,

At the hermitage of the Siddiq,

Isaiah at the parting of the ways,

بمر دغدي إذا يتلو بصوتٍ

كصوتِ الزير مع وتَر نطوقِ

With Mar Daghdih reciting in a voice

By Mar Daghdi, chanting with a voice,

Like the humming of a lute's strings,

Deep as the oud’s low string that seems to speak,

بكنس الروم والشامات حتّى

وباللكامِ والدير الشهيقِ

With the Roman and Syrian churches

By chapels of the Greeks and Levantine lands,

And the sublime monastery,

By Lukkam’s peaks and convents soaring high,

بقشطنطينة البلدِ المفدّى

وبيعةِ أسهري عند الطحيقِ

With Constantinople, the redeemed city

By Constantinople, city ransomed dear,

And the pledge of Ash'ari at dawn,

And Ashri's church amidst the thronging crowd,

بقيصرَ والملوكِ هلمّ جرّاً

إلى ساممسّما سمو الرفيق

With Caesar and the kings, come, dragging

By Caesar and the kings, and all their line,

To Samma's lofty companion,

Unto the highest comrade of them all,

وبالنظرِ المفتّر حين ترنو

وبالزنارِ في الخصر الدقيق

And with the wandering gaze when it looks

And by the languid glance with which you gaze,

And the belt around the slim waist,

And by the zunnar round your slender waist,

بحرمةِ وجنتيكَ وحسن وجهٍ

تتيهُ بهِ وبالقدّ الرشيقِ

With the sanctity of your cheeks and a beautiful face

By sanctity of cheeks and lovely face,

That makes me lose my way, and the slender stature,

Wherein you glory, and your graceful form,

وبالطيبِ المركب فيك ألّا

رحمتَ تحرّقي وجفوفَ ريقي

With the perfume compounded in you, have mercy,

And by the perfume blended in your skin,

Don't burn my feelings and parch my saliva,

Have mercy on my burning, parched with thirst.

أما والقربُ من بعد التنائي

يمين فتىً لقائلهِ عشيقِ

Yet closeness after estrangement

Nay, by the drawing near after the far,

Is the right of a lover addressed by his beloved,

A young man’s oath, sworn to his lover true,

لقد أصبحتَ زينةَ كلّ عيدٍ

ودينٍ مع جفائكَ والعقوقِ

You have become the adornment of every feast

You have become the jewel of every feast,

And faith, despite your aloofness and disdain.

And every faith, despite your cruel disdain.