حَياةٌ ما نُريدُ لَها زِيالا
وَدُنيا لا نَوَدُّ لَها اِنتِقالا
A life we do not want a companion for,
And a world we do not wish to depart from,
وَعَيشٌ في أُصولِ المَوتِ سَمٌّ
عُصارَتُهُ وَإِن بَسَطَ الظِلالا
And a living amidst the fundamentals of death is poisonous,
Even if its essence extends shade.
وَأَيّامٌ تَطيرُ بِنا سَحاباً
وَإِن خيلَت تَدِبُّ بِنا نِمالا
And days that fly with us like clouds,
And even if they seem to creep slowly.
نُريها في الضَميرِ هَوىً وَحُبّاً
وَنُسمِعُها التَبرُّمَ وَالمَلالا
We show it in conscience passion and love,
And we let it hear complaining and boredom.
قِصارٌ حينَ نَجري اللَهوَ فيها
طِوالٌ حينَ نَقطَعُها فِعالا
Short when we frolic in it,
Long when we cut it off with deeds.
وَلَم تَضُقِ الحَياةُ بِنا وَلَكِن
زِحامُ السوءِ ضَيَّقَها مَجالا
And life did not weary us, but
The crowds of evil narrowed its scope.
وَلَم تَقتُل بِراحَتِها بَنيها
وَلَكِن سابَقوا المَوتَ اِقتِتالا
And it did not kill its children with comfort,
But they raced death, fighting.
وَلَو زادَ الحَياةَ الناسُ سَعياً
وَإِخلاصاً لَزادَتهُم جَمالا
If people increased life with effort,
And sincerity, it would increase their beauty.
كَأنَّ اللَهَ إِذ قَسَمَ المَعالي
لِأَهلِ الواجِبِ اِدَّخَرَ الكَمالا
As if God, when He divided great things,
Reserved perfection for the people of duty.
تَرى جِدّاً وَلَستَ تَرى عَلَيهِم
وُلوعاً بِالصَغائِرِ وَاِشتِغالا
You see them serious, and you do not see them
Obsessed with trivialities and busyness.
وَلَيسوا أَرغَدَ الأَحياءِ عَيشاً
وَلَكِن أَنعَمَ الأَحياءِ بالا
And they are not the most luxurious of the living,
But the most blissful of the living.
إِذا فَعَلوا فَخَيرُ الناسِ فِعلاً
وَإِن قالوا فَأَكرَمُهُم مَقالا
When they act, they are the best of people in action,
And if they speak, they are the most eloquent in speech.
وَإِن سَأَلَتهُمو الأَوطانُ أَعطَوا
دَماً حُرّاً وَأَبناءً وَمالا
And if homelands asked them, they gave
Free blood, and sons, and money.
بَني البَلَدِ الشَقيقِ عَزاءَ جارٍ
أَهابَ بِدَمعِهِ شَجَنٌ فَسالا
O children of the dear homeland, the condolence of a neighbor
Whose tenderness tears have streamed down.
قَضى بِالأَمسِ لِلأَبطالِ حَقّاً
وَأَضحى اليَومَ بِالشُهَداءِ غالي
Yesterday it fulfilled the right of the heroes,
And today it held the martyrs as precious.
يُعَظِّمُ كُلَّ جُهدٍ عَبقَرِيٍّ
أَكانَ السِلمَ أَم كانَ القِتالا
It respects every intellectual effort,
Whether it is peace or fighting.
وَما زِلنا إِذا دَهَتِ الرَزايا
كَأَرحَمِ ما يَكونُ البَيتُ آلا
And we do not cease, when calamities strike,
To be like the most merciful house.
وَقَد أَنسى الإِساءَةَ مِن حَسودٍ
وَلا أَنسى الصَنيعَةَ وَالفِعالا
And I have forgotten the harm from enviers,
And I do not forget favors and deeds.
ذَكَرتُ المِهرَجانَ وَقَد تَجَلّى
وَوَفدَ المَشرِقَينِ وَقَد تَوالى
I remembered the festival, and it has appeared,
And the two Easts have come and followed.
وَداري بَينَ أَعراسِ القَوافي
وَقَد جُلِيَت سَماءً لا تُعالى
And my home between the weddings of rhymes,
And the sky has been adorned that cannot be transcended.
تَسَلَّلَ في الزِحامِ إِلَيَّ نِضوٌ
مِنَ الأَحرارِ تَحسَبُهُ خَيالا
In the crowds came to me a whiff
Of the free that you would think is a mirage.
رَسولُ الصابِرينَ أَلَمَّ وَهناً
وَبَلَّغَني التَحِيَّةَ وَالسُؤالا
Messenger of the steadfast, he touched weariness
And conveyed the greeting and question to me.
دَنا مِنّي فَناوَلَني كِتاباً
أَحَسَّت راحَتايَ لَهُ جَلالا
He came near me and handed me a book,
And my hands felt its majesty.
وَجَدتُ دَمَ الأُسودِ عَلَيهِ مِسكاً
وَكانَ الأَصلُ في المِسكِ الغَزالا
I found the blood of lions on it to be musk,
While the essence of musk is the gazelle.
كَأَنَّ أَسامِيَ الأَبطالِ فيهِ
حَوامِمٌ عَلى رِقٍّ تَتالى
As if the names of heroes in it
Are doves on lined paper in succession.
رُواةُ قَصائِدي قَد رَتَّلوها
وَغَنَّوها الأَسِنَّةَ وَالنِصالا
Reciters of my poems have chanted them
And sung them with tongues and blades.
إِذا رَكَزوا القَنا اِنتَقَلوا إِلَيها
فَكانَت في الخِيامِ لَهُم نِقالا
When they planted the spear they moved to them,
So they were for them in tents a transfer.
بَني سورِيَّةَ اِلتَئِموا كَيَومٍ
خَرَجتُم تَطلُبونَ بِهِ النِزالا
O children of Syria, unite like a day
You went out seeking through it combat.
سَلو الحُرِيَّةَ الزَهراءَ عَنّا
وَعَنكُم هَل أَذاقَتنا الوِصالا
Ask free radiant freedom about us
And you - has it let us taste connection?
وَهَل نِلنا كِلانا اليَومَ إِلّا
عَراقيبَ المَواعِدِ وَالمِطالا
And have we attained today except
The futilities of promises and procrastination?
عَرَفتُم مَهرَها فَمَهَرتُموها دَماً
صَبَغَ السَباسِبَ وَالدِغالا
You knew its dowry so you endowed it with blood
That dyed the wrists and thickets.
وَقُمتُم دونَها حَتّى خَضَبتُم
هَوادِجَها الشَريفَةَ وَالحِجالا
And you stood up for it until you bloodied
Its noble escutcheons and strongholds.
دَعوا في الناسِ مَفتوناً جَباناً
يَقولُ الحَربُ قَد كانَت وَبالا
Leave someone in people enchanted, cowardly,
Saying war has been a scourge.
أَيُطلَبُ حَقَّهُم بِالروحِ قَومٌ
فَتَسمَعُ قائِلاً رَكِبوا الضَلالا
Should a people ask for their right with the soul
Then you hear someone saying they took misguidance?
وَكونوا حائِطاً لا صَدعَ فيهِ
وَصَفّاً لا يُرَقَّعُ بِالكَسالى
And be a wall with no cracks in it,
And a row that is not mended with cowards.
وَعيشوا في ظِلالِ السِلمِ كَدّاً
فَلَيسَ السِلمُ عَجزاً وَاِتِّكالا
And live in the shadows of peace steadfastly,
For peace is not weakness and reliance.
وَلَكِن أَبَعدَ اليَومَينِ مَرمىً
وَخَيرَهُما لَكُم نُصحاً وَآلا
But the farthest of the two days in range,
And the best of them for you in advice and family.
وَلَيسَ الحَربُ مَركَبَ كُلِّ يَومٍ
وَلا الدَمُ كُلَّ آوِنَةٍ حَلالا
War is not the vessel of every day,
Nor blood made permitted at every time.
سَأَذكُرُ ما حَيِّتُ جِدارَ قَبرٍ
بِظاهِرِ جِلَّقَ رَكِبَ الرِمالا
I will remember as long as I live the wall of a grave
At the surface of Jilliq ascended the sands.
مُقيمٌ ما أَقامَت مَيسَلونٌ
يَذكُرُ مَصرَعَ الأُسُدِ الشِبالا
Remaining as long as Maysalun remained,
Mentioning the death of the young lion.
لَقَد أَوحى إِلَيَّ بِما شَجاني
كَما توحي القُبورُ إِلى الثَكالى
It has inspired me with what saddened me,
As graves inspire the bereaved.
تَغَيَّبَ عَظمَةُ العَظَماتِ فيهِ
وَأَوَّلُ سَيِّدٍ لَقِيَ النِبالا
The grandeur of grandeurs disappeared in it,
And the first master met spears.
كَأَنَّ بُناتَهُ رَفَعوا مَناراً
مِنَ الإِخلاصِ أَو نَصَبوا مِثالا
As if his daughters raised a minaret
Of sincerity or erected a statue.
سِراجُ الحَقِّ في ثَبَجِ الصَحارى
تَهابُ العاصِفاتُ لَهُ ذُبالا
The lantern of truth in the desolate wilderness,
Tempests dread its fuel.
تَرى نورَ العَقيدَةِ في ثَراهُ
وَتَنشَقُ في جَوانِبِهِ الخِلالا
You see the light of creed in its burial chamber
And the shadows split at its sides.
مَشى وَمَشَت فَيالِقُ مِن فَرَنسا
تَجُرُّ مَطارِفَ الظَفَرِ اِختِيالا
He walked and battalions from France walked
Dragging the fringes of victory arrogantly.
مَلَأنَ الجَوَّ أَسلِحَةً خِفاقاً
وَوَجهَ الأَرضِ أَسلِحَةً ثِقالا
They filled the air with fluttering weapons
And faced the earth with heavy weapons.
وَأَرسَلنَ الرِياحَ عَلَيهِ ناراً
فَما حَفَلَ الجَنوبُ وَلا الشَمالا
And they sent winds upon him as fire,
Yet the south and north winds did not care.
سَلوهُ هَل تَرَجَّلَ في هُبوبٍ
مِنَ النيرانِ أَرجَلَتِ الجِبالا
Ask him, did he dismount in gusts
Of fires whose feet shook the mountains?
أَقامَ نَهارَهُ يُلقي وَيَلقى
فَلَمّا زالَ قُرصُ الشَمسِ زالا
He stood his ground, attacking and counterattacking,
Until the sun disk disappeared, so he disappeared.
وَصاحَ نَرى بِهِ قَيدَ المَنايا
وَلَستَ تَرى الشَكيمَ وَلا الشِكالا
And he cried, "We see him in death's shackle,
And you do not see submissiveness or bending."
فَكُفِّنَ بِالصَوارِمِ وَالعَوالي
وَغُيِّبَ حَيثُ جالَ وَحَيثُ صالا
So he was enshrouded with blades and loftiness,
And buried where he wandered and where he rested.
إِذا مَرَّت بِهِ الأَجيالُ تَترى
سَمِعتَ لَها أَزيزاً وَاِبتِهالا
When generations pass by him, you will hear
From them a buzz and supplication.
تَعَلَّقَ في ضَمائِرِهِم صَليباً
وَحَلَّقَ في سَرائِرِهِم هِلالا
A cross clung in their consciences,
And a crescent hovered in their mysteries.
