تَجَلَّدَ لِلرَحيلِ فَما اِستَطاعا

وَداعاً جَنَّةَ الدُنيا وَداعا

He braced himself for departure, but could not

Farewell, o paradise of the world, farewell

عَسى الأَيّامُ تَجمَعُني فَإِنّي

أَرى العَيشَ اِفتِراقاً وَاِجتِماعا

May the days reunite me, for I see

Life as separation and gathering

أَلا لَيتَ البِلادَ لَها قُلوبُ

كَما لِلناسِ تَنفَطِرُ اِلتِياعا

Oh, if only the countries had hearts

As people's hearts break with yearning

وَلَيتَ لَدى فُروقٍ بَعضَ بَثّي

وَما فَعَلَ الفُراقُ غَداةَ راعا

If only the parting made some hearts ache

And what separation did the next morning wreak

أَما وَاللَهِ لَو عَلِمَت مَكاني

لَأَنطَقَتِ المَآذِنَ وَالقِلاعا

By God, if my place knew

The minarets and citadels would speak

حَوَت رِقَّ القَواضِبِ وَالعَوالي

فَلَمّا ضُفتُها حَوَتِ اليَراعا

It contained the sailboats and the tall ships

When I docked them, it contained the meadows

سَأَلتُ القَلبَ عَن تِلكَ اللَيالي

أَكُنُّ لَيالِياً أَم كُنَّ ساعا

I asked my heart about those nights

Were they nights or were they moments?

فَقالَ القَلبُ بَل مَرَّت عِجالاً

كَدَقّاتي لِذِكراها سِراعا

My heart replied: "Nay, they passed quickly

Like my heartbeats when I remember them"

أَدارَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَتُراثُ عيسى

لَقَد رَضِياكِ بينَهُما مَشاعا

The legacy of Muhammad and Jesus' heritage

You were pleased with both between them

فَهَل نَبَذَ التَعصُّبُ فيكِ قَومٌ

يَمُدُّ الجَهلُ بَينَهُمُ النِزاعا

Did stubbornness in you make a people

Whom ignorance stretches contention between them

أَرى الرَحمَنَ حَصَّنَ مَسجِدَيهِ

بِأَطوَلِ حائِطٍ مِنكِ اِمتِناعا

I see the Merciful fortified His two mosques

With the longest wall against you is defiance

فَكُنتِ لِبَيتِهِ المَحجوجِ رُكناً

وَكُنتِ لِبَيتِهِ الأَقصى سِطاعا

You were a pillar for His embargoed House

And you were a ceiling for His Farthest House

هَواؤُكِ وَالعُيونُ مُفَجَّراتٌ

كَفى بِهِما مِنَ الدُنيا مَتاعا

Your air and the gushing springs

Are enough of the world's possessions

وَشَمسُكِ كُلَّما طَلَعَت بِأُفقٍ

تَخَطَّرَتِ الحَياةُ بِهِ شُعاعا

Whenever your sun rises on the horizon

Life shimmers with its rays

وَغيدُكِ هُنَّ فَوقَ الأَرضِ حورٌ

أَوانِسُ لا نِقابَ وَلا قِناعا

And your beauties there above the earth are houris

Companions with no veils or masks

حَوالى لُجَّةٍ مِن لازَوَردٍ

تَعالى اللَهُ خَلقاً وَاِبتِداعا

Around a cove of blazing flowers

Exalted is God in creation and innovation

يَروحُ لُجَينُها الجاري وَيَغدو

عَلى الفِردَوسِ آكاماً وَقاعا

Their cove spirits the stream and rises

Onto Paradise, plateaus and dales