نَوحُ الحَمامِ الوُرقِ في أَوراقِها
دَلَّ أَخا الشَوقِ عَلى أَشواقِها
The gray doves' lament amid their leaves
The cooing of the doves in their branches
revealed their yearnings to one who yearns.
Led the brother of longing to his longings
فَأَظهَرَ الدَّمعَ وَأَخفى زَفرَةً
خافَ عَلى الباناتِ مِن إِحراقِها
So he let his tears show and hid a sigh;
So he showed his tears and hid a moan
he feared it would set the bān trees aflame.
Fearing for the branches from being burnt
لَو بَكَتِ الوُرقُ بِبَعضِ أَدمُعي
لاِمَّحَتِ الأَطواقُ مِن أَعناقِها
If the gray doves wept with some of my tears,
If the leaves cried with some of my tears
the neck-rings would vanish from their necks.
The boughs would gesture from their necks
فَاِعجَب لَها شاكِيَةً باكِيَةً
لَم تَسلُكِ الدُموعَ في آماقِها
So marvel at them, complaining and weeping,
So I wondered at her complaining and crying
though they have threaded no tears into their eye-corners.
Without sending tears into her pupils
سَقى دِمَشقَ اللَهُ غَيثاً مُحسِباً
مِن مُستَهَلِّ ديمَةٍ دَفّاقِها
May God water Damascus with ample rain,
Damascus was watered by Allah with rain
from the gushing outpour of a steady rain.
From the spout of a cloud pouring down
مَدينَةٌ أَحسِن بِها مَدينَةً
كَأَنَّما الجَنَّةُ مِن رُزداقِها
A city—how beautiful a city she is!
A city improved over any city
As though Paradise were part of her countryside.
As if Paradise was one of its meadows
تَوَدُّ زَوراءُ العِراقِ أَنَّها
مِنها وَلا تُعزى إِلى عِراقِها
Iraq's al-Zawra wishes she
The meadows of Iraq wish that they
were part of Damascus, not ascribed to her own Iraq.
Were from it, yet ascribed to their Iraq
أَشكو مِنَ الأَشواقِ ما شَكَتهُ جِل
لَقٌ إِلى المَودودِ مِن أَشواقِها
I lament the longings that Jillaq lamented
I complain of passions which a beauty complained
to the beloved, out of her own yearnings.
To the loved one of her passions
حُقَّ لِبَدرِ الدينِ أَن تَحسُدَهُ
عَلى العُلى البُدورُ في اِتِّساقِها
Badr al-Din rightly deserves to be envied
It is right that Badr al-Din be envied
for his eminence by the full moons in their fullness.
By the full moons in their rising
كَمالُهُ أَحسَنُ مِن كَمالِها
فَصينَ طولَ الدَهرِ عَن محاقِها
His perfection is fairer than theirs,
His perfection is better than its perfection
so may he be shielded for all time from their waning.
Protecting for ages against its waning
قَد خَيَّمَ الرَبيعُ في رُبوعِها
وَسيقَتِ المُنى إِلى أَسواقِها
Spring has pitched its tent in her quarters,
Spring has pitched its tents in its meadows
and wishes have been brought to her markets.
And wishes were led to its markets
اِختارَهُ اللَهُ لِخَيرِ أَرضِهِ
إِذ لَيسَ مِثلُ الشامِ في آفاقِها
God chose him for the best of His lands,
Allah chose him for the best of His earth
for nothing across the earth's horizons compares with al-Sham.
For nothing equals Syria in its horizons
فَقابَلَ الشامَ بِرَأيٍ رَتَّقَ ال
أُمورَ بَعدَ شِدَّةِ اِنفِتاقِها
So he met al-Sham with counsel that mended the
He met Syria with an opinion which repaired
affairs, after they had been grievously torn apart.
Affairs after the intensity of its breaking
ما غُلَّ في الحَربِ وَلَكِن غَلَّ أَي
دي عُصَبِ الكُفرِ إِلى أَعناقِها
He was not shackled in war, but shackled the hands
He was not harsh in war, but harsh
of the bands of unbelief to their necks.
Were his hands on the neck of disbelief
لا فَتِئَت أَيّامُهُ سَعيدَةً
لا يَنكُثُ الدَهرُ قُوى ميثاقِها
May his days never cease to be happy,
His days continued to be fortunate
may time never unravel the strands of their covenant.
Time does not break the strength of his pact
Sol 6.1