متى أنتَ يا وطني مُسعِدي

لقد أفلتَتْ همَّتي من يدي

When will you make me happy, my homeland?

My ambitions have slipped from my hands.

هَجرْتُكَ لا الشوقُ يِدني إليكَ

ولا الصبرُ إن أدْعُهُ يُنجِدِ

I left you, though yearning does not bring me close to you,

Nor does patience, if I call upon it, help me.

وحاربتُ فيك الليالِي ومَنْ

يجاهِدْ ليالِيَه يَجهَدِ

I battled the nights for you, and whoever

Battles his nights is exhausted.

فأمّا الشبابُ فملَّ المنى

وأمَّا الزمانُ فلم يُسعدِ

As for youth, it is filled with wishes,

And as for time, it did not make me happy.

بلادُك فاحمِ حمى مجدِها

فإِن أَنتَ لم تَحمِ لم تُحمَدِ

Protect the sanctity of your glory,

For if you do not protect it, you will not be praised.

ولا تستَبحْ عِرضَها فالوفاءُ

دَليلٌ على كَرَمِ المحتِدِ

Do not make light of its honor, for loyalty

Is evidence of the nobility of one who contends.

عدمتُ المروءَة يومَ يُرادُ

فِدىً لبلادي ولا أفتدِي

I lacked manliness the day ransom was wanted

For my country, and I cannot ransom myself.

إذا المرء مات فِدى موطنٍ

فقد ماتَ ميتة مُستَشْهَدِ

When a man dies ransoming his homeland,

He has died a martyr's death.

وأجدبَ عالي الرُّبى مُقفِرٍ

كثير الفدافد والأنجُدِ

Barren are the lofty heights, desolate,

With much loss and distress.

إذا الطيرُ عاجت بهِ تستريحُ

ترامَتْ عَياءَ على الجَلمدَ

When the birds flock there to rest,

Their cries echo over the frozen mountain tops.

عبوس المعالم لا ينجلي

بصبحٍ دُجى ليلِهِ الأسودِ

Gloomy are the landmarks, their darkness not dispelled

By a morning whose night was jet black.

خَلا من بَنِيه فليسَ بنوه

سوى رُحّلٍ أبداً شرّدِ

Empty of its people, it is no longer their homeland,

Just a place forever abandoned.

يجِدّ بنا البَينُ كرهاً على جِوارٍ

بذي لُجَجٍ مزبِدِ

Separation makes us hate being neighbors

To those of hardened hearts and churning hatred-

جِوارٍ بها مثلُ ما في الضلوعِ

فلا بِدْعَ إن هي لم تبرُدِ

Neighborhood like that in our breasts,

Which will not cool unless separated.

إذا شارفَتْ أرض لبنانَ هاجَت

بنا لوعَةُ الوالهِ المبعَدِ

When we neared the land of Lebanon,

The yearning of the exiled overwhelmed us.

وما راعنا البَيْنُ لَكِن بَكَينا

على جَبلٍ موحشٍ أجردِ

We did not notice the separation, but we cried

Over a desolate, barren mountain.

لقد أخلقَ الدهر مِن جِدّتيه

فأمسى لثوب البِلَى يرتدي

Time has clothed itself in its old worn out garb,

So cast a look in which you can see a sky

أجِلْ نظرةً فيه تُبصْر سماءً

تُطلُّ على أربُعٍ همَّدِ

Overlooking four supports propped up.

The dwellings have been abandoned by their people

منازل هاجَرَها أهلُها

إلى كل منتجعٍ أرغدِ

For every comfortable, prosperous resort.

Only the child remains in his cradle,

فليسَ سوى الطفلِ في مهده

وليس سوى العاجِزِ المُقعَدِ

And only the crippled old man remains.

Councils of rule include none

مجالسُ للحكم ما أن تَضُمّ

سوى ذي مطامِعَ مسترفِدِ

But the greedy self-seeker.

Resources flow in vain, so they

موارد تنصبّ هَدْراً فما

تبرَّد من غُله الورّدِ

Do not quench the burning thirst.

Houses of worship stand empty,

صوامع للدين مستوياتٌ

على قِمم للعُلى صعّدِ

Though aloft, reaching the heights.

Their monks enjoy wealth

ينعَّم رهبنها بالثراء

ويحرَمُ كلُّ فتىً أصيدِ

While every young man is deprived.

What binds us to you, O homeland, but

بنا منك يا وطني ما بنا

لواعجُ في الصدر لم تخمَدِ

Pangs in the heart that have not subsided?

We complained of separation, and you of isolation,

شكوتَ النَّوى وشكونا الثَّواء

وَأيٌّ تَزِدْه أذىً يزدَدِ

But which of the two causes more pain?

Make your people’s calamity less

أَقلّ رزايا بنيك مقامٌ

وصبرٌ على عيشك الأنكدِ

By being patient with your miserable life.

Many a youth was maddened by his homeland

ورُبَّ فتىً عقَّه موطنٌ

فولّى إلى وطنٍ أبعدِ

And so turned to a more distant land.

Some toss sleeplessly in bed

ومن شاكه مضجعٌ لم ينم

ومن طلب الرزقَ لم يقعدِ

While others seek livelihood but do not rest.

Ask my homeland what right it has over me

سلوا وطني أيُّ فضلٍ له

عليَّ سوى أنه مَوْلِدي

Other than that it is where I was born!

But it would be blasphemy for me to leave it

بلى كان كُفراً رحيليَ عنه

لَوِ اتَّهمتْ همتي مقصِدي

If my purpose was doubted.

Were it not for my loyalty to noble people

ولولا وفائي لأهلٍ كرامٍ

ولولا ثرى والدٍ أمجدِ

And the soil of my glorious father,

I would have abandoned it without remorse,

لهاجرته غيرَ ذي أوبةِ

فما نتلاقى على موعِدِ

And we would not have met again.

I love my country even if I gained

أُحب بلادي ولو لم أنلْ

سوى الضيمِ منها ولم أعهَدِ

Naught from it but injustice, to which I'm unaccustomed.

Your country is all your hopes, so rise up

بلادُك كلُّ رجائِك فانهض

بها ما استطعتَ إلى السؤدُدِ

For it as much as you can to defend it.

When asked about Lebanon, say it's the homeland

إذا قيل لبنان قل موطنُ

إلهي وصلّ له واسجُدِ

Of my God - pray and bow to it.