حَيّا الصِبا عَلى رُبى لُبنانِ

حَيثُ الهَوى وَمَراتِعُ الغُزلانِ

The youth greeted the breeze in the meadows of Lebanon

Salutations to the zephyr upon the hills of Lebanon,

Where passion dwells, and the haunts of gazelles,

Where passion dwells and gazelles roam free.

وَرَعى المُهَيمَنُ ساكِنيهِ فَإِنَّهُم

في خَيرِ أَرضٍ خَيرَةِ السُكّانِ

And the Guardian watched over its inhabitants, for they are

May the Guardian watch over those who dwell there,

In the best of lands, the best of people.

For they are the finest people in the finest land.

قَومٌ صَفَت أَخلاقُهُم وَوُجوهُهُم

فَالحُسنُ مَجموعٌ إِلى الإِحسانِ

A people whose manners and faces have been refined

A people of pure character and countenances,

So that beauty and kindness are joined together.

Where beauty is united with benevolence.

لَهُمُ الأَيادي البيضُ وَالبيضُ وَالشِيَمُ

لَو مُثِّلَت كانَت عُقودَ جُمانِ

They have white hands and arms, that if depicted

Theirs are the white hands of bounty, bright honor, and noble traits,

Would be like necklaces of pearls.

Which, if given form, would be necklaces of pearls.

شَيَمُ الكِرامِ قَصائِدٌ في الكَونِ غِر

رٌ وَهيَ في شِيَمِ الكِرامِ مَعانِ

The mark of generosity is scattered poems in the universe

The traits of the noble are radiant poems within the universe,

And these marks are the essence of generosity.

And within the character of the noble, they are profound meanings.

قَومٌ إِذا زارَ الغَريبُ بِلادَهُم

جَعَلوهُ مِنهُم في أَجَلِّ مَكانِ

A people, if a stranger visited their lands,

A people who, when a stranger visits their lands,

They would make him one of them in the highest place.

Make him one of their own, in the most honored place.

إِن خِفتَ شَرَّ طَوارِقِ الحَدَثانِ فَ

اِقسِدهُم تُخِفكَ طَوارِقُ الحَدَثانِ

If you fear the evils of fickle events, then

If you fear the evil of time's sudden calamities,

Seek them out, they will protect you from fickle events.

Seek them out, and the calamities of time will pass you by.

لَوَ اِنَّ في كيوانَ دارَ إِقامَتي

لَهَجَرتُ كيواناً إِلى لُبنانِ

If the eternal realm held my dwelling place,

Even if my dwelling place were upon Saturn,

I would abandon it for Lebanon.

I would abandon Saturn for the sake of Lebanon.

قَيَّدتُ قَلبي في هَواهُ فَلَم أَعُد

أَهوى السِوى إِذ لَيسَ لي قَلبانِ

I bound my heart to its passion, so I no longer

I have bound my heart to its love, so I no longer

Desire anything else, for I do not have two hearts.

Love any other, for I possess not two hearts.

وَالحُبُّ يَجمُلُ في الشَبيبَةِ وَالصِبى

كَجَمالِ زَهرِ الرَوضِ في نَيسانِ

And love is beautiful in youth and childhood

Love is beautiful in the bloom of youth and childhood,

Like the beauty of a meadow’s flower in April.

Like the beauty of garden blossoms in April.

هُوَ جَنَّةُ الخُلدِ الَّتي مَنّى بِها

رُسُلُ الهُدى قِدَماً بَني الإِنسانِ

It is the eternal garden hoped for

It is the Paradise of Eternity promised by

By the messengers of guidance, the early humans.

The messengers of guidance to mankind of old.

خِلتِ الدُهورُ وَلا يَزالُ كَأَنَّما

بِأَمسِ شادَتهُ يَدُ الرَحمَنِ

Ages have passed, yet it remains as if

Ages have passed, yet it remains as though

It was built yesterday by the hand of the Merciful.

The hand of the Merciful built it but yesterday.

يا ساكِنيهِ تَحِيَّةً مِن نازِحٍ

إِنَّ التَحِيَّةَ لَهيَ جَهدُ العاني

O inhabitants, greetings from an émigré,

O you who dwell there, greetings from an exile;

Though greetings are the utmost one in distress can manage.

For a greeting is the utmost a suffering soul can offer.

أَصبَحتُمُ فَوقَ المَمالِكِ رُقعَةً

لَولا وُجودُ مَعاشِرِ الغُربانِ

You have become, above the kingdoms, a patch

You have risen above all kingdoms in stature,

If not for the presence of the rabble of crows.

Were it not for the presence of flocks of crows.

قَومٌ قَدِ اِتَّخَذوا الدِيانَةَ بَينَكُم

شَرَكاً لِصَيدِ الأَصفَرِ الرَنّانِ

A people who have made religion among you

A group who have turned religion among you

A partner for trapping the chinking gold.

Into a snare to hunt for ringing gold.

فَتَظاهَروا بِالزُهدِ حَتّى أَشَكَت

تَخفى دَخائِلُهُم عَلى اليَقظانِ

So they pretended to be ascetic until

They feigned asceticism until their true nature

Their guile was hidden from the vigilant.

Remained hidden even from the vigilant eye.

وَتَفَنَّنوا بِالمَكرِ حَتّى أَصبَحوا

وَغَبِيُّهُم أَدهى مِنَ الشَيطانِ

And they were crafty in scheming until they became

They mastered the arts of deception until

More cunning than even the devil.

Their dullest wit became more cunning than Satan.

ضَرَبوا عَلى الشَعبِ الرُسومَ شَراهَةً

حَسبُ التَعيسِ ضَرائِبُ السُلطانِ

They imposed taxes out of greed on the people

They imposed tithes upon the people out of greed;

As if the taxes of the sultan were not enough for the miserable.

As if the Sultan’s taxes were not enough for the wretched.

كَفَروا بِنِعمَتِهِ الَّتي أَسداهُمُ

وَرَمَوهُ بِالإِلحادِ وَالكُفرانِ

They disbelieved in His blessing which He gave them

They denied the blessings He bestowed upon them,

And accused Him of heresy and ingratitude.

Repaying Him with acts of atheism and ingratitude.

وَلَقَد تَفانوا في اِنتِهاكِ حُقوقِهِ

وَهوَ المُحِبُّ رِضاهُمُ المُتَفاني

And they went to extremes in violating His rights

They devoted themselves to violating His rights,

While He is the Loving One, pleased with their loyalty.

While He is the Loving One, seeking their redemption.

حَتّى حَسِبنا أَنَّهُ يَنحَطُّ عَن

كَسَلٍ وَلَم يَكُ قَطُّ بِالكَسلانِ

Until we thought He would neglect

Until we imagined the people were declining from

Punishment, though He is never one to neglect punishment.

Sheer laziness, though they were never lazy.

لَكِنَّهُ يَسعى وَيَذهَبُ سَعيُهُ

لِلقِسِّ وَالشَمّاسِ وَالموترانِ

But He strives, though His striving

Yet they toil, and the fruit of their labor goes

Benefits only the priest, the deacon, and the beadle.

To the Priest, the Deacon, and the Bishop.

لَولا اِحتِرامِيَ مَذهَباً عُرِفوا بِهِ

لَكَشَفتُ مَستوراتِهِم بِبَيانِ

If I did not respect their well-known doctrine

Were it not for my respect for the faith they profess,

I would reveal their secrets openly.

I would have exposed their hidden secrets for all to see.

فَتَنَبَّهوا إِن كُنتُمُ في غَفلَةٍ

فَالدَهرُ بِالمِرصادِ لِلغَفلانِ

So beware if you are heedless,

So awake, if you are slumbering in heedlessness,

For fate lies in wait for the heedless.

For Fate lies in ambush for the unaware.

إِنَّ الأَبالِسَ حينَ أَعيا أَمرُكُم

جاءَتكُمُ في صورَةِ الرُهبانِ

Verily, when the devils despaired of your affairs

When the devils grew weary of corrupting you,

They came to you in the guise of monks.

They came to you in the guise of monks.

فَحَذارِ مِن أَن تُخدَعوا بِلِباسِهِم

فَهُمُ الضَواري في لِباسِ الضانِ

Beware of being deceived by their attire

Beware lest you be deceived by their robes,

For they are wolves in the clothing of sheep.

For they are wolves dressed in the wool of sheep.

مَن يَتبَعِ العُميانَ حُبّاً بِالهُدى

لا يَأمَنَّن تَعَثُّرَ العُميانِ

One who follows the blind out of love for guidance

He who follows the blind, hoping for guidance,

Will surely stumble with the blind.

Shall not be safe from stumbling as the blind do.

إِن كانَ لي ذَنبٌ وَهُم غُفرانُهُ

آثَرتُ أَن أَبقى بِلا غُفرانِ

If I have a sin and they are its forgiveness

If I bear a sin for which they hold the forgiveness,

I prefer to remain without forgiveness.

I choose to remain forever unforgiven.

أَو كُنتُ في النيرانبِ حَيثُ لَدَيهُمُ

مِنها النَجاةُ رَضيطُ بِالنيرانِ

Or if I am in the fires while deliverance from it

Or if I were in Hellfire, and they held

Lies with them, I am content with the fires.

The means of salvation, I would accept the flames.

أَشهى إِلى نَفسي مِنَ الذُلِّ الرَدى

لا يَرتَضي بِالذُلِّ غَيرُ جَبانِ

More agreeable to my soul than disgraceful submission

Death is sweeter to my soul than humiliation;

Which only cowards can accept.

None accepts humiliation but a coward.