اِمنَحيني يا نُجومُ الأَلَقا

وَهَبيني يا زُهورُ العَبَقا

Grant me, O twinkling stars

Grant me, O stars, your brilliance,

And bless me, O fragrant flowers

And bestow upon me, O flowers, your fragrance,

أَبعَثُ الشِعرَ إِلى الدُنيا هَوى

وَضِياءً وَغِناءً شَيِّقا

I send poetry to the world, yearning

That I may send poetry into the world as love,

Radiance and charming melody

And as light, and as a yearning song.

فَإِذا خامَرَ نَفساً طَرِبَت

وَإِذا لامَسَ قَلباً خَفَقا

When it stirs a soul, it trembles

If it mingles with a soul, it rejoices,

When it touches a heart, it flutters

And if it touches a heart, it flutters.

وَإِذا يُتلى لِمُشتاقٍ سَلا

وَإِذا يُروى لِباكٍ صَفَّقا

When recited to a longing one, it heals

If recited to the longing, they find solace,

When narrated to a weeping one, it consoles

And if narrated to the weeping, they break into applause.

فَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِقَومٍ حِكمَةٌ

وَمِنَ الشِعرِ لِأَقوامٍ رُقى

For some people, poetry is wisdom

For in poetry, for some, lies wisdom,

For others, poetry is nobility

And in poetry, for others, lie healing spells.

أَنا لا أَستَعذِبُ الشِعرَ إِذا

لَم أَجِدهُ رَوضَةً أَو أُفُقا

I don’t find poetry sweet when

I do not find sweetness in poetry unless

It is not an orchard or horizon

I find it to be a lush garden or a boundless horizon.

حَبَّذا لَيلَتَنا مِن لَيلَةٍ

يُكرَمُ الأَحرارُ حُرّاً لَبِقا

Blessed be our night among nights

How splendid is this night of ours,

When the free are honored with etiquette

Wherein free men honor a free and eloquent soul.

شاعِرٌ ما أَن جَرى في حَلبَةٍ

أَبَداً إِلّا وَكانَ الأَسبَقا

A poet who never entered an arena

A poet who never entered an arena

Except he was the foremost

But that he emerged as the foremost victor.

كاتِبٌ لا بَل سَحابٌ هَتِنٌ

كَم رَوى الأَرواحَ خَمراً وَسَقى

Not a writer, but a loving cloud

A writer? Nay, rather a pouring raincloud,

How much did it water souls with wine and give drink

That has so often quenched spirits with wine and given them drink.

قُل لِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يَلحَقَهُ

إِنَّ هَذا عارِضٌ لَن يُلحَقا

Say to whoever tries to catch up with him

Say to the one who attempts to overtake him:

This is a talent that cannot be caught up with

This is a fleeting marvel that can never be caught.

قَلَمٌ يَهمي عَلى أُمَّتِهِ

رَحمَةً إِذ تُمطِرُ الدُنيا شَقا

A pen that protects its nation

A pen that flows upon his nation,

With mercy while the world pours adversity

As a mercy when the world rains down misery.

وَإِذا ما أوذِيَت أَو ظُلِمَت

أَمطَرَ الدُنيا شَواظاً مُحرِقا

And if it is hurt or wronged

And if she is harmed or suffers injustice,

It rains the world with blazing downpour

He rains upon the world a burning, smokeless flame.

وَدَوَت زَعَقاتُهُ كَاِبنِ الشَرى

ريعَ في عِرّيسِهِ أَو ضويِقا

Its shrieks roar like a young camel

And his roars thunder like the lion of Al-Shara,

Bleating in its enclosure or squeezed

When startled in his den or backed into a corner.

هُوَ لِلحَقِّ إِلى أَن يَنجَلي

وَعَلى الباطِلِ حَتّى يُزهَقا

It is for the truth until it prevails

He belongs to the truth until it shines clear,

And against falsehood until it perishes

And is against falsehood until it is vanquished.

أَنفَقَ العُمرَ عَلى خِدمَتِها

آهٍ ما أَغلى الَّذي قَد أَنفَقا

He spent his life serving it

He spent a lifetime in her service;

Alas, how costly is that which he spent

Ah, how precious is that which he has given away!

قُل لِمَن أَرجَفَ كَي يُقلِقُهُ

في حِماهُ إِنَّهُ لَن يَقلَقا

Say to whoever tries to disturb him

Say to the one who spreads rumors to disturb him

In its protection, he will not be disturbed

Within his sanctuary: indeed, he shall not be shaken.

وَلِمَن حاوَلَ أَن يُغضِبَهُ

إِنَّهُ أَعَلى وَأَسمى خُلُقا

And whoever tries to anger him

And to the one who sought to provoke his anger:

He is most noble and most forbearing

He possesses a character far higher and more sublime.

أَأَميرٌ تَتَّقيهِ دَولَةٌ

يَتَوَقّى كاشِحاً مُختَلَقا

A prince feared by a state

Is he a prince whom a state must fear,

Fearing the daring and insolent

That he should guard against a fabricating foe?

وَهوَ مِثلُ الشَمسِ لَن يَبلِغَها

صاعِدٌ مَهَما تَعالى وَاِرتَقى

He is like the sun, none can reach it

While he is like the sun—never reached

No matter how high the climber climbed

By any climber, no matter how high he ascends.

إِنَّ يوبيلَكَ يُبيلُ النُهى

هَنَّأَت بَغدادُ فيهِ جُلَّقا

Your jubilee makes edicts null

Indeed, your jubilee dazzles the intellects;

Baghdad celebrated it with decoration

In it, Baghdad has sent congratulations to Damascus.