طَوى بَعضَ نَفسي إِذ طَواكَ الثَرى عَنّي

وَذا بَعضُها الثاني يَفيضُ بِهِ جَفني

Part of me was folded when the soil folded you from me,

The earth folded away a part of my soul when it hid you from my sight,

And here is its other part overflowing my eyelids,

And the other part flows freely from my weeping eyelids.

أَبي خانَني فيكَ الرَدى فَتَقَوَّضَت

مَقاصيرُ أَحلامي جَبَيتٍ مِنَ التِبنِ

Fate has betrayed me in you, so the shelters of my dreams collapsed,

Father, Death betrayed me in taking you, and so collapsed

Huts of hay and mud.

The palaces of my dreams, falling like a house of straw.

وَكانَت رِياضي حالِياتٍ ضَواحِكاً

فَأَقوَت وَعَفَّ زَهرَها الجَزَعُ المُضني

My gardens were empty laughters,

My gardens were once adorned and laughing,

So they grew weak and the blossoms wilted in deep grief,

But now they are desolate, their flowers withered by exhausting grief.

وَكانَت دِنانِيَ بِالسُرورِ مَليأَةً

فَطاحَت يَدٌ عَمياءُ بِالخُمرِ وَالدَنِّ

My vines were full of joy,

My wine jars were once brimming with joy,

Then a blind hand spilled the wine and vine.

But a blind hand has smashed both the wine and the vessel.

فَلَيسَ سِوى طَعمِ المَنِيَّةِ في فَمي

وَلَيسَ سِوى صَوتِ النَوادِبِ في أُذُني

So I have nothing but the taste of death in my mouth,

Now there is nothing but the taste of death in my mouth,

And only the sound of mourning women in my ears,

And nothing but the sound of wailing mourners in my ears.

وَلا حَسَنٌ في ناظِرَيَّ وَقَلَّما

فَتَحتَهُما مِن قَبلُ إِلّا عَلى حُسنِ

No more beauty in my eyes, and rarely before

Nothing looks beautiful to my gaze, though rarely

Did I open them except to your beauty,

Did I open my eyes before without seeing beauty.

وَما صُوَرُ الأَشياءِ بَعدَكَ غَيرَها

وَلَكِنَّما قَد شَوَّهَتها يَدُ الحُزنِ

The image of things is not what it was after you,

The forms of things have not changed since you left,

But grief has marred it by its touch.

But the hand of sorrow has distorted them all.

عَلى مَنكبي تِبرُ الضُحى وَعَقيقُهُ

وَقَلبِيَ في نارٍ وَعَينايَ في دُجنِ

On my shoulders dawn sheds its perfume and agate beads,

Upon my shoulder lies the gold and ruby light of dawn,

While my heart burns and my eyes stay in gloom.

Yet my heart is in fire, and my eyes are lost in gloom.

أَبَحتُ الأَسى دَمعي وَأَنهَبتُهُ دَمي

وَكُنتُ أُعِدُّ الحُزنَ ضَرباً مِنَ الجُبنِ

I let flow my tears openly and drew my blood secretly,

I surrendered my tears to sorrow, and let it plunder my blood,

I used to count grief itself as a kind of cowardice.

Though I once considered yielding to grief a kind of cowardice.

فَمُستَنكِرٌ كَيفَ اِستَحالَت بَشاشَتي

كَمُستَنكِرٍ في عاصِفِ رَعشَةِ الغُصنِ

So I wonder how my cheer changed,

I wonder at how my cheerfulness has transformed,

Like one wondering at the trembling of a branch in a storm.

Just as one stares astonished at a branch trembling in a storm.

يَقولُ المُعِزّي لَيسَ يُحدي البُكا الفَتى

وَقَولُ المُعِزّي لا يُفيدُ وَلا يُغني

The comforter says: Crying does not suit the man,

The consoler says, "Weeping does the young man no good,"

But the comforter's words do not help or avail.

But the words of the consoler offer neither help nor relief.

شَخَصتُ بِروحي حائِراً مُتَطَلِّعاً

إِلى ما وَراءِ البَحرِ أَدنو وَأَستَدني

I wandered in spirit, lost and searching

I gazed out with my soul, bewildered and searching,

Beyond the sea, coming nearer and leaning over.

Towards what lies beyond the sea, drawing near and seeking closeness.

كَذاتِ جَناحٍ أَدرَكَ السَيلُ عِشَّها

فَطارَت عَلى رَوعٍ تَحومُ عَلى الوَكنِ

Like a winged creature on whom the flood fell, destroying her nest,

Like a bird whose nest was swept away by the flood,

So she flew about distraught, hovering over the brink.

Flying in panic, hovering over where her home once stood.

فَواهاً لَو اِنِّيَ كُنتُ في القَومِ عِندَما

نَظَرتَ إِلى العَوّادِ تَسأَلُهُم عَنّي

Alas, would that I had been among the people when

Oh, how I wish I had been among the crowd when

You looked at the visitors asking about me!

You looked at the visitors, asking them for me.

وَيا لَيتَما الأَرضُ اِنطَوى لي بِساطُها

فَكُنتُ مَعَ الباكينَ في ساعَةِ الدَفنِ

Would that the earth folded its expanse around me

Would that the earth had folded beneath my feet,

So I were among the weepers at the time of burial,

So I could be with the mourners at the hour of burial.

لَعَلّي أَفي تِلكَ الأُبُوَّةَ حَقَّها

وَإِن كانَ لا يوفى بَِكَيلٍ وَلا وَزنِ

Perhaps to give due measure to my grief -

Perhaps to give that fatherhood its due right,

Although no measure or weight suffices.

Even if such a debt can never be fully measured or weighed.

فَأَعظَمُ مَجدي كانَ أَنَّكَ لي أَبٌ

وَأَكبَرُ فَخري كانَ قَولُكَ ذا إِبني

My greatest glory was that you were a father to me,

For my greatest glory was that you were my father,

And my greatest pride was your saying to me, "This is my son."

And my highest pride was when you said, "This is my son."

أَقولُ لَوَ أَنّي كَي أُبَرِّدَ لَوعَتي

فَيَزدادُ شَجوي كُلَّما قُلتُ لَوَ أَنّي

I keep saying: would that I could cool my pain -

I say "If only..." hoping to cool my burning anguish,

Then my lament grows when I say "would that".

But my grief only deepens every time I say "If only..."

أَحَتّى وَداعُ الأَهلِ يُحرَمُهُ الفَتى

أَيا دَهرُ هَذا مُنتَهى الحَيفِ وَالغَبنِ

Even farewells of loved ones are denied to the youth -

Must a man be denied even the farewell to his family?

O Time, this is the utmost injustice and tyranny!

Oh Fate, this is the height of injustice and loss.

أَبي وَإِذا ما قُلتُها فَكَأَنَّني

أُنادي وَأَدعو يا مَلاذي وَيا رُكني

When I say "Father", it is as if I am calling, appealing:

Father—and when I say the word, it is as if

"O my refuge and pillar!"

I call out and pray, "Oh my refuge, oh my pillar!"

لِمَن يَلجَءُ المَكروبُ بَعدَكَ في الحِمى

فَيَرجِعَ رَيّانَ المُنى ضاحِكَ السِنِّ

When the distressed seeks refuge after you, who will he turn to,

To whom shall the distressed turn in the sanctuary now that you are gone,

To return happy and laughing?

To return with thirst quenched and a smile on his face?

خَلَعتَ الصِبا في حَومَةِ المَجدِ ناصِعاً

وَنُزِّهَ فيكَ الشَيبُ عَن لَوثَةِ الأَفنِ

You doffed youth in the ardour of glory, shining,

You shed your youth in the arena of glory, remaining pure,

And old age in you was cleansed of the stain of senility,

And your old age was kept free from the stain of feebleness.

فَذِهنٌ كَنَجمِ الصَيفِ في أَوَّلِ الدُجى

وَرَأيٌ كَحَدِّ السَيفِ أَو ذَلِكَ الذِهنِ

A mind like the star of summer in the first part of night,

With a mind sharp as the summer star at the onset of night,

And a judgement like the edge of the sword - or that mind.

And judgment like a sword's edge, keen as that very mind.

وَكُنتَ تَرى الدُنيا بِغَيرِ بَشاشَةٍ

كَأَرضٍ بِلا ماءٍ وَصَوتٍ بِلا لَحنِ

You saw the world without cheerfulness,

You viewed the world without false cheer,

Like a waterless land, a voice without melody.

Like land without water, or a voice without song.

فَما بِكَ مِن ضُرٍّ لِنَفسِكَ وَحدَها

وَضِحكُكَ وَالإِناسُ لِلجارِ وَالخِدنِ

You had no harm for yourself alone,

You bore no burdens for your own sake alone;

Your laughter and sociability were for neighbour and comrade.

Your laughter and warmth were for the neighbor and the friend.

جَريءٌ عَلى الباغي عَيوفٌ عَنِ الخَنا

سَريعٌ إِلى الداعي كَريمٌ بِلا مَنِّ

Bold toward the oppressor, gentle toward the meek,

Bold against the tyrant, turning away from the obscene,

Quick to answer the caller, generous without reproach,

Swift to answer the call, generous without boasting.

وَكُنتَ إِذا حَدَّثتَ حَدَّثَ شاعِرٌ

لَبيبٌ دَقيقُ الفَهمِ وَالذَوقِ وَالفَنِّ

When you talked you were like an eloquent poet,

And when you spoke, it was a poet speaking—

Subtle of mind, taste and art.

Wise, with precise understanding, taste, and art.

فَما اِستَشعَرَ المُصغي إِلَيكَ مَلالَةً

وَلا قُلتَ إِلّا قالَ مِن طرَبٍ زِدني

No listener felt boredom with you,

The one listening to you never felt boredom,

And you said nothing without the listener saying "Give me more!"

Nor did you speak without them crying in delight, "Give us more!"

بِرَغمِكَ فارَقتَ الرُبوعَ وَإِنَّنا

عَلى الرُغمِ مِنّا سَوفَ نَلحَقُ بِالظَعنِ

Despite you, you left the meadows, while we,

Against your will you left these lands, and indeed we,

Despite ourselves, will join the worms.

Against our will, shall follow the departing caravan.

طَريقٌ مَشى فيها المَلايِيِنُ قَبلَنا

مِنَ المَلِكِ الامي إِلى عَبدِهِ القَنِّ

A road travelled before us by millions

It is a path trodden by millions before us,

From the humblest subject to the king.

From the unlettered king to his bonded slave.

تَظُنُّ لَنا الدنيا وَما في رِحابِها

وَلَيسَت لَنا إِلّا كَما البَحرُ لِلسُفُنِ

You fancy the world and what is in its expanse is for us,

We think the world and its vastness belong to us,

While it is for us only as the sea is for ships:

Yet it is ours only as the sea belongs to the ships:

تَروحُ وَتَغدو حُرَّةً في عُبابِهِ

كَما يَتَهادى ساكِنُ السِجنِ في السِجنِ

They move about freely in its waves

Roaming back and forth freely upon its waves,

Like the prisoner pacing about in prison.

Just as a prisoner paces within his cell.

وَزَنتُ بِسِرِّ المَوتِ فَلسَفَةَ الوَرى

فَشالَت وَكانَت جَعجَعاتٍ بِلا طَحنِ

I weighed the secret of death against the world's philosophies

I weighed the philosophies of men against the secret of death,

And they failed, mere prattling without substance.

But they proved light, mere clatter without substance.

فَأَصدُقُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ مَعرِفَةً بِهِ

كَأَكثَرَهُم جَهلاً يُرَجِّمُ بِالظَنِّ

So the truest of mankind in his knowledge of it

The one on earth with the truest knowledge of it,

Is most ignorant, conjecturing blindly,

Is like the most ignorant, merely guessing in the dark.

فَذا مِثلُ هَذا حائِرُ اللُبِّ عِندَهُ

وَذاكَ كَهَذا لَيسَ مِنهُ عَلى أَمنِ

One like this is confused by it,

This one is like that one: mind baffled before it,

Another like that has no safety from it.

And that one is like this one: never safe from it.

فَيا لَكَ سِفراً لَم يَزَل جِدُّ غامِضٍ

عَلى كَثرَةِ التَفصيلِ في الشَرحِ وَالمِنَنِ

O you whose journey remains an obscure riddle

Oh, what a tome that remains utterly obscure,

Despite ample detail in explanation and favour!

Despite the many detailed explanations and commentaries.

أَيا رَمزَ لُبنانٍ جَلالاً وَهَيبَةً

وَحُصنَ الوَفاءِ المَحضِ في ذَلِكَ الحوسنِ

O glory of Lebanon, in majesty and awe!

O symbol of Lebanon in majesty and awe,

O fortress of pure loyalty in that beauty!

A fortress of pure loyalty standing within that beauty.

ضَريحُكَ مَهما يَستَسِرَّ وَبَلدَةٌ

أَقَمتَ بِها تَبني المَحامِدَ ما تَبني

Wherever your tomb lies hidden, and whatever town

Your tomb—however hidden it may be—and the town

You built up confers glory however it be built.

Where you lived, building a legacy of praise,

أَحَبُّ مِنَ الأَبراجِ طالَت قِبابُها

وَأَجمَلُ في عَينَيَّ مِن أَجمَلِ المُدنِ

Of all the towers rising high I love most

Are dearer to me than towers with soaring domes,

The loveliest in my eyes of all cities

And fairer in my eyes than the loveliest of cities.

عَلى ذَلِكَ القَبرِ السَلامُ فَذِكرُهُ

أَريجٌ بِهِ نَفسي عَنِ العِطرِ تَستَغني

Is that grave on which I invoke peace - so the memory of it

Peace be upon that grave, for its memory is a fragrance

Suffices me for perfume, I need no perfume.

So sweet my soul needs no other perfume.