سَلامٌ عَلَيها طِفلَة وَفَتِيَّةً
كَزَهرِ الرُبى البَسّامِ باكَرَهُ القَطرُ
Peace be upon her, both as a child and a young woman,
Like the smiling blossom of the hills, greeted early by the rain.
كَعابٌ تَلاقى الحُسن وَالفَضلُ عِندَها
كَما يَلتَقي في الصَفحَةِ السَطر وَالسَطرُ
A maiden in whom beauty and virtue have converged,
Just as one written line meets another upon the page.
لَها صَولَةُ الأَبطالِ إِن حَمَسَ الوَغى
وَفيها حَياءُ البِكرِ عَمّا بِهِ وَزَرُ
She possesses the might of heroes when the battle rages,
Yet holds the virgin's modesty towards all that is sinful.
وَفيها مِنَ الشَيخِ الحَكيمِ وَقارُهُ
وَفيها مِنَ الخودِ المَلاحَة وَالطُهرُ
Within her lies the dignity of the wise elder,
And the grace and purity of a gentle maiden.
أَلا إِنَّ حُسناً لا يُرافِقُهُ النُهى
وَإِن دامَ يَوماً لا يَدومُ لَهُ قَدَرُ
Truly, any beauty unaccompanied by wisdom,
Even if it endures for a day, its worth shall not endure.
هِيَ الرَوضُ فيهِ النَبت وَالنَد وَالنَدى
وَفيهِ الشَوادي المُطرِباتُك وَالزَهرُ
She is a garden containing the sprout, the fragrance, and the dew,
Wherein lie enchanting songbirds and blooming flowers.
هِيَ الشَمسُ تَبدو كُلُّ يَومٍ جَديدَةٍ
يَروحُ بِها لَيل وَيَأتي بِها فَجرٌ
She is the sun, appearing new with every rising day;
Through her the night departs, and through her the dawn arrives.
لِكُلِّ فَتاةٍ خِدرُها وَسِوارُها
وَلَكِنَّ هَذي كُلُّ قَلبٍ لَها خِدرُ
Every maiden has her private chamber and her bracelet,
But for this one, every heart serves as her chamber.
يُريدُ سَناها الطَي وَالنَشرَ رَونَقاً
وَيُخلِقُ المُصحَفَ الطَي وَالنَشرُ
Her brilliance increases in splendor through folding and unfolding,
Whereas ordinary books are worn out by folding and unfolding.
أَنيسُ الفَتى إِن غابَ عَنهُ أَنيسُهُ
وَأَنجُمُهُ إِن غابَتِ الأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ
She is the companion of the youth when his friends are absent,
And his guiding stars when the bright constellations vanish.
وَسِفرٌ تَلَذُّ المَرءَ مُحتَوَياتُهُ
إِذا لَم يَكُن في البَيتِ ناس وَلا سَفَرُ
A volume whose contents bring delight to the reader,
When there is no company in the house, nor any journey to take.
إِذا رَضِيَت فَالنورُ في كَلِماتِها
وَإِن غَضِبَت فَهيَ الأَسِنَّة وَالجَمرُ
When she is pleased, there is light within her words,
But if she is angered, she becomes spearheads and burning coals.
وَفي كُلِّ حَربٍ يَعقِدُ الحَقُّ فَوقَها
أَكاليلَ نَصرٍ يَشتَهي مِثلَها البَدرُ
In every war, Truth weaves above her head
Wreaths of victory that the full moon itself would covet.
وَلا غَرَوَ إِن عَزَّت وَهانَ خُصومُها
فَلِلحَقِّ مَهما جَعجَعَ الباطِلُ النَصرُ
It is no wonder she stands mighty while her foes are humbled;
For victory belongs to Truth, no matter how loud Falsehood clamors.
فَكَم مُرجِفٍ أَغراهُ فيها سُكوتُها
فَلَمّا أَهابَت كادَ يَقتُلُهُ الذُعرُ
How many rumor-mongers were emboldened by her silence,
Yet when she cried out, terror nearly struck them dead.
وَكَم كاشِحٍ غاوٍ أَرادَ بِها الأَذى
ثَنى طَرفَهُ عَنها وَفي نَفسِهِ الضُرُّ
And how many misguided haters sought to do her harm,
Who turned their gaze away, while the harm remained within their own souls.
لَها في رُبوعِ الشَرقِ جَيشٌ عَرَمرَمٌ
وَأَعوانُها في الغَربِ لَيسَ لَهُم حَصرُ
Throughout the lands of the East she commands a vast army,
And her supporters in the West are beyond counting.
وَلَو كانَ في المَرِّخِ أَرض وَأُمَّةٌ
لَكانَ لَها في أَرضِهِ عَسكَرٌ مَجرُ
And were there on Mars a land and a nation,
She would have, upon its soil, a mighty legion.
لِتَسحَبَ ذُيولَ الفَخرِ تيهاً فَوَحدَها
يَحُقُّ لَها مِن بَينِ أَترابِها الفَخرُ
Let her trail the robes of glory in pride, for she alone,
Among all her peers, is truly entitled to such glory.
وَلا غَرَوَ إِن أَهدى لَها الشِعرُ وَحيَهُ
فَيا طالَما سارَت وَسارَ بِها الشِعرُ
It is no wonder if Poetry has gifted her its inspiration,
For long has she journeyed, and Poetry journeyed with her.
وَلا غَرَوَ إِن صُغنا لَها النَثرَ حِلَيَةً
فَفي عُنُقُ الحَسناءِ يُستَحسَنُ الدُرُّ
Nor is it wonder if we crafted Prose as an ornament for her,
For pearls look best upon the neck of a beauty.
وَإِن يَكُنِ الأَحرارِ مِن نُصَرائِها
فَكَم نَصَرَ الأَحرارَ صاحِبُها الحُرُّ
And if the free-spirited are numbered among her supporters,
How often has her noble master supported the free!
أَديبٌ عَفيفٌ قَلبُه وَيَراعُهُ
بَغيضٌ إِلَيهِ الطَيش وَالفيش وَالهَجرُ
A man of letters, pure in heart and pen,
Who detests recklessness, arrogance, and vulgarity.
ثَمان وَعَشر وَهُوَ يَخدُمُ قَومَهُ
أَلا حَبَّذا تِلكَ الثَمانِي وَالعَشرُ
For eighteen years he has served his people;
Oh, how excellent were those eighteen years!
فَفي العُسرِ لَم يَجهَر بِشَكوى لِسانُهُ
وَفي اليُسرِ لَم يَلعَب بِأَعطافِهِ الكِبَرُ
In times of hardship, his tongue voiced no complaint,
And in times of ease, arrogance never swayed his stride.
وَشَرُّ المَزايا أَن يُصيبَكَ حادِثٌ
وَتَجهَرَ بِالشَكوى وَفي وُسعِكَ الصَبرُ
The worst of traits is that when misfortune strikes,
You loudly complain, when it is within your power to be patient.
أَهَذا كَمَن يُمسي وَيُضحي مُعَربِداً
وَقُدّامُهُ طَبل وَمِن خَلفِهِ زَمرُ
Is he like one who spends his days and nights in rowdy clamor,
With a drum beating before him and a horn blowing behind?
أَهَذا كَمُغتابٍ يَروح وَيَغتَدي
وَفي نُطقِهِ شَر وَفي صَمتِهِ شَرُّ
Is he like the backbiter who comes and goes,
Carrying evil in his speech and evil in his silence?
أَهَذا كَمَفطورٍ عَلى الشَر وَالأَذى
أَحاديثُهُ نُكر وَأَعمالُهُ نُكرُ
Is he like one whose very nature is molded from malice and harm,
Whose stories are vile and whose deeds are repulsive?
أَهَذا كَأَفعى هَمُّها نَفثُ سُمِّها
وَنَهشُ الَّذي تَلقى وَلَو أَنَّهُ صَخرُ
Is he like a viper whose only care is to spit its venom,
Biting whatever it meets, even if it be a stone?
كَمَن يَمشي إِلى الوِزرِ عامِداً
وَيَضحَكُ مُختالاً إِذا مَسَّهُ الوِزرُ
Like one who walks deliberately toward sin,
And laughs with arrogance when the sin taints him?
أَهَذا الَّذي قَد حارَبَ المَكرَ جَهدَهُ
كَمَن شابَ فَوداه وَدَيدَنَهُ المَكرُ
Is he—who has fought against deception with all his might—
To be compared with one who grew gray in the habit of deceit?
إِذا الدَهرُ لَم يَعرِف لِكُلِّ مَكانَهُ
إِذَن قُل لِأَهلِ الدَهرِ قَد فَسَدَ الدَهرُ
If Time itself cannot distinguish the proper place of each,
Then tell the people of this age: the age has become corrupt.
