رَآنِيَ اللَهُ ذاتَ يَومٍ

في الأَرضِ أَبكي مِنَ الشَقاء

God saw me one day

God saw me one day,

Weeping on earth from distress

Upon the earth, weeping from misery.

فَرَقَّ وَاللَهُ ذو حَنانٍ

عَلى ذَوي الضُرِّ وَالعَناء

So He had mercy, and Allah is most merciful

So He softened—and God is full of tenderness

Upon the distressed and afflicted

Toward those of affliction and suffering.

وَقالَ لَيسَ التُرابُ داراً

لِلشِعرِ فَاِرجَع إِلى السَماء

And He said, “Dust is not a land

He said, "Dust is no dwelling place

For poetry, so return to the sky"

For poetry, so ascend to the Heavens."

وَشادَ فَوقَ السِماكِ بَيتي

وَمَدَّ مُلكي عَلى الفَضاء

And He erected over the firmament my home

He built my house above Arcturus,

And extended my dominion across space

And extended my dominion over the cosmos.

فَاِلتَفَّتِ الشُهبُ حَولَ عَرشي

وَسارَ في طاعَتي الضِياء

So the meteors circled around my throne

The shooting stars wrapped around my throne,

And the light moved in my obedience

And light marched in obedience to me.

وَصِرتُ لا يَنطَوي صَباحٌ

إِلّا بِأَمري وَلا مَساء

And I became such that no morning unfolds

I became such that no morning folds away

Except by my command, nor evening

Except by my command, nor any evening.

وَلا تَسوقُ الغُيومَ ريحٌ

إِلّا وَلي فَوقَها لِواء

No wind drives the clouds

No wind drives the clouds,

Unless above it is my banner

Unless I hold a banner above them.

فَالأَمرُ بَينَ النُجومِ أَمري

لي الحُكمُ فيها وَلي القَضاء

So the command among the stars is my command

The command among the stars is my command;

Mine is the judgment over them and mine the decree

Mine is the judgment there, and mine the decree.

لَكِنَّني لَم أَزَل حَزيناً

مُكتَئِبَ الروحِ في العَلاء

But I have not ceased being sad

Yet, I remained sorrowful,

Depressed in spirit on high

Depressed of spirit in the heights.

فَاِستَغرَبَ اللَهُ كَيفَ أَشقى

في عالَمِ الوَحيِ وَالسَناء

So God wondered how I could be miserable

God found it strange how I could suffer

In the world of revelation and joy

In the world of revelation and radiance.

وَقالَ مازالَ آدَمِيّاً

يَصبو إِلى الغيدِ وَالطِلاء

And He said, “He is still Adamic

He said, "He is still human,

Yearning for vineyards and tattoos

Yearning for beauties and wine."

وَمَسَّ روحي وَاِستَلَّ مِنها

شَوقي إِلى الخَمرِ وَالنِساء

And He touched my soul and drew from it

So He touched my soul and withdrew from it

My longing for wine and women

My longing for wine and women.

وَظَنَّ أَنّي اِنتَهى بَلائي

فَلَم يَزِدني سِوى بَلاء

And He thought my affliction had ended

He thought that my tribulation had ended,

But He only increased my affliction

But it increased me only in torment.

وَاِشتَدَّ نَوحي وَصارَ جَهراً

وَكانَ مِن قَبلُ في الخَفاء

And my weeping grew louder

My wailing intensified and became public,

When before it was in secret

Where before, it had been in secret.

وَصارَ دَمعي سُيولَ نارٍ

وَكانَ قَبلاً سُيولَ ماء

And my tears became rivers of fire

My tears became torrents of fire,

When before they were rivers of water

Where before, they were torrents of water.

يا أَيُّها الشاعِرُ المُعَنّى

حَيَّرَني داؤُكَ العَياء

O troubled poet

"O suffering poet,

Your stubborn disease has confused me

Your baffling illness has bewildered Me.

هَل تَشتَهي أَن تَكونَ طَيراً

فَقُلتُ كَلّا وَلا غَناء

Do you wish to be a bird?

Do you desire to be a bird?"

I said, “No, and no to singing"

I said, "No, nor do I desire song."

هَل تَشتَهي أَن تَكونَ نَجماً

أَجَبتُ كَلّا وَلا بَهاء

Do you wish to be a star?

"Do you desire to be a star?"

I answered, “No, and no to brilliance"

I answered, "No, nor splendor."

هَل تَبتَغي المالَ قُلتُ كَلّا

ما كانَ مِن مَطلَبي الثَراء

Do you seek money, I said, “No,

"Do you seek money?" I said, "No,

Accumulation was never my goal

Wealth has never been among my demands.

وَلا قُصوراً وَلا رِياضاً

وَلا جُنوداً وَلا إِماء

Neither palaces, nor gardens

Neither palaces nor gardens,

Neither armies, nor maidservants

Neither soldiers nor maidservants.

وَلَيسَ ما بي يا رَبُّ داءٌ

وَلا اِحتِياجي إِلى دَواء

And there is no sickness in me, my Lord

What afflicts me, O Lord, is not a disease,

Nor need in me for medicine

Nor is it a need for medicine.

وَلا حَنيني إِلى القَناني

وَ لا اِشتِياقي إِلى الظِباء

Nor yearning for pubs

My nostalgia is not for the bottles,

Nor craving for deer

Nor is my yearning for the gazelles.

وَلا أُريدُ الَّذي لِغَيري

ذا حِكمَةٍ كانَ أَم مَضاء

I do not want what is for others

I do not desire what belongs to others,

Be it wisdom or folly

Whether it be wisdom or power."

لَكِنَّ أُمنِيَّةً بِنَفسي

يَستُرُها الخَوفُ وَالحَياء

But a wish for myself

"But there is a wish within my soul,

Fear and shyness hide it”

Veiled by fear and modesty."

فَقالَ يا شاعِراً عَجيباً

قُل لي إِذَن ما الَّذي تَشاء

So He said, “O strange poet

He said, "O strange poet,

Tell me then, what is it you desire?”

Tell Me then, what is it that you wish?"

فَقُلتُ يا رَبِّ فَصلَ صَيفٍ

في أَرضِ لُبنانَ أَو شِتاء

I said, “O Lord, a summer rain

I said, "O Lord, a season of summer

In the land of Lebanon or winter

In the land of Lebanon, or a winter.

فَإِنَّني هَهُنا غَريبٌ

وَلَيسَ في غُربَةٍ هَناء

For I am a stranger here

For I am a stranger here,

And in estrangement there is no bliss"

And in exile there is no delight."

فَاِستَضحَكَ اللَهُ مِن كَلامي

وَقالَ هَذا هُوَ الغَباء

God laughed at my words

God laughed at my words,

And said, “This is nonsense

And said, "This is folly.

لُبنانُ أَرضٌ كَكُلِّ أَرضٍ

وَناسُهُ وَالوَرى سَواء

Lebanon is a land like any land

Lebanon is a land like every land,

And its people are equal to all people

Its people and all mankind are alike.

وَفيهِ بُؤسي وَفيهِ نُعمى

وَأَردِياءٌ وَأَتقِياء

Both my misery and my blessing are in it

In it are My misery and My blessing,

As are the naked and the devout

And the wicked and the pious.

فَأَيُّ شَيءٍ تَشتاقُ فيهِ

فَقُلتُ ما سَرَّني وَساء

So what is it you long for in it?”

So what thing do you miss in it?"

I said, “That which gladdened me and saddened me

I said, "What brought me joy and what brought me sorrow.

تَحِنُّ نَفسي إِلى السَواقي

إِلى الأَقاحي إِلى الشَذاء

My soul yearns for the paths

My soul longs for the rivulets,

For the boughs, for the twittering

For the daisies, for the fragrance,

إِلى الرَوابي تَعرى وَتَكسى

إِلى العَصافيرِ وَالغِناء

For the slopes growing bare, then clothed

For the hills as they bare themselves and clothe themselves,

For the little birds and their songs

For the sparrows and the singing,

إِلى العَناقيدِ وَالدَوالي

وَالماءِ وَالنورِ وَالهَواء

For the grapevines, the bucket, and the water

For the clusters of grapes and the vines,

For the light and the air”

And the water, the light, and the air."

فَأَشرَفَ اللَهُ مِن عُلاهُ

يَشهَدُ لُبنانَ في المَساء

So God peered down from His sublimity

So God looked down from His heights,

Witnessing Lebanon in the evening

Witnessing Lebanon in the evening.

فَقالَ ما أَنتَ ذو جُنونٍ

وَإِنَّما أَنتَ ذو وَفاء

And He said, “You are not mad

He said, "You are not possessed of madness,

Rather, you are faithful

Rather, you are possessed of loyalty.

فَإِنَّ لُبنانَ لَيسَ طَوداً

وَلا بِلاداً لَكِن سَماء

For Lebanon is not a hillock

For Lebanon is not merely a mountain,

Nor a land, but sky"

Nor a country, but a heaven."