لا تَنوحي عَلى ذَهابِ العَميدِ
فَسُلَيمانُ في ضَميرِ الخُلودِ
Do not lament the loss of the leader
For Suleiman lives on in the conscience of eternity
إِن قَضى قائِد اليَراعِ شَهيداً
فَلَقَد دَبَّ روحُه في الجُنود
If the shepherd of the flock died a martyr
Then his spirit has permeated the soldiers
يا اِبنَةَ الضادِ لا تَنوحي عَلَيهِ
فَهوَ أَبقى من ركنكِ المَهدودِ
O daughter of glory, do not mourn him
For he is more enduring than your time-worn pillar
لا تَخافي أَلّا توفّيه حقاً
سَتوفّي الدهور حقَّ الفَقيدِ
Do not fear you cannot do him justice
The ages will fulfill the rights of the departed
نَحنُ لَم نَخشَ أَن يَبيدَ وَلكِن
نَحنُ نَخشى من بَعدِهِ أَن تَبيدي
We did not fear he would perish, but
We fear that after him you will perish
فَسُلَيمانُ غابَ عَنّا لِيُحيي
في مَواتِ الأَجداثِ روحَ الجُدودِ
So Suleiman left us to revive
In the barren wilds the spirit of glory
يا أَميرَ الكَلامِ أَيُّ ضَريحٍ
أَنت تَختارُ في التُرابِ البَعيدِ
O prince of words, which tomb
Do you choose in the distant soil?
عُد لِلُبنانَ فَهوَ أَرحبُ صَدراً
في ذِراعَيهِ حرمَة للشَهيدِ
Return to Lebanon, for it has the most spacious chest
In its arms, sanctity for the martyr
عُد إِلَيهِ ميتاً فَيمسي ثراه
بِبقاياكَ ذا فُؤادٍ وَدودِ
Return to it dead, and with your remnants
It will become, possessed of an affectionate heart
رُبَّ خَلقٍ في جانِبَيكَ كَريمٍ
يَتَمَشّى جَلالُه في الدودِ
What a noble company by your side
Walking in majesty through the burial grounds
لَم تُضاهِ الأَعمى الإِلهِيَّ إِلّا
وَرماكَ الأَعمى بِعَينِ الحَسودِ
None rivals the divine blind poet
But the jealous blind man assailed you
فَفَقَدتَ العَينَ البَصيرَةَ حِفظاً
لِمُراعاةِ حرمَة في اللحودِ
So you lost the seeing eye out of deference
For sanctity among the cheeky
يا رَسولَ الفِكرِ الجَديد سَلامٌ
كَم هَديتَ العُلى بِفِكرٍ جَديدِ
O messenger of new thought, greetings
How you have guided the lofty with novel thinking
إِنَّما الفِكرُ عالم ما لهُ حَ
دُّ عَلا فَوقَ عالم محدودِ
Thought is a world that has no limit
Above the limited world
وَعمادٌ عِيَ العُقولُ مُقيمٌ
فَوقَ أَطوادِها جَلالُ الوُجودِ
And reason is a pillar, erect
Above it, the majesty of existence
إِن تَنوء بِالحَملِ الثَقيلِ فَتَهوي
يَسقطِ الكَونُ بِالضَجيجِ الشَديدِ
If it stoops under the heavy burden and collapses
The universe will crash with a loud noise
وَالنُفوسُ الكِبارُ تَشقى طَويلاً
بَينَ جُدران صَدرِها المَفئودِ
And great souls suffer for long
Between the walls of their lost breasts
هيَ مِثل الطُيورِ تَخفقُ حيناً
ثُمَّ تَقضي في سِجنِه المَوصوِ
They are like birds fluttering at times
Then perishing in their confining prison
يا سُلَيمان أَيُّ نَعشٍ مجيد
حلَّ فيهِ جَلال صَدرِ مَجيدِ
O Suleiman, what glorious bier
Contains the majesty of a majestic chest?
ذلِكَ النَعشُ يا أُولي العِلمِ قدسٌ
فَخُذوهُ ذَخائِراً لِلجيدِ
That bier, O learned ones, is sanctified
So take it as treasure for the excellent
لامَسَ المَوتُ قَلبَهُ فَهَنيئاً
لِأَصابيعِ قَبضَتِه السودِ
Death touched his heart, so congratulations
To the fingers of its black grip
وَهَنيئاً لِلتُربِ يَلثَم جَفنَي
هِ وَيَهوي عَلى جَمالِ الخُدودِ
And congratulations to the soil that kisses
His eyelids and sinks upon the beauty of his cheeks
كَتَبَ اللَهُ في مَصاحِف خَدَّي
هِ سُطوراً شَريفَة من نَشيدِ
God wrote in the pages of his cheeks
Noble verses of hymn
فَاِقرَأوها وَاِجثوا لَدَيها خُشوعاً
كَجثوِّ العَبيدِ لِلمَعبودِ
So read them and bow before them reverently
Like the prostration of servants before their worshipped Lord
حجَّة العِلم وَالسِياسَة في الما
ضي وَركنٌ من الكِرامِ الصيدِ
The proof of knowledge and politics in the past
And a pillar of generous chiefs
شبَّ طِفلاً على مَحَبَّة لبنا
نَ فَكانَ الإِخلاصُ فَرضَ العَميدِ
As a child he clung to the love of Lebanon
So dedication became the leader's duty
أَوفَدتَهُ البِلادُ لِلذودِ عَنها
في فُروق فَكانَ فَخرَ الوُفودِ
The country dispatched him to defend it
So he became the pride of missions
وَاِصطَفاهُ عَبد الحَميد وَلكِن
لَم يَكُن مِن رِجال عَبدِ الحَميدِ
And Abdul Hamid handpicked him, but
He was not of the men of Abdul Hamid
يا أَميرَ الحجي أَفاقَ العَذارى
مِن سُبات بِجفنِها مَعقودِ
O prince of awakened virgins
From the slumber of their shut eyelids
وَأَعدَّت وَلائِم العرسِ في الخل
دِ وَزفَّت إِلَيكَ بِنت الخُلودِ
And prepared wedding feasts in seclusion
And sent you the daughter of eternity
