لِمِصرَ أَم لِرُبوعِ الشامِ تَنتَسِبُ
هُنا العُلا وَهُناكَ المَجدُ وَالحَسَبُ
To Egypt or to Syria's meadows are you kin?
Two pillars of the Orient whose lands
رُكنانِ لِلشَرقِ لا زالَت رُبوعُهُما
قَلبُ الهِلالِ عَلَيها خافِقٌ يَجِبُ
The crescent's heart still beats over fervently.
Two preserves of pure Arabic whose veils
خِدرانِ لِلضادِ لَم تُهتَك سُتورُهُما
وَلا تَحَوَّلَ عَن مَغناهُما الأَدَبُ
Were never rent, whose rhythm was never marred.
The mother-tongue, next dawn the tongue of pride—
أُمُّ اللُغاتِ غَداةَ الفَخرِ أُمُّهُما
وَإِن سَأَلتَ عَنِ الآباءِ فَالعَرَبُ
Ask of its sires, and you are answered: Arab!
Would you both consent to any but the best,
أَيَرغَبانِ عَنِ الحُسنى وَبَينَهُما
في رائِعاتِ المَعالي ذَلِكَ النَسَبُ
Or sever that nobility, that lineage blessed?
If to the Nile's valley came a visitor,
وَلا يَمُتّانِ بِالقُربى وَبَينَهُما
تِلكَ القَرابَةُ لَم يُقطَع لَها سَبَبُ
Lebanon's peaks would stir and start afresh.
And if a grieving soul cried from the pyramids' dust,
إِذا أَلَمَّت بِوادي النيلِ نازِلَةٌ
باتَت لَها راسِياتُ الشامِ تَضطَرِبُ
One grieving thus in Lebanon's heights would answer.
If the Nile and Jordan gave sincere affection,
وَإِن دَعا في ثَرى الأَهرامِ ذو أَلَمٍ
أَجابَهُ في ذُرا لُبنانَ مُنتَحِبُ
Their waters then would kiss, their grasses blend.
Between both valleys walked Pride with its gait,
لَو أَخلَصَ النيلُ وَالأُردُنُّ وُدَّهُما
تَصافَحَت مِنهُما الأَمواهُ وَالعُشُبُ
Flanked by Bounty here, Persistence there.
This streamed with plenty, while the other blazed with zeal,
بِالوادِيَينِ تَمَشّى الفَخرُ مِشيَتَهُ
يَحُفُّ ناحِيَتَيهِ الجودُ وَالدَأَبُ
This gushed with verdure, while the other burned with deeds.
Breeze of Lebanon, how often did you come
فَسالَ هَذا سَخاءً دونَهُ دِيَمٌ
وَسالَ هَذا مَضاءً دونَهُ القُضُبُ
Sweet with perfume from gardens, panting from the trees.
In East and West are sighs aflame for you,
نَسيمَ لُبنانَ كَم جادَتكَ عاطِرَةٌ
مِنَ الرِياضِ وَكَم حَيّاكَ مُنسَكِبُ
And yearning hearts wherein wild fires seethe.
But for the seekers after knowledge, none would crave
في الشَرقِ وَالغَربِ أَنفاسٌ مُسَعَّرَةٌ
تَهفو إِلَيكَ وَأَكبادٌ بِها لَهَبُ
A substitute for your sweet breath—but knowledge wearies.
How many a maiden weeps in Syria's lands
لَولا طِلابُ العُلا لَم يَبتَغوا بَدَلاً
مِن طيبِ رَيّاكَ لَكِنَّ العُلا تَعَبُ
For one she loved who quests and is hard-pressed.
On he must go, no choice but resolution,
كَم غادَةٍ بِرُبوعِ الشَأمِ باكِيَةٍ
عَلى أَليفٍ لَها يَرمي بِهِ الطَلَبُ
Though glory and gold are his garb, his wage.
The nights' vicissitudes turn back from him reversed,
يَمضي وَلا حيلَةٌ إِلّا عَزيمَتُهُ
وَيَنثَني وَحُلاهُ المَجدُ وَالذَهَبُ
His purpose knows not how to turn or change.
In Columbia's land heroes like lions hunger,
يَكُرُّ صَرفُ اللَيالي عَنهُ مُنقَلِباً
وَعَزمُهُ لَيسَ يَدري كَيفَ يَنقَلِبُ
A starving pack, gigantic when aroused.
No flag or numbers shield them there—their only aid
بِأَرضِ كولُمبَ أَبطالٌ غَطارِفَةٌ
أُسدٌ جِياعٌ إِذا ما ووثِبوا وَثَبوا
Is purpose blazing, will that never dims.
Their navy destiny's voyager on the sea,
لَم يَحمِهِم عَلَمٌ فيها وَلا عَدَدٌ
سِوى مَضاءٍ تَحامى وِردَهُ النُوَبُ
Their army exile's worker on the land.
Through every fray they cut a path, blaze trails—
أُسطولُهُم أَمَلٌ في البَحرِ مُرتَحِلٌ
وَجَيشُهُم عَمَلٌ في البَرِّ مُغتَرِبُ
Up every peak they scale a road amazing.
No dawn e'er rose in any far horizon
لَهُم بِكُلِّ خِضَمٍّ مَسرَبٌ نَهَجٌ
وَفي ذُرا كُلِّ طَودٍ مَسلَكٌ عَجَبُ
But in Damascus it already had its courtier.
Why should they mind that on earth they're scattered,
لَم تَبدُ بارِقَةٌ في أُفقِ مُنتَجَعٍ
إِلّا وَكانَ لَها بِالشامِ مُرتَقِبُ
When stars are sprinkled since the stars were made.
No harm was done them that they're variegated,
ما عابَهُم أَنَّهُم في الأَرضِ قَد نُثِروا
فَالشُهبُ مَنثورَةٌ مُذ كانَتِ الشُهُبُ
For everything alive encompasses contradiction.
They sought the fountains in this world, and had they found
وَلَم يَضِرهُم سُراءٌ في مَناكِبِها
فَكُلِّ حَيٍّ لَهُ في الكَونِ مُضطَرَبُ
A rising ship that sailed up to the galaxy,
Or heard the sun contained a refuge for those hopeful—
رادوا المَناهِلَ في الدُنيا وَلَو وَجَدوا
إِلى المَجَرَّةِ رَكباً صاعِداً رَكِبوا
They would have cast a rope into the air and climbed.
They labored for an honest earning, and the mother tongue
أَو قيلَ في الشَمسِ لِلراجينَ مُنتَجَعٌ
مَدّوا لَها سَبَباً في الجَوِّ وَاِنتَدَبوا
Through this endeavor only gained in eloquence.
Wherever Syrians dwelt a fresh and novel life was,
سَعَوا إِلى الكَسبِ مَحموداً وَما فَتِئَت
أُمُّ اللُغاتِ بِذاكَ السَعيِ تَكتَسِبُ
Advancement unobstructed and unfettered.
Grasp it, and you are clasping Arabdom.
فَأَينَ كانَ الشَآمِيّونَ كانَ لَها
عَيشٌ جَديدٌ وَفَضلٌ لَيسَ يَحتَجِبُ
No grudge is Kinanah but Syria taking umbrage
That chiefs of its own issue over its lands hold sway
هَذي يَدي عَن بَني مِصرٍ تُصافِحُكُم
فَصافِحوها تُصافِح نَفسَها العَرَبُ
Had there not been among ourselves and them
Some statesmen who exceeded all bounds
فَما الكِنانَةُ إِلّا الشامُ عاجَ عَلى
رُبوعِها مِن بَنيها سادَةٌ نُجُبُ
Were we and they not then to reconciliation wrought—
To me the glory lies in that wrong they wrought.
لَولا رِجالٌ تَغالَوا في سِياسَتِهِم
مِنّا وَمِنهُم لَما لُمنا وَلا عَتَبوا
If they ascribe to me a crime of love for them,
Then glorious is the crime for which they brought me low!
إِن يَكتُبوا لِيَ ذَنباً في مَوَدَّتِهِم
فَإِنَّما الفَخرُ في الذَنبِ الَّذي كَتَبوا
