حَيِّ الْعَزِيمَةَ وَالشَّبَابَا
وَالْفِتْيَةَ النُّضْرَ الصِّلاَبَا
O you, the firm resolution and youth!
O you, the fresh vigorous heroes!
أَلتَّارِكِينَ لِغَيْرِهِمْ
نَزَقَ الطُّفُولَةِ وَالدِّعَابَا
Who have abandoned the frivolities of childhood and play,
Who have made Beirut the gateway for the sublime,
أَلْجَاعِلِي بَيْرُوتَ وَهْـ
ـيَ الثَّغْرُ لِلْعَلْيَاءِ بَابَا
Who seek the truth and righteousness from suspicions,
Who sell the blossoms of nightshade to those who buy them as herbs,
أَلطَّالِبِينَ مِنَ المَظِنَّا
تِ الْحَقِيقةَ وَالصَّوَابَا
Whose manners refuse imperfection to be criticized,
Whose ethics are of pure gold that disdains alloy,
أَلْبَائِعِينَ زُهَى الْقُشُو
رِ المُشْتَرِينَ بِهِ لُبَابَا
Whose intentions are sincere, scorning false glory,
Whose views, though young, are those of elders,
آدَابُهُمْ تَأْبَى بِغَيْـ
ـرِ التِّمِّ فِيهَا أَنْ تُعَابَا
However high the office you are called to fill, you fulfill its obligations,
The diligent and generous satisfies God and the companions.
أخْلاَقُهُمْ مِنْ جَوْهَرٍ
صَافٍ تَنَزَّهَ أَنْ يُشَابَا
Look at their acting, do you not see a wonder of wonders!
They have surpassed the foremost and attained the most lovable.
نِيَّاتُهُمْ نِيَّاتُ صِدْ
قٍ تأْنَفُ المَجْدَ الْكِذَابَا
Have you heard the excellence of their delivery,
Whether in questioning or answering?
آرَاؤُهُمْ آرَاءُ أشْـ
ـيَاخٍ وَإِنْ كَانُوا شَبَابَا
Have you witnessed their gestures,
That make remoteness like nearness?
مَهْمَا يَلُوا مِنْ مَنْصِبِ الْـ
أَعْمَالِ يُوفُوهُ النِّصَابَا
Did not their speeches excite you,
As they rose to deliver their address?
وَالمُتْقِنُ المِجُوَادُ يُرْ
ضى اللهَ عَنْهُ وَالصَّحَابَا
They have created a feat, till we saw
The stumbler become eloquent.
أُنْظُرْ إلى تُمْثِيلِهِمْ
أَفَمَا تَرَى عَجَباً عُجَابا
Hail! As they met misfortune with honor,
They met punishment with glory.
فَاقُوا بِهِ المُتَفَوِّقِيـ
ـنَ وَأَدْرَكُوا مِنْهُ الْحَبَابَا
No dejection is to be noticed in them,
If you look, no melancholy.
أَسَمِعْتَ حُسْنَ أَدَائِهِمْ
إِمَّا سُؤَالاً أَوْ جَوَابَا
They care not for events,
However often events recur.
أَشَهِدْتَ مِنْ إِيمائِهِمْ
مَا يَجْعَلُ الْبُعْدَ اقْتِرَابَا
They spend their treasures profusely,
Pouring forth their precious stock.
أَشَجَتْكَ رَنَّاتٌ بِهَا
نَبَرُوا وَقَدْ فَصَلُوا الْخِطَابَا
They hide their pain and force themselves
Not to give vent to it and complain.
قَدْ أَبْدَعُوا حَتَّى أَرَوْ
نَا جَابِرَ الْعَثَرَاتِ آبَا
Never for a day do they desist from kindness,
Though time may have changed and reversed.
حَيّاً كَمَا لَقِيَ النَّعيـ
ـمَ بِعِزَّةٍ لَقِيَ الْعَذَابَا
Their hands are turned against their bosoms,
In victory and defeat.
لاَ تَسْتَبِينَ بِهِ سُرُو
راً إِنْ نَظَرْتَ وَلاَ اكْتِئَابَا
These may be deceitful natures,
Or firm as mountains.
مَا إِنْ يُبَالِي حَادِثاً
مِنْ حَادِثَاتِ الدَّهْرِ نَابَا
The soul is what you make it.
Then reach, if you wish, the clouds,
يَقْضِي الرَّغَائِبَ بَاذِلاً
فِيهَا نَفَائِسَهُ الرِّغَابَا
Or live at ease, a groveling worm,
Creeping in the dust ingloriously.
يُخْفِي مَبَرَّتَهُ وَيُجْ
بَرُ أَنْ يَبُوحَ بِهَا فَيَابِى
Be a jewel that remains unblemished
In the burning flame, or be dust.
لاَ يَنْثَنَي يُوْماً عَنِ الْ
إِحْسَانِ لَوْ سَاءَ انْقِلاَبَا
One is a falling star, the other
A shooting star flashing.
وَتَحَوَّلَتْ يَدُهُ إلى
أَحْشَائِهِ ظُفْراً وَنَابَا
The difference is predetermined
When man shows cowardice or courage.
هُنَّ الْخَلاَئِقُ قَدْ يَكُنَّ
بُطُونَ خَبْتٍ أَوْ هِضَابَا
If you tame the natural temperament,
You make temper tamed submissive.
وَالنَّفْسُ حَيْثُ جَعَلْتَهَا
فَابْلُغْ إِذَا شِئْتَ السَّحَابَا
The world is not gained rashly,
It is gained by exertion.
أَوْ جَارِ في أَمْنٍ خَشَاشَ
الأَرْضِ تَنْسَحِبُ انْسِحَابَا
Reprove your soul as much as you can,
Do not flatter or blame it.
كُنْ جَوْهَراً مِمَّا يُمَحَّـ
ـصُ بِاللَّظَى أَوْ كُنْ تُرَابَا
Happy is he who walks not astray,
And sees error, so repents.
لَيْسَا سَوَاءً هَابِطٌ
وَهْياً وَمُنْقَضٌ شِهَابَا
The sin is forgiven; he spoke truly
Who said the negligent transgressed.
ألْبَيْنُ مَحْتُومٌ وَآ
لَمُهُ إِذَا مَا المرْءُ هَابَا
O you who composed this story,
Your view is right and exact.
وَالطَّبْعُ إنْ رَوَّضْتَهُ
ذَلَّلْتَ بِالطَّبْعِ الصِّعَابَا
In diction and meaning your waters indeed
Gushed copiously and ran sweet.
لاَ تُؤْخَذُ الدُّنْيَا اجْتِدَا
ءً تُؤْخَذُ الدُّنْيَا غِلاَبَا
You found rightly, you are the most apt
To be rewarded for excelling.
رَاجِعْ ضَمِيرَكَ مَا اسْتَطعْـ
ـتَ وَلاَ تُهَادِنْهُ عَتَابَا
You have benefited: the supported
Is good, and the theme is good.
طُوبَى لِمَنْ لَمْ يَمْضِ فِي
غَيٍّ تَبَيَّنَهُ فَتَابَا
It suffices you for virtue that you have lived
In it what would otherwise fall in ruins.
أَلْوِزْرُ مَغفُورٌ وَقَدْ
صَدَقَ المُفَرِّطُ إِذْ أَنَأبَا
O excellence of what is narrated
When I narrate a genuine spring, not a mirage!
يَا مُنْشِئاً هَذِي الرِّوَايَة
إِنَّ رَأْيَكَ قَدْ أَصَابَا
You recalled a glory whose sun
My travels never ceased to follow.
بِاللَّفْظِ وَالمَعْنَى لَقَدْ
سَالَتْ مَوَارِدُهَا عِذَابَا
And magnificences of the East, relieving
The necks of the West from servitude.
حَقًّا أجْدْتَ وَأَنْتَ أحْـ
ـرَى مَنْ أَجَادَ بِأَنْ تُثَابَا
They marched over the viceroys
In the well-knit, pure-blooded Arab horses.
وأَفَدْتَ فَالمَحْمُولُ فِي
هَا طَابَ وَالمَوْضُوعُ طَابَا
With their conquering knights
They narrowed the world, though its expanse is wide.
يَكْفِيكَ فَضْلاً أَنْ عَمَرْ
تَ بِهَا مِنَ الذِّكْرَى خَرَابَا
Verses of might recorded
On the pages of time their book.
يَا حُسْنَ مَا يُرْوَى إِذَا
أَرْوَى مَعِيناً لاَ سَرَابَا
O my people, history does not
Wrong those who passed away without reckoning.
أَذْكَرْتَ مَجْداً لَمْ تَزَلْ
تَحْدُو بِهِ السِّيَرُ الرِّكَابَا
And before the resurrection it still
Provides for them ample reward or punishment.
وَعَظَائِماً لِلشَّرْقِ قَدْ
أَعْنَتْ مِنَ الْغَرْبِ الرِّقَابَا
He who doubts resurrection, this
Resurrection leaves no room for doubt.
خَفضَ الْجَنَاحَ لَهَا العِدَى
وَعَلاَ الْوُلاَةُ بِهَا جَنَابَا
If we busy ourselves with life
We dispense with food and drink.
مَشَّتْ عَلَى الأَسْنَادِ في الـ
ـرُّومِ المُطَهَّمَةَ الْعِرَابَا
If we recognize the misery of the road
We see no path, but only haze.
وَبِمُسْرِجِيَها الْفَاتِحِيـ
ـنَ أَضَاقَتِ الدُّنْيَا رِحَابَا
Let us fulfill the right of the covenant
Which nothing can dispel or defer.
آيَاتُ عِزٍّ خَلَّدَتْ
صُحْفُ الزَّمَانِ لَهَا كِتَابَا
Woe to him whose cunning self
Deceived him with some trickery.
يَا قَوْمِيَ التَّارِيخُ لا
يَأْلُو الَّذِينَ مَضُوْا حِسَابَا
Highest endeavor is to expend oneself
Sincerely, not seeking recompense.
وَيَظَلُّ قَبْلَ النَّشْرِ يُو
سِعُهُمْ ثَوَاباً أَوْ عِقَابَا
Our goal and request is to observe
Our compact and not transgress its bounds.
مَنْ رَابَهُ بَعْثٌ فَه
ذَا الْبَعْثُ لَمْ يَدَعِ ارْتِيَابَا
We summon the loyal to preserve
And magnify every dereliction as unseemly.
فَإِذَا عُنِينَا بِالْحَيَا
ةَ خَلاَ أَلْطَّعَامَ أَوِ الشَّرَابَا
We say: be a spear straight
With which highmindedness advances, not kinship.
وَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَّا المَسِي
رَةَ لاَ طَرِيقاً بَلْ عُبَابَا
We say: leave a pride whose echo
Reverberates, making us quarrel.
فَلْنْقضِ مِنْ حَقِّ الْحِمَى
مَا لَيْسَ يَأْلُوهُ ارْتِقَابَا
Our ancestors were
The noblest of nations in lineage.
ويْحَ امْرِئٍ رَجَّاهُ مَوْ
طِنُهُ لِمَحْمَدَةٍ فَخَابَا
Is that enough for us
If we do not match their glory by our deeds?
أَعْلَى احْتِسَابٍ بَذْلُ مَنْ
لَبَّى وَلَمْ يَبْغِ احْتِسَابَا
O elite, who took precedence
In my heart and affection!
إِنَّا وَمَطْلَبُنَا أَقَـ
ـلُّ الْحَقِّ لاَ نَغْلُو طِلاَبَا
Who saw as I did the best
Patterns of harmony and righteous ways.
نَدْعُو الْوَفِّي إلى الحِفَا
ظِ وَنُكْبِرُ التَّقْصِيرُ عَابَا
May God bless those of you
Who summoned and responded to good deeds.
وَنَقُولُ كُنْ نَصْلاً بِهِ
تَسْطُو الْحِمِيَّةُ لاَ قِرَابَا
وَنَقُولُ دَعْ فَخْراً يَكَا
دُ صَدَاهُ يُوسِعُنَا سِبَابَا
آبَاؤُنَا كَانُواوَإِنَّا
أَشْرَفُ الأُمَمِ انْتِسَابَا
هَلْ ذَاكَ مُغْنِينَا إِذَا
لَمْ نُكْمِلِ المَجْدَ اكْتِسَابَا
يَا نُخْبَةً مَلَكُوا التَّجِلَّـ
ـةَ في فُؤَادِي وَالْحُبَابَا
وَرَأَوْا كَرَأْيِي أَمْثَلَ الْ
خُطَطِ التَّآلُفِ وَالرِّبَابَا
للهِ فِيكُمْ مَنْ دَعَا
لِلصَّالِحَاتِ وَمَنْ أَجَابَا
