دَيْنُ هَذَا الْجَمِيلِ كَيْفَ يؤَدّى

هَلْ يَفِي مِن مُقصِّرٍ أَنْ يَوَدَّا

How can I repay the kindness of these good people?

Can someone who falls short make amends?

يَا كِرَاماً أَدُّوْا حُقوقَ عُلاَهُمْ

لاَ حقُوقِي حَمْداً لكُمْ ثمُ حَمْدَا

O you who are so generous, fulfill their rights

I have no rights; all praise belongs to you

أَيُّ رِفْدٍ كَرِفْدِكُمْ مَا رَأَيْنَا

قَبْلَهُ المَجْدَ وَهْوَ يُمْنَح رِفْدَا

What gift compares to yours that we have seen

Glory was theirs before this gift was made

شَكَرَ الله لِلأُولَى خَاطَبُونِي

مِدَحَاتٍ عَنْهَا أُقَصِّر رَدَّا

God reward the first ones who addressed me

With praises I cannot adequately return

مِنْ نظِيمٍ وَمِنْ نَثِيرٍ أَرَانَا

تَحْتَ أَزْهَى الْعَتِيقِ حُسْناً أَجَدَّا

With rhythm and prose they showed us

The finest hospitality and utmost honor

لَسْتُ أَدْرِي عَلاَمَ هُمْ جَعَلُونِي

فِي مَحَلٍّ يَعْلُو مَحَلِّيَ جِدَّا

I know not why they placed me

In a position far higher than my worth

أَنَا لاَ شَيْءَغَيْرَ أَنِّي بِقَوْمِي

أَسْعَدُ الطَّالِبِينَ لِلْعَلْمِ جَدَّا

I am nothing but through my people

The happiest of students seeking knowledge

صِرْتُ مَا شَاءَ فَضْلُ مَنْ شَاءَ مِنْهُمْ

وَاللَّيَالِي مَا زِلْنَ نَحْساً وَسَعْدَا

I became whatever the grace of those who so chose wished

And the nights passed, some sad and some joyful

قَدْ تَوَالَتْ بِيَ الْحَفَاوَاتُ فِي كُ

لِّ مَكَانٍ وَكُلِّ مَمْسىً وَمَغْدَى

Kindness came to me everywhere

And righteousness grew in me; before I was twice as weak

وَزَكَا البِرَ بي تِباعاً افَما أَكْبَ

رْتُ قَبْلاٌ وَجَدْتُ ضِعْفَيْهِ بَعْدا

If fancy had taken any credit from me

I would have shunned vainglory utterly

فَلَوِ الْوَهْمُ نَالَ مِنِّي مَنَالاً

خِلْت وِرْدِي مِنَ المَجَرَّةِ وِرْدَا

Happy is this friendly gathering that displayed to us

The harmony your fellowship has brought

حَبَّذَا المَحْفِل الانِيسُ الَّذِي أَبْ

دَى لَنَا مِنْ وِئَامِكُمْ مَا أَبْدَى

Whence affection settles the eyes

That estrangement had earlier saddened

فإِذَا أُلْفَةٌ تَقِر عُيوناً

رَدَّهَا الخُلْفُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ رمْدَا

The days of estrangement have passed

Never to return or be remembered again

قَدْ مَضَى عَهْدُ ذِلكَ الْخُلْفِ لاَ

عَادَ وَلاَ ذِكْرُ مَا جَرَى فِيهِ عَهْدَا

O my country, my heart yearns for you

Always, consumed with longing and passion

يَا بِلاَدِي إِليْكِ يَهْفُو فُؤَادِي

كَلَّ آنٍ شَوْقاً وَيَلْتَاعُ وَجْدَا

The more my family suffers hardship

The stronger my love grows

كُلَّمَا اشْتَدَّتِ الصُّروفُ بِاهْلِي

كِ نَمَا ذَلِكَ الْهَوَى وَاشْتَدَّا

How can life not be ransom for a people like this beloved redeemed people

My weeping wounded homeland

كَيْفَ لاَ تُوهَبُ الْحَيَاةُ فِدَى شَعْ

بٍ كَهَذَا الشَّعبِ الْعَزِيزِ المفَدَّى

Where we drink sorrow and bask in happiness

If your oneness were to be fragmented

وَطَني الباكي الحَزينَ الَّذ

ي نَشْرَبُ فِيهِ أَسىً وَنَشْرُقُ سُهْدَا

My love for you in my heart would not diminish one bit

How can the divisive one build a wall

إِنْ تُجَزَّأْ مِنْ وَحْدَةٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ حَ

دُّكَ فِي الْقَلْبِ غَيْرَ مَا كَانَ حَدَّا

Between the souls of a mother's children?

From Carmel to Aleppo I found

كَيْفَ يَبْنِي ذَاكَ المفَرِّقُ حِسّاً

فِي بَنِي الأُمِّ بَيْنَ روحَيْنِ سَدَّا

A kinship never reckoned as stranger

My homeland, if eternal bliss were sold to us

مِنْ ذُرَى كَرْمِلٍ إِلى حَلَبٍ أَلْفَيْ

تُ قُرْباً مَا كَانَ يُحْسَبُ بُعْدَا

At the price of one day away from you, we would not buy immortality

True misery is only in being away from you

وَطَنِي لَوْ بِبُعْدِنَا عَنْكَ يَوْماً

بِيعَ خُلْدُ النَّعيمِ لَمُ نَشْرِ خُلُدَا

Everyone cries or sorrows and grieves loss

All were attacking their brother in religion

إِنَّما البؤْسُ عَنْكَ أَقْصَى فَكُلٌّ

آدَمٌ أَوْ أَبْكَى وَآلَمُ فَقْدَا

So the people failed and the enemy dominated

From you, Haifa, though Haifa is the dearest

كَانَ كُلٌّ فِي الدِّينِ يُوهِي أَخَاهُ

فَوَهَى الشَّعبُ وَالعَدوُّ اسْتَبَدَّا

Pearl in the coasts, strung as a precious necklace

And her people I found to have the nobility of character

مِنْكَ حَيفَا وَإنَّ حَيفَا لأغْلَى

درَّةٍ فِي الثُّغورِ يُنَظمْنَ عِقْدَا

Too much recount and number

In them is kindness to the visitor, and in them

وَبَنُوهَا وَجَدْتُ مِن كَرَمِ الأخلاَ

قِ فِيهِمْ مَا لسْتُ أُحْصِيهِ عَدَّا

Is propriety that turns the uncouth wise

Their elder, in him is wisdom under the light of old age

فِيهِمُ اللطفُ بِالنَّزِيلِ وَفِيهِمْ

أَدَبٌ يَسْتَهْوِيَ الْعَدوَّ الالَدَّا

That glows and returns the misguided aright

And their youth, in the arena of diligence, are the sharpest minded

شَيْخُهمْ فِيهِ حِكْمَةٌ تَحْتَ ضَوْءِ الشَيْ

بِ تَزْهو فَتَرْجِعُ الْغَيَّ رشْدَا

And the most just in purpose

And in chastity every blossom among them

وَفَتَاهمْ فِي حَلْبَةِ الجِدِّ أَذْكَى النَّا

سِ قَلْباً وَأَعْدَلُ النَّاسِ قَصْدَا

Enlightens the mind like the dawn and guides perfectly

May your prosperity last and may God extend

وَمِنَ الطُّهرِ كُلُّ زَهْرَاءَ فِيهِمْ

تُطْلِعُ الْعَقْلَ كَالصَّباحِ وَأَهْدَى

For each of you happiness and blessings always

دَامَ إِقْبَالُكُمْ وَمَدَّ لِكُلٍّ

مِنْكُم اللهٌ فِي السَّعادَةِ مَدَّا