أَهْدَيْتَ وَالمُهْدَى ثَمِينُ

للهِ دَرُّكَ يَا أَمِينُ

You gifted, and the gift is precious

God bless you, O trusted one

مَا أَبْدَعَ الكَلِمَ المُثَقِّـ

ـفَ فِيهِ مِنْ أَدَبٍ فُنُونُ

How eloquent is this refined poetry

Full of literary arts and skills

فِيهِ المُنَمَّقُ وَالمُرَوَّ

قُ وَالمُحَجَّبُ وَالمُبِينُ

It has the figurative and the literal

The veiled and the evident

فِيهِ القَريبُ بِلا ابْتِذَا

لٍ وَالغَرِيبُ وَمَا يَصُونُ

It has the near without affectation

The far-fetched, and what it preserves

فِطَنٌ بَدَتْ تَخْتَالُ فِي

فُصْحٍ مَحَاسِنُهَا عُيُونُ

Keen in the prime of eloquence

Its beauties are manifest

زُفَّتْ وَخَفَّ بِهَا إِلَى

أَلْبَابِنَا اللَّفْظُ الرَّصِينُ

It flowed gently to our minds

This solid, graceful expression

لُبْنَانُ حَدَّثَنَا فَرَنَّـ

ـحَنَا التَّذَكُّرُ وَالحَنِينُ

Lebanon told us, so we were

Reminded and felt yearning

بِحَدِيثِ فِتْنَتِهِ وَإِنَّ

حَدِيثَ لُبْنَانٍ شُجُونُ

Talking of its charm, and the

Talk of Lebanon is full of sorrows

مَاذَا يَقُولُ الوَرْدُ فِيـ

ـهِ وَمَا يَقُولُ اليَاسَمِينُ

What does the rose say in it

And what does the jasmine say

مَاذَا تَقُولُ ثِمَارُهُ

يَتْلُو الجَنِيَّ بِهَا الجَنِينُ

What do its fruits say

As the harvester recites them to the fetus

مَاذَا تَقُولُ سَمَاؤُهُ

وَنَسِيمُهُ المُحْيِي الحَنُونُ

What does its sky say

And its life-giving, affectionate breeze

مَاذَا تَقُولُ لِسَامِعِي

أَلْحَانِهَا تِلْكَ الوُكُونُ

What does it say to the listeners

Of those melodies, those entities

مَاذَا يَقُولُ الدَّوْحُ عَا

شَ مُخَلَّداً وَخَلَتْ قُرُونُ

What does the ancient oak say

Immortalized over past eras

مَاذَا يَقُولُ الأَجْزَعُ الْـ

ـمُهْتَزُّ وَالطَّوْدِ المَكِينُ

What does the shaken fir tree say

And the submissive, erect pine tree

مَاذَا يَقُولُ الرِّيفُ تَغْ

مُرُهُ السَّذَاجَةُ وَالسُّكُونُ

What does the countryside say

Naïve and tranquil in nature

وَطَبِيعَةٌ لِجَمَالِهَا

فِي كُلِّ نَاحِيةٍ فُتُونُ

Each part has beauty

Where affairs are confusing

لِلأَلمعِيَّةِ أَيُّ شَّأ

نٍ حَيْثُ تَشْتَبِهُ الشُّؤُونُ

Secrets can be sensed

Though assumptions miss them

قَدْ تُسْتَشَفُّ سَرَائِرٌ

لَطُفَتْ فَلَمْ تَرَهَا الظُّنُونُ

Passing through serious events

Jokingly, as they tend to be

وَتَمُرُّ فِي جِدِّ الحَوَا

دِثِ وَهْيَ أَمْرَحُ مَا تَكُونُ

Crafting the most eloquent wisdom

With jesting and nonsense

فَتَصُوغُ أَبْلَغَ حِكْمَةٍ

وَبِهَا التَّنَدُّرُ وَالمَجُونُ

Tools of thoughtful inspiration

Its writer is trusted

بَدَوَاتُ فِكْرٍ وَحْيُهُ

هَادٍ وَكَاتِبُهُ أَمِينُ