أَلطِّيْبُ فِي نَفَحَاتِ الرَّوْضِ حَيَّانِي

وَأُنْسُكُمْ يَا كِرَامَ الحَيِّ أَحْيَانِي

The sweet fragrance in the garden’s breaths greeted me,

And your fellowship, noble people of the quarter, restored me to life.

رَعَيْتُمونِي وَدَارِي شُقَّةٌ قُذَفٌ

فَلَمْ أَزَلْ وَاجِداً أَهْلِي وَخُلاَّنِي

You cared for me though my home lay vastly far away,

So I never ceased to find my family and companions here.

إِنْ قَالَ مَا قَالَ إِخْوَانِي لِتَكْرِمَتِي

فَهَلْ أَنَا غَيْرُ مِرْآةٍ إِخْوَانِي

If my brethren said what they said to honor me,

Am I anything but a mirror of my brethren?

وَإِنْ شَجَا مِصْرَ صَوْتِي هَلْ يَكُونُ سِوَى

صَوْتُ الْعَزِيزَيْنِ سُورِيَّا وَلُبْنَانِ

And if my voice moved Egypt to yearning, could it be anything but

The voice of the two beloved lands, Syria and Lebanon?

لا تَسْأَلُونِي وَقَدْ لاقَيْتُ مَا سَمَحَتْ

بِهِ مَكَارِمُكُمْ عَمَّا تَوَلاَّنِي

Do not ask me, now that I have encountered all

Your noble generosity has lavished upon me.

إِلَى طَرَابُلُسَ الدَّارِ الَّتِي دُعِيَتْ

فَيْحَاءَ مِنْ رَحَبٍ فِيهَا بَضِيفَانِ

To Tripoli, the dwelling that was called

Al-Fayha—the spacious—in the breadth of its welcome to guests;

ذَاتِ الْخَلائِقِ أَبَدَاهَا وَنَّمَّ بِهَا

فِي كُلِّ مَوْقِعِ حِسٍّ كُلُّ بُسْتَانِ

Possessed of virtues that it reveals and fosters,

With every place of beauty a whole garden;

ذَاتِ النُّفُوسِ الَّتِي لاحَتْ سَرَائِرُهَا

غُرّاً عَلَى أَوْجُهٍ كَالزَّاهْرِ غُرَّانِ

Possessed of souls whose inward goodness shines

Radiant upon faces like resplendent blossoms;

ذَاتِ المُوَادَعَةِ الحُسْنَى وَأَحْسَنُ مَا

كَانَتْ مُوَادَعَةٌ فِي أَرْضِ شُجْعَانِ

Possessed of gracious farewells—and how lovely

A farewell may be in a land of courageous people.

إِلَى أَعِزَّةِ هَذِي الدَّارِ مِنْ نُجُبٍ

تَاهَتْ فَخَاراً بِقَاصِيهِمْ وَبِالدَّانِي

To the noble and distinguished people of this house,

In whom both far and near take pride;

مُتَوِّجِي كُلِّ مَا جَاؤُوا بِمَحْمَدَةٍ

وَمُخْرِجِي كُلِّ مَا شَاؤُوا بِإِتْقَانِ

Who crown every worthy deed they undertake,

And bring whatever they desire to perfect execution;

وَسَابِقِي كُلِّ ذِي فَضْلٍ وَمَأْثُرَةٍ

فَضْلاً وَمَأْثُرَةً فِي كُلِّ مَيْدَانِ

Who outstrip every person of merit and noble achievement

In merit and achievement upon every field;

لا يَبْخَلُونَ إِذَا أَهْلُ النَّدَى بَخِلُوا

وَلَيْسَ يُؤْذَى النَّدَى مِنْهُمْ بِمَنَّانِ

Who do not withhold when other generous people grow stingy,

And whose giving is never marred by reminders of favors.

حَيِّ ابنَ نَحَّاسَ وَهْوَ التِّبْرُ بَيْنَهُمُ

بِعُنْصُرَيْهِ وَهَلْ فِي التِّبْرِ رَأْيَانِ

Salute Ibn Nahhas, pure gold among them,

Gold in both his elements—on that I hold no divided view;

حَيِّ عَوْناً لَهُ تَعْتَزُّ دَوْلَتُهُ

مِنْهُ بِرُكْنٍ قَوِيٍّ بَيْنَ أَرْكَانِ

And salute Awn, in whom his state takes pride,

A mighty pillar among its pillars.

سَمْحَ الخَلائِقِ أَوْلانِي مَدَائِحَهُ

وَجَلَّ مَا قَلْبُهُ المِسْمَاحُ أَوْلانِي

The man of generous nature bestowed his praises upon me,

And splendid indeed was what his openhanded heart bestowed.

وَاذْكُرْ بَنِي كَرَمٍ قَوْمٌ غَدَا اسْمُهُمْ

لِلْجُودِ وَاللُّطْفِ فِيهِ خَيْرَ عُنْوَانِ

Remember, too, the sons of Karam, a people whose name became

The finest emblem of generosity and kindness;

وَنَوْفَلاً وَخِلاطاً وَالأُولَى لَحِفُوا

بِشَأْوِهِمْ مِنْ أَلبَّاءٍ وَأَعْيَانِ

And Naufal and Khallat, and those who joined them,

People of intelligence and distinction.

مَاذَا تَعُدُّ وَكَائِنْ فِي طَرَابُلُسٍ

أَعِزَّةٌ مِنْ أُولِي جَاهٍ وَعِرْانِ

How many there are in Tripoli—

Noble people of rank and strength!

إِنْ تُولِهِمْ مِنْ ثَنَاءٍ مَا يَحِقُّ فَلا

يَفُتْكَ حَمدٌ لِهَذَا الضَّيْفِ فِي آنِ

If you grant them the praise that is their due, then let

No timely tribute to this guest escape you.

مِنْ آلِ مَلُّوكَ مَيْمُونٍ نَقِيبَتُهُ

عَدَاهُ ذَمٌّ وَلا يُلْفَى لَهُ شَانِي

One of royal stock, auspicious in disposition,

Whom blame has passed by, with no detractor to be found;

أَغَرَّ يُغْلِي عَطَايَاهُ تَخيُّرُهُ

لَهَا فَإِحْسَانُهْ أَضْعَافُ إِحْسَانِ

An illustrious man whose careful choosing makes his gifts more precious,

So that his beneficence is beneficence doubled.

إِلَى الأُولَى شرَحُوا صَدْرِي بِأُلْفَتِهِمْ

عَلَى اخْتِلافِ عَقِيدَاتٍ وَأَدْيَانِ

To those who opened my heart through their fellowship,

Despite their differing beliefs and religions;

منْ صَادِرِينَ إِلَى العَلْيَاءِ عَنْ أَمَلٍ

كَأَنَّهُ دَوْحَةٌ أَوْفَتْ بِأَغْصَانِ

To those who set forth toward the heights, borne by a hope

Like a great tree lifting all its branches high.

أَلسَّيِّدَانِ بِهِمْ جَارَانِ فِي مَقَةٍ

وَالمَذْهَبَانِ هُمَا فِي القَلْبِ جَارَانِ

Through them the two masters dwell as neighbors in affection,

And the two creeds are neighbors within the heart.

وَهَلْ إِذَا سَارَ فِي الأَوْطَانِ رُوحُ قِلىً

يُرْجَى صَلاحٌ وَإِصْلاحٌ لأَوْطَانِ

If a spirit of hatred travels through the homelands,

Can any welfare or reform be hoped for those homelands?

إِلَى الأُولَى بَلَغَتْ بِالجِدِّ نَهْضَتُهُمْ

مَكَانَةً لَمْ تُخَلْ يَوْماً بِإِمْكَانِ

To those whose earnest striving raised their renaissance

To a station once thought impossible;

مِنْ كُلِّ نَدْبٍ بِهِ تَعْتَزُّ لَجْنَتُهُمْ

لا يَظْلِمُ الحَقُّ دَاعِيهِ بِإِنْسَانِ

To every resolute man in whom their committee takes pride—

The advocate of truth does no human being wrong.

رَئِيسُهَا مُحْرِزٌ فِي الْفَضْلِ مَنْزِلَةً

فَاقَتْ مَنَازِلَ أَنْدَادٍ وَأَقْرَانِ

Its president has attained a rank in excellence

Surpassing the stations of his peers and equals.

إِلَى المُجِدينَ جَادَتْنِي قَرَائِحُهُمْ

نَظْماً وَنَثْراً بِمَا أَرْبَى عَلَى شَانِي

To the diligent ones, whose talents dealt generously with me,

In verse and prose exceeding my own standing;

مِنْ غَادَةٍ خَلَبَ الأَلْبَابَ مَنْطِقُهَا

هِيَ الْفَرِيدَةُ فِي عَقْلٍ وَتِبْيَانِ

To a maiden whose eloquence captivated minds—

Peerless in reason and lucid exposition;

دَلَّتْ مَهَارَتُهَا خُبْراً وَمَعْرِفَةً

عَلَى التَّفَوُّقِ فِي خُبْرٍ وَعِرْفَانِ

Her skill revealed experience and knowledge,

And mastery in practice and understanding;

وَمِنْ رَفِيقِ صِباً مَا زِلْتُ مِنْ قِدَمٍ

أَرْعَاهُ رَعيَ أَخٍ بَرٍّ وَيَرْعَانِي

And to a companion of my youth whom, since long ago,

I have tended with a faithful brother’s care, as he tends me;

وَنَاثِرٍ لَبِقٍ أَبْقَى بِذِهْنِي مِنْ

إِبْدَاعه خَيْرَ مَا يَبْقَى بِأَذْهَانِ

And to a polished prose writer whose artistry left within my mind

The finest thing that can remain in human memory;

وَشَاعِرٍ عَبْقَرِيِّ الصَّوغِ قَلَّدَنِي

أَغْلَى الْقَلائد مِنْ دُرٍّ وَعِقْيَانِ

And to a poet of inspired craftsmanship who adorned me

With the dearest necklaces of pearls and pure gold;

عِقْدٌ تَفَرَّدَ فِيهِ الرَّافِعِيُّ وَهَلْ

لِذَلِكَ الْبُلْبُلِ الْغِرِّيد مِنْ ثَانِي

A necklace in whose making al-Rafi‘i stood alone—

Has that sweet-throated nightingale any second?

حَسْبِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْهِ إِنْ أَرَدْتُ لَهُ

وَصْفاً فَقُلتُ اسْمَهُ وَالْوَصْفُ أَعْيَانِي

If I wished to describe him, this would suffice as praise:

I need only speak his name, and every quality appears before me.

إِلَى اللَّوَاتِي يُهَذِّبْنَ الْبَنَاتِ كَمَا

يَرْضَى الْكَمَالانِ مِنْ حُسْنٍ وَإِحْسَانِ

To the women who refine and educate the girls

As the twin perfections of beauty and goodness would approve;

وَالْقَائِمِينَ بِتَثْقِيفِ الْبَنِينَ عَلَى

أَجَلِّ مَا يُبْتَغَى تَثْقِيفُ فِتْيَانِ

And to those entrusted with cultivating the boys

Upon the loftiest education sought for young men;

إِلَى الأَوَانِسِ أَنْمَتْهُنَّ مَدْرَسَةٌ

قَامَتْ بِفَضْلَيْنِ للسَّاعِي وَلِلبَانِي

To the young women whom a school has nurtured,

Founded through the merits of the striver and the builder;

مَثَّلْنَ مَا شَنَّفَ الآذَانَ فِي لُغَةٍ

جَعَلْنَهَا خَيْرَ نَشْنِيفٍ لآَذَانِ

They performed in eloquent language what delighted the ears,

Making that language the finest ornament hung upon them.

أَزُفُّ أَبْيَاتَ شُكْرَانِي وَلَيْسَ تَفِي

بِالحَقِّ لَوْ صُغْتُهَا آيَاتِ شُكْرَانِ

I offer my verses of gratitude, though they cannot discharge

What is due, even were I to fashion them as revelations of thanks.

فَيَا كِرَاماً أَقَرَّتْنِي حَفضاوَتُهُمْ

بِحَيْثُ يَحْسُدُنِي أَرْبَاب تِيجَانِ

O noble people, whose warm reception settled me so contentedly

That the wearers of crowns might envy me!

لا تَسْأَلُونِي وَقَدْ وُلِّيْتُ مَا سَمَحَتْ

بِهِ مَكَارِمُكُمْ عَمَّا تَوَلاَّنِي

Do not ask me, now that I have been granted all

Your noble generosity has lavished upon me.

دومُوا وَدَامَتْ بِلا عَدٍّ مَفَاخِرُكُمْ

مُخَلَّدَاتٍ لأَزْمَانٍ فَأَزْمَانِ

Endure—and may your countless glories endure,

Immortal through ages upon ages;

وَالْعِزُّ وَالْجَاهُ فِي هَذَا الحِمَى أَبَداً

بِكُمْ جَدِيدَانِ مَا كَرَّ الْجَدِيدَانِ

May honor and eminence abide forever in this sanctuary,

Renewed through you whenever the two ever-new ones revolve.