ضَرَبَ الأَرْضَ فَانْتَهَبْ
وَكَإِيَماضَةٍ ذَهَبْ
He struck the land and plundered it,
And like a flash he was gone.
آيَةُ الْعَصْرِ جَائبٌ
بَيْنَمَا لاَحَ إِذْ عَزَبْ
A sign of the times, fate turns,
As he appeared then withdrew.
ضَاقَ بِالسُّرْعَةِ الْفَضَا
ءُ وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مُغْتَرِبْ
Space narrowed in haste,
And no exile remained.
يُدْرِكُ الشَّأوَ أَوْ يَكَا
دُ مَتَى أَزْمَعَ الطَّلبْ
He seizes opportunity or almost,
Whenever he sought gain.
أَرْزُ لُبْنَانَ هَاكَهُ
حَلَبٌ هَذِهِ حَلَبْ
The cedars of Lebanon, how majestic!
This is Aleppo, this Aleppo.
أَيُّها الْجَائِزُ المَجَا
هِلُ لاَ يَعْرِفُ النَّصبْ
O passersby who know not fatigue,
It links cities and villages
يَصِلُ المُدْنَ وَالْقُرَى
بَمَتِينٍ مِنَ السَّببْ
With two firm ropes.
Serpents, whether coiled
أُفْعُوَانٌ إِذَا الْتَوَى
في صُعُودٍ أَوْ في صَبَبْ
Or crawling over peaks and dales.
If it meanders between meadows,
إِنْ تَرَامَى بَيْنَ الرُّبَى
خِلْتَ فُلْكاً بَيْنَ الْحَبَبْ
You’d think it a ship on the seas.
And when trailing smoke,
وَإذَا شِيمَ مُوقَداً
فَهْوَ كَالنَّجمِ ذِي الذَّنَبْ
It’s like a shooting star.
In this wispy veil
إِنَّ في هَذِهِ الضُّلو
عِ لَكَا لَمَارِجِ التَهَبْ
Are hints of steam that rose and blew away.
It is a longing for refuge
ذَاكَ حِسٌّ مِنَ الْكُمُو
نِ وَرَى زَنْدُهُ فَهَبّْ
Where all is desirable.
The leaning of its trees is grace,
هُوَ شَوْقٌ إلى حِمىً
كُلُّ مَا فِيِهِ مُسْتَحَبّْ
And in its trunks, humps.
O starry one,
مَيْلُ شَجْرَائِهِ حَنَا
نٌ وَفِي طَوْدِهِ حَدَبْ
Beauty lies in those stars.
Excellent is your share of the hoary,
أَيُّهذِي الشَّهبَاءُ
وَالْحُسْنُ في ذَلِكَ الشَّهبْ
Element of stars.
That unsullied element
حَبَّذَا في ثَرَاكِ مَا فِيـ
ـهِ مِنْ عُنْصُرِ الشُّهبْ
That remained free and uncorrupted.
The element that brought Ibn Hamdan
ذَلِكَ العُنصُرُ الَّذِي
ظَلَّ حُرّاًوَلَمْ يُشَبْ
All that he loved.
And with it Ahmad climbed
عُنْصُرٌ قَدْ أَصَابَ مِنْـ
ـهُ ابْنُ حَمْدانَ مَا أَحَبْ
To the pinnacle of poetry in the Arabs.
Excellent is your new share
وَبِهِ أَحْمَدُ ارْتَقَى
ذُرْوَةَ الشِّعرِ في الْعَرَبْ
And the expanse it contains.
Excellent is the ancient section
حَبَّذَا قِسْمُكَ الْجَدِيـ
ـدُ وَمَا فِيهِ مِنْ رَحَبْ
Where ages nested below it.
The platforms with their jewels
حَبَّذَا الْجَانِبُ الْقَدِيـ
ـمُ نَبَتْ دُونَهُ الْحِقَبْ
Of stone or else wood.
The gardens where from the bowers
أَلسُّوَيْقَاتُ عَقْدُهَا
مِنْ حِجَارٍ أَوْ مِنْ خَشَبْ
Fountains play.
The buildings with their fine domes
وَالْبَسَاتِينُ مِنْ جَنَا
هَا الأَفَانِينُ تُهْتَدَبْ
And remarkable cupolas.
What a visit it was!
وَالمَبَانِي بِهَا الحُلِيُّ الـ
ـبَدِيعَاتُ وَالْقُبَبْ
And I was filled with longing.
My joy is now complete, having seen
يَا لَهَا مِنْ زِيَارَةٍ
قُضِيَتْ وَهْيَ لِي أَرَبْ
Them closely today.
And for having fulfilled
تَمَّ سَعْدِي بِمَنْ رَأَيْـ
ـتُ بِهَا الْيَوْمَ عَنْ كَثَبْ
Some of what was due to them.
Whoever says the sweetest praise of them
وَبِأَنِّي قَضَيْتُ مِنْ
حَقِّهمْ بَعْضَ مَا وَجَبْ
Does not lie.
I came to them, my heart
إِنَّ مَنْ قَالَ فِيهِمُ
أَعْذَبَ المَدْحِ مَا كَذَبْ
Pounding harder as I drew near.
“Be gentle with me,” it said,
جِئْتُهُمْ وَالْفُؤَادُ بِي
خَافِقٌ كُلَّمَا اقْتَرَبْ
“Like one returning to his tribe after long absence.”
By God, that hour
قَالْتَقَوْنِي كَعَائِدٍ
لِلْحِمَى بَعْدَ مَا اغْتَرَبْ
Eased the strain on the weary.
It is no wonder! For they are
تَلْكَ وَاللهِ سَاعَةٌ
أَنْسَتِ المُتْعَبَ التَّعبْ
The elite of East and West.
Of women, luminaries
لَيْسَ بِدْعاً وَإِنَّهمْ
صَفْوَةُ الشَّرْقِ وَالنُّخبْ
Adorned with beauty and grace.
Chaste ladies nurturing
مِنْ نِسَاءٍ زَوَاهِرٍ
بِحِلَى الْحُسْنِ وَالأَدَبْ
The highborn and elect.
And men, who when
مُحْصَنَاتٍ مُرَبِّيا
تِ النَّجيبَاتِ وَالنُّجبْ
They compete, win the prize.
They ennobled knowledge as much as they could,
وَرِجَالٍ إِذَا هُمُ
سَابَقُوا َأحْرَزُوا الْقَصَبْ
And did not scorn the basic.
The most skilled of students
شَرَّفُوا الْعِلمْ مَا اسْتَطَا
عُوا وَلَمْ يَحْقِرُوا النَّشَبْ
Of the honorable way of life.
The most forbearing when faced
أَمْهَرُ الطَّالِبِينَ لِلْسْكَ
بِ مِنْ خَيْرِ مُكْتَسَبْ
With that which allays wrath.
The steadiest if excess
أحْلَمُ النَّاسِ عَنْ هُدىً
مَا الَّذِي يُصْلِحُ الْغَضَبْ
Should bring harm.
Whoever saw them in position
أَحْزَمُ الْخَلْقِ إِنْ يَكُنْ
سَرَفٌ جَالِبُ الْعَطَبْ
To win, would leap.
Attaining the utmost
مَنْ رَأَى مِنْهُمُ المَكَا
نَ لِفَوْزٍ بِهِ وَثَبْ
Of all he sought.
Among them is the accountant
مُحْرِزَاً غَايَةَ الَّذِي
رَامَ في كُلِّ مُطَّلبْ
None can compete with in reckoning.
Among them is the scribe
فِيهِمُ الْحَاسِبُ الَّذِي
لاَ يُجَارَى إِذَا حَسَبْ
None can match in writing.
Among them is the sage
فِيهِمْ الْكَاتِبُ الَّذِي
لاَ يُبَارَى إِذَا كَتَبْ
Whose intellect pierces like a star.
Among them is the poet
فِيهِمْ الْعَالِمُ الَّذِي
عَقْلُهُ كَوكَبٌ ثَقَبْ
Whose verse enthralls souls.
Among them is the eloquent orator
فِيهِمْ الشَّاعِرُ الَّذِي
شَعْرُهُ لِلنُّهى خَلَبْ
When addressing the crowd.
Among them is the artisan
فِيهِمْ الْقَائِلُ الصَّؤُو
لَ عَلَى الْجَمْعِ إِنْ خَطَبْ
Whose craft is a wonder.
Among them is the charming composer
فِيهِمْ الصَّانِعُ الَّذِي
صُنْعُهُ آيَةُ الْعَجَبْ
Of musical modes.
O noble ones who have granted me
فِيهِمْ المُطْرِبُ المُجـ
ـدُّ فُنُوناً مِنَ الطَّرَبْ
The highest stations!
You have given me a pride
يَا كِرَاماً أَحَلَّنِي
فَضْلُهُمْ أَرْفَعَ الرُّتَبْ
More precious than lineage.
Who am I, and what am I
إِنَّ فَخْراً نَحَلْتُمُو
نِي لأَغْلَى فِي الْحَسَبْ
To poetry and literature?
لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي وَمَنْ أَنَا
هُوَ لِلشِّعرِ وَالأَدَبْ
