يَا ابْنَ لُبْنَانَ عُدْ إِلَى لُبْنَانِ

نَازِلاً مِنْهُ فِي أَعَزِّ مَكَانِ

O son of Lebanon, return to Lebanon

Descending from the most precious place

مِصْرُ تُهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مضنْ هُوَ أَهْدَا

هُ إِلَيْهَا تَهَادِيَ الخُلْصَانِ

Egypt sends gifts to it while it is a gift to her

There is reciprocity between good neighbors

لَيْسَ بِدْعاً وَفِي القُلُوبِ صَفَاءٌ

مَا يُرَى مِنْ تَقَارُضِ الجِيْرَانِ

It is no wonder, with sincerity in hearts

As seen from the give and take between neighbors

سَاءَ هِجْرَانُكَ الرِّفَاقَ وَلَكِنْ

لَيْسَ بَيْنَ القُطْرَيْنِ مِنْ هِجْرَانِ

Your long absence saddened friends but

There is no estrangement between the two countries

وَطَنٌ وَاحِدٌ وَتَجْمَعُهُ الضَّا

دُ لِمَغْزًى فِي لَفْظَةِ الأَوْطَانِ

A single homeland, united by the echo

To defend in the word of homelands

فَتَيَمَّمْ تِلْكَ الرُّبَى وَالقَ مَنْ نَمْ

حَضُهُمْ وُدَّنَا مِنَ الإِخْوَانِ

So visit those edifices and stand where

Those who love us and are intimate with us stood

وَاسْتَزِدْهُمْ مَا تُسْتَزَادُ قُوَاهُمْ

مِنْ تَبَارٍ فِي حُبِّهَا وَتَفَانِ

And ask them for more, for their strength increases

From the competition in loving and sacrificing for her

لا يَكُنْ بَيْنَكُمْ لِخِدْمَتِهَا غَيْ

رُ الوَفِيِّ السَّمَيْذَعِ المِعْوَانِ

Let there be no one but the faithful and devoted servant

Who helps her with the power of evidence

فَزِعَتْ أُمَّةٌ إِلَيْكِ فَنُبَ عَنْ

هَا وَقَرِّبْ لَهَا بَعِيدَ الأَمَانِي

A nation has rushed to you so protect

It and bring closer its far-reaching hopes

وَابْتَغِ الخَيْرَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتَ سَبِيلاً

وَاحْمِ ذَاكَ الحِمَى مِنَ العُدْوَانِ

Seek goodness wherever possible

And guard that sanctuary from aggression

وَتَوَخَّ الرَّأْيَ السَّدِيدَ عَلَى مَا

دُونَ تَسْدِيدِهِ الضْمِيرُ يُعَانِي

Take sound advice over what

The conscience suffers without its guidance

ذَاكَ حَوْضٌ فِدَاهُ كُلُّ نَفِيسٍ

فَافْدِهِ بِالفُؤَادِ قَبْلَ اللِّسَانِ

That is a pool every soul would sacrifice itself for

So sacrifice yourself for it before your tongue

كَافِحِ الخَصْمَ دُونَهُ وَادْرَأِ البَا

طِلَ عَنْهُ بِقُوَّةِ البُرْهَانِ

Defend it against antagonists and counter

False arguments with convincing proofs

رُبَّ قَوْلٍ يُصَاغُ مِنْ ذَوْبِ قَلْبٍ

صَهَرَتْهُ حَرَارَةُ الإِيمانِ

Many words are molded from a melted heart

Melted by the heat of faith

لَسْتُ أُوصِيكَ كيْفَ يُوصَى حَكِيمٌ

وَلَهُ دَانَ ذَانِكَ الأَصْغَرَانِ

I cannot advise you, how can one advise a wise man

When lesser ones have offered counsel

يَا طَبِيبَ الأَبْدَانِ تَهْنِيءُ أَرْ

شَدْتَ أَوْ عِدْتَ صِحَّةُ الأَبْدَانِ

O healer of bodies, glad tidings whether you

Have recovered or promised the health of bodies

يَا خَطِيباً يُقَوِّمُ الدَّهْرَ مْنْآ

داً وَيَثْنِي شَكِيمَةَ الحِدْثَانِ

O orator who makes time upright

And disciplines youthful whims

يَا أَدِيباً إِلَى النُّفُوسِ يُؤَدِّي

بِأَرَقِّ الأَلفَاظِ أَخْفَى المَعَانِي

O author who communicates to souls

The most subtle meanings with elegant diction

يَا صَدِيقاً حِرْمَانُ أَصْحَابِهِ الأُنْ

سَ بِلُقْيَاهِ غَايَةُ الحِرْمَانِ

O friend whose absence friends find unbearable

For meeting him is the epitome of absence

كَانَ لِلنَّأْيِ فِي النُّفُوسِ انْقِبَاضٌ

بَسَطَتْهُ يَدٌ لِهَذَا الزَّمَانِ

Time’s estrangement in souls was undone

By a hand for this time

كُلُّ قَاصٍ دَنَا بِمَا أَبْدَعَ العِ

لْمُ إِلَى أَنْ تَلامَسَ القُطْبَانِ

Every chatterbox gossiped about

What science had created, till East met West

وَاسْتَطَاعَ النَّاؤُونَ بَيْنَهُمَا أَنْ

يَتَلاقَوْا تَلاقِي الأَجْفَانِ

And lovers were able to meet

Like the meeting of eyelids

أُلغِيَ البُعْدُ فِي المَسَافَةِ إِلاَّ

مِنْ جَنَانٍ وَقَدْ نَبَا بِجَنَانِ

Distance in space was removed

Except what remains of Gardens that were promised Gardens

سِرْ تُسَايِركَ لِلْعِنَايَةِ عَيْنٌ

مُلِئَتْ مِنْ رِعَايَةِ وَحَنَانِ

An eye filled with care and tenderness

Accompanied your friendly manner

فَإذَا مَا أَتَيْتَ بَيْرُوتَ وَاسْتَشْ

رَفْتَ آيَاتِ حُسْنِهَا الفَتَّانِ

So when you come to Beirut and wander

Through signs of its spellbinding beauty

فِي جِنَانٍ لَعَلَّهَا الصُّورَةُ الصُّغْ

رَى تَرَاءَتْ لِخَالِدَاتِ الجِنَانِ

In gardens it might resemble—though small—

The eternal gardens that were promised

فَتَفَقَّدَ سَفْحاً فَخُوراً تَوَارَى

تَحْتَ حَانٍ مِنْ سَرْحِهِ شَاعِرَانِ

Then tour a hill where two proud poets

Once rested under the shade of channeled water

لاحِقٌ بَعْدَ سَابِقٍ وَهُمَا فِي السِّ

نِّ تِرْبَانِ وَالحِجَى نِدَّانِ

One followed the other though both were

Peers in age yet poles apart in type

كَابَدَا فِي الحَيَاةِ مَا كَابَدَِاهُ

وَاسْتَقَرَّا يُدْنِيهِمَا الرَّمْسَانِ

They endured life’s sufferings

And settled in as they greyed with age

حَيِّ إِليَاسَ حَيِّ طَنْيُوسَ حَيْثُ ال

أَلمِعيَّانِ فِي الثَّرَى جَارَانِ

Salute Elias, salute Tanios where the two

Luminaries lie buried side by side like neighbors

وَابْتَعِثْ خَافِقَيْهِمَا مِنْ سُكُونٍ

بَعْدَ صَوتٍ دَوَّى بِهِ الخَافِقَانِ

Revive their hearts that have stilled

After voices echoed from their hearts

ثُمَّ رَوِّحْهُمَا بِنَافِحَةٍ مِنْ

رَوْضِ مِصْرَ زَكِيَّةِ الأَرْدَانِ

Then air out their tombs with a fragrant breeze

From Egypt's flowering meadow

قُلْ وَحَقِّ الوَفَاءِ لَسْنَا بِسَالِ

يْنَ وَمَا وَحْشَةٌ سِوَى السُّلْوَانِ

Say: By the right of loyalty we are not forgotten

For only beasts suffer estrangement

فَاسْمَعَا مِنْ حَدِيثِنَا عَنْ

كُمَا رَجْعاً بِهِ فِي نوَاكُمَا تَأْنَسَانِ

So listen to our talk which may console you

And relieve the anxiety of your exile

شَدَّ مَا نَحْنُ وَاجِدُونَ مِنَ التَّبْ

رِيحِ هَلْ مِثْلَ وَجْدِنَا تَجِدَانِ

Our deepest consolation is, do you

Feel what we feel, you who understand?

أَبِقَلْبَيْكُمَا مِنَ الشَّوْقِ بَاقٍ

فَاشْفِيَاهُ بِدَمْعِنَا الهَتَّانِ

In your hearts is love still smoldering?

Then heal it with our burning tears

يَا نِقُولا عِشْ لِلْفَصَاحَةِ وَالشِّعْ

رِ وَلِلْعِلْمِ وَالحِجَى وَالبَيَانِ

O Nicolas, live for eloquence, poetry and knowledge with convincing rhetoric

May we never be deprived of your guiding light and melodious voice

لا حُرِمْنَا أَنْوَارَ مِرْقَمِكَ الهَا

دِي وَأَنْغَامَ صَوْتِكَ الرَّنَّانِ