لو كانَ للدَّارِ نُطقٌ سَبَّحَتْ عَجَبا

أو راحةٌ صَفَّقتْ من بَهجةٍ طَرَبا

If this abode could speak, it would have marveled in wonder,

Or clapped in joyous rapture.

قد زارها اليومَ مَن عزَّت بزَوْرتِهِ

كأنَّه قد طَلَى حِيطانَها ذَهَبا

For it was visited today by one whose presence honored it,

As if its walls were gilded with gold.

كادت منَازِلُها تَلقاهُ راقِصةً

لكنَّها حَفِظَتْ قُدَّامهُ الأدَبا

Its dwellings almost danced to receive him,

Yet kept their dignity before him.

هذا الأمينُ الذي لُبنانُ في يَدِهِ

أمانةُ اللهِ يَرعاها كما وَجبَا

This trustee, in whose hands is Lebanon,

Guarding the trust of God as was His due.

ساسَ البِلادَ بلُطفٍ من خَلائقِهِ

واللُطفُ اقطَعُ من سَيفٍ لمَنْ ضَرَبا

He ruled the countries with gentle disposition,

And gentleness that severs better than a sword whoever it struck.

مُبارَكُ الوَجهِ يأتي الخِصبُ حيثُ أتى

ويَذهَبُ السَّعدُ مَعْهُ حيثُما ذَهبا

Blessed of face, prosperity comes wherever he came,

And good fortune goes with him wherever he went.

يغزو الخُطوبَ برأيٍ غيرِ مُنثلِمٍ

لو كانَ ناراً لكانَتْ عِندَهُ حَطَبا

He invades adversities with unyielding wisdom,

Were it fire, he would have brought timber.

لئن تأخَّرَ في أيَّامِهِ زَمناً

فقد تَقدَّمَ في أجيالهِ رُتَبا

If his days were late in coming,

Yet he was early in the line of precedents.

قَدِ اختباهُ إلى اليومِ الزَّمانُ كما

يَخْبا الحريصُ إلى الشَيخُوخَةِ النُخَبَا

Time had yearned for him until this day,

As the eager ones yearn for the choicest grapes.

أهدَيتُ أبياتَ شِعري مَن بهِ افتَخَرتْ

أبياتُ داري فظَّنتْ نَفْسَها شُهُبا

I offered verses of my poetry, of which I was proud,

My home’s verses deemed themselves flames.

عَلَّقتُها اليومَ في مِحرابِ دَولتِه

فخراً فباهَيْتُ في تَعليِقها العَرَبا

Today I posted them on the altar of his state,

Proudly, and in posting them shone among the Arabs.