إِن ثَنَت عَنكُمُ الخُطوبُ عِناني

فَفُؤادي لَدَيكُمُ وَجَناني

If calamities turn away from you,

My heart and soul are with you,

وَاِشتِياقي لِرَبعِكُم لا بِوَجدي

بِغَوانٍ بِهِ وَلا بِأَغاني

And my longing for your company is not out of desire,

Neither with love songs, nor with melodies.

ما هَوينا مَغنى الدِيارِ وَلَكِن

بِالمَعاني نَهيمُ لا بِالمَغاني

We did not love the dwellings of home, but rather,

With meanings we sigh, not with melodies.

مَن مُعينُ الصُبَّ الكَئيبِ عَلى الشَو

قِ إِذا باتَ لِلهُمومِ يُعاني

Who will aid the grieving lover at nighttime,

When he stays up suffering from worries?

وَمَنِ المُبلِغُ الأَحِبَّةِ أَنّي

طيبُ عَيشي مِن بَعدِهِم ما هَناني

And who will inform my loved ones that

My life after them did not bring me tranquility?

يا نَسيمَ الشِمالِ إِن جُزتَ بِالشَه

باءِ قَبِّل عَنّي ثَرى السُلطانِ

O breeze of the north, if you pass by Damascus,

Kiss for me the soil of the Sultan,

وَأَبلِغِ المَلكَ ناصِرَ الدينِ شَوقي

ثُمَّ قَبِّل ثَراهُ بِالأَجفانِ

And convey my longing to King Nasser al-Din,

Then kiss his tomb with eyelids.

عُمَرَ المالِكَ الَّذي عَمَرَ المَج

دَ وَقَد كانَ دائِرَ البُنيانِ

Long live the king who built grandeur

Though it was prone to destruction.

وَالمَليكُ الَّذي يَرى المَنَّ إِشراَ

كاً بِوَصفِ المُهَيمِنِ المَنّانِ

And the king who sees partnership

As an attribute of the Lord most high.

وَالجَوادُ السَمِحُ الَّذي مَرَجَ ال

بَحرَينِ مِن راحَتَيهِ يَلتَقِيانِ

And the generous, forgiving one who joined

The two seas with his rest; they meet.

مَلِكٌ يَعتِقُ العَبيدَ مِنَ الرِقِّ

وَيَشرِيَ الأَحَرارَ بِالإِحساِن

A king who frees slaves from bondage,

And honors the free with kindness.

بِسَجايا رَضِعنَ دَرَّ المَعالي

وَمَزايا رَضِعنَ دَرَّ المَعاني

With noble traits, he suckled the teat of glory,

And with praiseworthy traits, the teat of meaning.

فَلِباغي عَصاهُ حُمرُ المَنايا

وَلِباغي عَطاهُ بيضُ الأَماني

So for the transgressor, death is red,

While for the obedient, his gift is white wishes.

يَأَخا الجودِ لَيسَ مِثلُكَ مَوجو

داً وَإِن كانَ بادِياً لِلعِيانِ

Oh brother of generosity, none like you exist,

Even if manifest to the eye.

أَنتَ بَينَ الأَنامِ لَفظَةُ إِجما

عٍ عَلَيها اِتِّفاقُ قاصٍ وَدانِ

You are, among people, the epitome of consensus,

Upon which both near and far agree.

ذَلِكَ الرَتبَةُ الَّتي قَصَّرَت دو

نَ عُلاها النِسرانِ وَالفَرقَدانِ

That station which the eagles and phoenixes fell short of reaching,

And the sword which, when unsheathed among the brave,

وَالحُسامُ الَّذي إِذا صَلَّتِ البيضِ

وَصَلَت في البيضِ وَالأَبدانِ

Struck among the white and the bodies.

It stood amidst raging battle, saying: All upon it will perish!

قامَ في حَومَةِ الهِياجِ خَطيباً

قائِلاً كُلُّ مَن عَليها فانِ

And the sheath which, when detached from the head,

Increases eloquence after the tongue is split.

وَاليَراعُ الَّذي يَزيدُ بِقَطعِ الرا

سِ نُطقاً مِن بَعدِ شَقِّ اللِسانِ

Your slippers touched the dust only for it

To be envied by crowns.

لَم تَمَسَّ التُرابَ نَعلاكَ إِلّا

حَسَدَتهُ مَعاقِدُ التيجانِ

A demeanor none but your brother the Sultan attained,

Who gathered goodness and benevolence, since you two were infants nursing milk.

شِيَمٌ لَم تَكُن لِغَيرِكَ إِلّا

لِمَعالي شَقيقِكَ السُلطانِ

And you raced together towards the field of glory,

So you reached it like two racing steeds.

جَمَعَ اللَهُ فيكُما الحُسنَ وَالإِح

سانَ إِذ كُنتُما رَضيعَي لِبانِ

Then you supported him, so you were to him

As Aaron was to the young man of Imran.

وَتَجارَيتُما إِلى حَلبَةِ المَجدِ

فَوافَيتُما كَمُهرَي رِهانِ

Celebrate the blissful feast, even if

From you are congratulations for all feasts.

ثُمَّ عاضَدتَهُ فَكُنتَ لَديهِ

مِثلَ هارونَ في فَتى عِمرانِ

And live your age fasting and breaking fast,

Forever in bliss and safety.

فَتَهَنِّ العيدَ السَعيدَ وَإِن كا

نَ لِكُلِّ الأَعيادِ مِنكَ التَهاني

I have no pride in describing your glories,

They have revealed to us the most wondrous of meanings.

وَاِقضِ عُمرَ الزَمانِ صَوماً وَفِطراً

خالِداً في مَسَرَّةٍ وَأَمانِ

Whenever your traits manifest a meaning,

My thoughts are composed, and the pen writes.

لَيسَ لي في صِفاتِ مَجدِكَ فَخرٌ

هِيَ أَبدَت لَنا بَديعَ المَعاني

Do not call me a poet thanking your generosity,

For I do not have hands to thank it.

كُلَّما أَبدَعَت سَجاياكَ مَعنىً

نَظَمَت فِكرَتي وَخَطَّ بَنانِ

Had I composed the stars into poetry, it would have sufficed

For only some of that kindness.

لا تَسُمني بِالشِعرِ شُكرَ أَيادي

كَ فَما لي بِشُكرِهِنَّ يَدانِ

لَو نَظَمتُ النجومَ شِعراً كَما كا

فيتُ عَنِ بَعضِ ذَلِكَ الإِحسانِ