أَلا أَيُّها الضَيفُ الَّذي عابَ سادَتي

أَلا اِسمَع جَوابي لَستُ عَنكَ بِغافِلِ

O you, the guest who has maligned my masters

Listen to my answer, I am not heedless of you

أَلا اِسمَع لِفَخرٍ يَترُكُ القَلبَ مولِهاً

وَيُنشِبُ ناراً في الضُلوعِ الدَواخِلِ

Listen to this boast that leaves the heart inflamed

And kindles a fire in the innermost chests

فَأُحصي مَزايا سادَةٍ بِشَواهِدٍ

قَدِ اِختارَهُم رَحمانُهُم لِلدَلائِلِ

So I will recount the virtues of masters with evidence

Whom their Merciful chose for signs

قَدِ اِختارَهُم عُقماً عَواقِرَ لِلوَرى

وَمِن ثَمَّ وَلّاهُم سَنامَ القَبائِلِ

He chose them barren and childless for the earth

Then made them chiefs of the tribes

مِنَ النارِ وَالقُربانِ وَالمِحَنِ الَّتي

لَها اِستَسلَموا حُبَّ العُلى المُتَكامِلِ

With the fire, offering, and trials they faced

To which they surrendered, loving perfection

فَهَذا خَليلٌ صَيَّرَ الناسَ حَولَهُ

رَياحينَ جَنّاتِ الغُصونِ الذَوابِلِ

So this is the friend who made people around him

Gardens’ breezes with swaying branches

وَهَذا ذَبيحٌ قَد فَداهُ بِكَبشِهِ

بَراهُ بَديهاً لا نِتاجَ الثَياتِلِ

And this is the sacrifice who ransomed with his ram

Showed his readiness, not the yield of studs

وَهَذا رَئيسٌ مُجتَبىً ثَمَّ صَفوُهُ

وَسَمّاهُ إِسرائيلَ بَكرَ الأَوائِلِ

And this is the chosen leader, his elite

Named Israel the first of the early ones

وَمِن نَسلِهِ السامي أَبوالفَضلِ يوسُفُ الـ

ـلَذي أَشبَعَ الأَسباطَ قَمحَ السَنابِلِ

And from his noble lineage, the generous Joseph

Who sated the tribes with the wheat of spikes

وَصارَ بِمِصرٍ بَعدَ فِرعَونَ أَمرُهُ

بِتَعبيرِ أَحلامٍ لِحَلِّ المَشاكِلِ

And whose command in Egypt succeeded Pharaoh’s

By interpreting dreams, solving problems

وَمِن بَعدِ أَحقابٍ نَسوا ما أَتى لَهُم

مِنَ الخَيرِ وَالنَصرِ العَظيمِ الفَواضِلِ

Yet after eras they forgot the abundant good

And great victory that came to them

أَلَسنا بَني مِصرَ المُنَكَّلَةِ الَّتي

لَنا ضُرِبَت مِصرٌ بِعَشرِ مَناكِلِ

Are we not the sons of battered Egypt

To whom ten plagues were brought down

أَلَسنا بَني البَحرِ المُغَرِّقِ وَالَّذي

لَنا غُرِّقَ الفِرعَونُ يَومَ التَحامُلِ

Are we not the sons of the drowning sea

In which Pharaoh on the day of confrontation drowned

وَأَخرَجَهُ الباري إِلى الشَعبِ كَي يَرى

أَعاجيبَهُ مَع جودِهِ المُتَواصِلِ

And the Maker brought him out to the people, to see

His wonders, with His ceaseless bounty

وَكيما يَفوزوا بِالغَنيمَةِ أَهلُها

مِنَ الذَهَبِ الإِبريزِ فَوقَ الحَمائِلِ

So they might win the plunder, its people’s

Of the gleaming gold atop the camels

أَلَسنا بَني القُدسِ الَّذي نُصِبَت لَهُم

غَمامٌ تَقيهِم في جَميعِ المَراحِلِ

Are we not the sons of Jerusalem, for whom

A cloud was set up, protecting in all stages

مِنَ الشَمسِ وَالأَمطارِ كانَت صِيانَةً

تَجيرُ نَواديهِم نُزولَ الغَوائِلِ

From the sun and rain, it was safekeeping

Sheltering their valleys from descending calamities

أَلَسنا بَني السَلوى مَعَ المَنِّ وَالَّذي

لَهُم فَجَّرَ الصَوّانُ عَذبَ المَناهِلِ

Are we not the sons of Sela, and the manna

For them the cliff burst forth with fresh springs

عَلى عَدَدِ الأَسباطِ تَجري عُيونُها

فُراتاً زُلالاً طَعمُهُ غَيرُ حائِلِ

Flowing according to the tribes’ number

As abundant, clear streams of wholesome taste

وَقَد مَكَثوا في البَرِّ عُمراً مُجَدَّداً

يُغَذِّيهِمِ العالي بِخَيرِ المَآكِلِ

And they lived in the wilderness a renewed life

The Sublime feeding them the best foods

فَلَم يَبلَ ثَوبٌ مِن لِباسٍ عَلَيهِمِ

وَلَم يُحوَجوا لِلنَعلِ كُلَّ المَنازِلِ

So no garment of clothes wore out upon them

And they lacked no sandals throughout the journeys

وَأَرسَلَ نوراً كَالعَمودِ أَمامَهُم

يُنيرُ الدُجى كَالصُبحِ غَيرَ مُزايلِ

And He sent light before them like a pillar

Illuminating the gloom like dawn, never shifting

أَلَسنا بَني الطورِ المُقَدَّسِ وَالَّذي

تَدَخدَخَ لِلجَبّارِ يَومَ الزَلازِلِ

Are we not the sons of the sacred Mount

Which quaked for the Giant on the day of tremors

وَمِن هَيبَةِ الرَحمانِ دُكَّ تَذَلُّلاً

فَشَرَّفَهُ الباري عَلى كُلِّ طائِلِ

And from awe of the Merciful it cowered, humbled

So the Maker ennobled it over every lofty thing

وَناجى عَلَيهِ عَبدَهُ وَكَليمَهُ

فَقَدَّسَنا لِلرَبِّ يَومَ التَباهُلِ

And conversed upon it with His servant and spokesman

And sanctified us for the Lord on the day of deliverance

وَفي آخِرِ الأَيّامِ جاءَ مَسيحُنا

فَأَهدى بَني الدُنيا سَلامَ التَكامُلِ

And in latter days came our Messiah

Bestowing completion’s peace upon the earth’s children