يا بارقَ الشَّامِ حيِّ الأثلَ والبانا

يا بارقَ الشَّامِ حيِّ الأثلَ والبانا

وانقُل حديثَك عن لُبنى ولُبنانا

وانقُل حديثَك عن لُبنى ولُبنانا

O lightning of al-Sham, greet the tamarisk and ben trees,

O lightning of Syria, revive the ruins and the house

and relay your tale of Lubna and Lebanon.

And convey your talk of Lubna and Lubnan

وهاتِ ما حَملت عِطفاكَ مِن خَبرٍ

وهاتِ ما حَملت عِطفاكَ مِن خَبرٍ

فإِنَّ لي بُرِبى جَيرونَ جيرانا

فإِنَّ لي بُرِبى جَيرونَ جيرانا

And bring whatever news your two flanks have borne,

And bring what your shoulders have carried of news

for I have neighbors on the hills of Jayrun.

For I have neighbors in Jurayroun as neighbors

سقت لياليكَ بالأَحبابِ ساريةٌ

سقت لياليكَ بالأَحبابِ ساريةٌ

تُعيدُ ظاميءَ ذاك التُّربِ رَيَّانا

تُعيدُ ظاميءَ ذاك التُّربِ رَيَّانا

May a nocturnal raincloud water your nights among loved ones,

Your nights have irrigated with love copiously

making that thirsty soil drink its fill again.

Returning the thirst of that soil saturated

ولا تعدَّى الرُّبى من قاسيونَ حياً

ولا تعدَّى الرُّبى من قاسيونَ حياً

يُعيدُ فوقَ الصيَّاصي منهُ غُدرانا

يُعيدُ فوقَ الصيَّاصي منهُ غُدرانا

And may rain never miss the hills of Qasioun,

And ruba did not exceed from Ghazioun alive

forming pools of its water again atop the strongholds.

Who returns above As-Siyasi from it aggression

تلك الرُّبوعُ التي لم تألُ مُذ عُمِرت

تلك الرُّبوعُ التي لم تألُ مُذ عُمِرت

في الأرضِ للَّهوِ والأوطارِ أوطانا

في الأرضِ للَّهوِ والأوطارِ أوطانا

Those are the dwelling places that have never failed, since they were inhabited,

Those meadows which have not stopped since they were inhabited

to be homes on earth for pleasure and desire.

On earth for amusement and camps as homelands

جَوٌّ متَى ما جرت خيلُ اللِّحاظِ بهِ

جَوٌّ متَى ما جرت خيلُ اللِّحاظِ بهِ

ألفيتُ فيها لطِرفِ الطَّرفِ مَيدانا

ألفيتُ فيها لطِرفِ الطَّرفِ مَيدانا

An open expanse where, whenever the horses of glances raced,

An air wherein the horses of fancy roamed

I found there a racecourse for the eye's noble steed.

I found in it for the gaze of the eye a playground

ومسرحٍ أيُّ عَينٍ باشرتُهُ رأت

ومسرحٍ أيُّ عَينٍ باشرتُهُ رأت

في ساحَتيهِ مَهاً عيِناً وغِزلانا

في ساحَتيهِ مَهاً عيِناً وغِزلانا

And a pasture where any eye that beheld it saw

And a theater whichever eye experienced it saw

in its two courtyards large-eyed oryx and gazelles,

In its field a water spring and gazelles

من كلُّ أهيفَ مثلِ الرُّمحِ مُعتدِلٍ

من كلُّ أهيفَ مثلِ الرُّمحِ مُعتدِلٍ

سِنانُه ناظرٌ ما زال وَسنانا

سِنانُه ناظرٌ ما زال وَسنانا

each a slender-waisted beauty, straight as a spear,

From every hill like a balanced spear

whose spearhead is an ever-drowsy eye.

Its teeth watching have not yet lost a tooth

يُفرِّغُ القلبُ إِلاَّ من جوَىً وأَسىً

يُفرِّغُ القلبُ إِلاَّ من جوَىً وأَسىً

أَبقَى سُويداهُ من هذينِ مَلآنا

أَبقَى سُويداهُ من هذينِ مَلآنا

It empties the heart of all but burning passion and grief,

The heart empties except from affection and sorrow

leaving its innermost core full of these two,

Which kept its dark complexion from both filled

بكلِّ مُؤنِسةِ منها ومائِسةٍ

بكلِّ مُؤنِسةِ منها ومائِسةٍ

عزَّت فلا شيءَ إِلاَّ بعدَها هانا

عزَّت فلا شيءَ إِلاَّ بعدَها هانا

for every delightful companion among them, every gracefully swaying woman,

With every companion of it and converser

so precious that all else beside her became of little worth.

Who honored so nothing but after it disgraced

كالسَّمهريِّ إذا هزَّت معاطِفَها

كالسَّمهريِّ إذا هزَّت معاطِفَها

قدَّاً وكالصَّارمِ الَمصقولِ أجفانا

قدَّاً وكالصَّارمِ الَمصقولِ أجفانا

Like a Samhari spear when she sways her flanks,

Like the brown snake when it shook its coils

in stature, and like a polished, keen-edged sword in her eyelids.

Biting and like the polished sharp sword eyelids

تفترُّ عن شَنبٍ عذبٍ مُقبَّلُهُ

تفترُّ عن شَنبٍ عذبٍ مُقبَّلُهُ

يُريكَ منظومُهَ دُرَّاً ومُرجانا

يُريكَ منظومُهَ دُرَّاً ومُرجانا

She smiles, revealing cool, fine teeth, sweet to kiss;

It shows from a fresh mustache its kiss

their ordered row shows you pearls and coral.

Shows you its composition pearls and coral

وَيا عَذوليَ فيهِ دع ملامَك لي

وَيا عَذوليَ فيهِ دع ملامَك لي

فما أرى فيه لي نُصحاً ولو كانا

فما أرى فيه لي نُصحاً ولو كانا

And, O my reproacher over this love, spare me your blame,

And O my reproacher in it stop blaming me

for I see no good counsel for me in it, though counsel it may be.

For I don’t see in it for me any advice even if it were two

ما كنتَ تطمعُ في رُشدي ولستَ بِذي

ما كنتَ تطمعُ في رُشدي ولستَ بِذي

هوىً فكَيفَ بِهذا تَظفرُ الآنا

هوىً فكَيفَ بِهذا تَظفرُ الآنا

You had no hope of my good sense, and you are no man of

You were not hoping for my integrity and you are not someone

passion—how, then, can you attain this now?

Of passion so how with this are you seizing now