يا طيِّبَ الإسمِ والأفعالِ والشَّيَمِ

يا طيِّبَ الإسمِ والأفعالِ والشَّيَمِ

والأصلِ والذِّكرِ والأخلاقِ والذِّمَمِ

والأصلِ والذِّكرِ والأخلاقِ والذِّمَمِ

O you, noble in name, deeds, and character,

O you of good name, deeds, traits

in lineage, renown, morals, and pledges!

And origin and fame and morals and honors

لأنتَ في سَقَمٍ والناسُ في أَلمٍ

لأنتَ في سَقَمٍ والناسُ في أَلمٍ

كأنَّما هىَ رِجلُ الناسِ كلِّهِمِ

كأنَّما هىَ رِجلُ الناسِ كلِّهِمِ

You indeed are ill, and the people are in pain,

You are ill and people are in pain

as though it were the foot of all the people.

As if it is the foot of all people combined

والقومُ ما بين مسؤولٍ وسائِلِهِ

والقومُ ما بين مسؤولٍ وسائِلِهِ

والطَّرفُ في بلَلٍ والقلبُ في ضَرمِ

والطَّرفُ في بلَلٍ والقلبُ في ضَرمِ

The people are divided between those questioned and those asking them,

And the people are between the questioned and his questioner

and the eye is wet, and the heart ablaze.

And the eye is in tears and the heart is in agony

لا غَيَّرَ البدرَ كفٌّ للسِّرارِ ولا

لا غَيَّرَ البدرَ كفٌّ للسِّرارِ ولا

نُكِّسَت لِلعلمِ والآدابِ من عَلَمِ

نُكِّسَت لِلعلمِ والآدابِ من عَلَمِ

May no hand of the moon’s dark phase mar the full moon, nor

The full moon was not changed by a palm for the happy one, nor

any banner of learning and letters be lowered.

Were the flags reversed for science and morals

ولا تَرَوَّعَ سِربُ المًَكرُماتِ ولا

ولا تَرَوَّعَ سِربُ المًَكرُماتِ ولا

تلكَ الدماثةُ مَسَّتها يدُ السَّقَمِ

تلكَ الدماثةُ مَسَّتها يدُ السَّقَمِ

Nor may the flock of noble deeds be frightened, nor

Neither did the flock of generous ones get terrified, nor

that gentleness be touched by the hand of sickness.

Did that sickness touch them by the hand of illness

وشوفِيَت أَلسُنُ الأقلامِ مِن خَرَسٍ

وشوفِيَت أَلسُنُ الأقلامِ مِن خَرَسٍ

فالقولُ ماب ينَ منثورٍ ومُنتَظِمِ

فالقولُ ماب ينَ منثورٍ ومُنتَظِمِ

And the tongues of pens have been cured of muteness,

And the tongues of pens became mute from silence

so speech ranges between prose and measured verse.

So words stopped between scattered and organized

ذاكَ نتيجةُ أخلاقٍ لكم حَسُنَت

ذاكَ نتيجةُ أخلاقٍ لكم حَسُنَت

وفاوحت أرَجَ الأزهارِ في الأَكَمِ

وفاوحت أرَجَ الأزهارِ في الأَكَمِ

That is the fruit of your noble character,

That is the result of morals you made good

which rivalled the flowers’ fragrance on the hillocks.

And the scent of flowers emanated in bouquets

لم أنسَ إذ قال لي يوما خَليفَتُكُم

لم أنسَ إذ قال لي يوما خَليفَتُكُم

هاتِ اسقِنيها إلى أن لا يُطيقَ فَمي

هاتِ اسقِنيها إلى أن لا يُطيقَ فَمي

I have not forgotten when your deputy said to me one day:

I do not forget when your successor said to me one day

“Bring it! Give it to me to drink until my mouth can take no more.”

Give it to me, let me drink it until my mouth can no longer

فقلتُ ماذا جرى فقال مُبتَهِجاً

فقلتُ ماذا جرى فقال مُبتَهِجاً

تَخَفَّفت عن حَبيبي وطأَةُ الأَلمِ

تَخَفَّفت عن حَبيبي وطأَةُ الأَلمِ

So I asked, “What has happened?” He replied joyfully:

So I said what happened, he said happily

“The burden of pain has eased for my beloved.”

The burden of pain was relieved from my beloved

بِتنا نُعاقرُها حتى افتَرَقنا وما

بِتنا نُعاقرُها حتى افتَرَقنا وما

عُدنا نُفَرِّقُ بين الرَّأسِ والقَدَمِ

عُدنا نُفَرِّقُ بين الرَّأسِ والقَدَمِ

We spent the night drinking it until we parted, and no longer

We kept drinking it until we parted and we did not

did we distinguish head from foot.

Distinguish between head and foot

لَبَّى بها قَلَمي داعي مديحِكُمُ

لَبَّى بها قَلَمي داعي مديحِكُمُ

وقَلَّما بالثَّناءِ قد جَرى قَلمي

وقَلَّما بالثَّناءِ قد جَرى قَلمي

With it, my pen answered the summons to praise you,

My pen answered the call to praise you

and seldom has my pen flowed with praise.

And rarely did my pen flow with praise

وفي شفاكَ شفاءُ الرأيِ من خَطَلٍ

وفي شفاكَ شفاءُ الرأيِ من خَطَلٍ

وفي شِفاكَ شفَاءُ العدلِ والهِمَمِ

وفي شِفاكَ شفَاءُ العدلِ والهِمَمِ

And in your recovery lies judgment’s cure from folly,

In your lips is the healing of opinion from error

and in your recovery lies the healing of justice and aspirations.

In your lips is the healing of justice and resolve

وضمَّ بُعدُكَ والأحكامُ تُخبِرُنا

وضمَّ بُعدُكَ والأحكامُ تُخبِرُنا

خوفَ البَريءِ إلى رجاءِ مُجتَرِمِ

خوفَ البَريءِ إلى رجاءِ مُجتَرِمِ

And your absence joined—as the judgments tell us—

And your absence tells us, and the rulings inform us

the innocent’s fear to the criminal’s hope.

The fear of the innocent to the hope of the offender

أو قدَمٍ لم تزل لِلمَجدِ ساعيةً

أو قدَمٍ لم تزل لِلمَجدِ ساعيةً

هيهاتَ يُغبَنُ فيها المَجدُ مِن قَدَمِ

هيهاتَ يُغبَنُ فيها المَجدُ مِن قَدَمِ

Or a foot that has never ceased striving for glory—

Or a foot that has not ceased to strive for glory

far be it that glory should be cheated of such a foot!

Alas, glory is never absent from a foot

فالحمدُلِلَّهِ قد حلَّ الشِّفاءُ وفي

فالحمدُلِلَّهِ قد حلَّ الشِّفاءُ وفي

ذاكَ الشِّفاءِ شفاءُ المَجدِ والكَرَمِ

ذاكَ الشِّفاءِ شفاءُ المَجدِ والكَرَمِ

So praise be to God: healing has come, and in

So praise be to God, recovery has come and in

that healing lies the healing of glory and generosity.

That recovery is the recovery of glory and nobility

فلا ترى أمسِ وجهاً غيرَ مُكتَئِبٍ

فلا ترى أمسِ وجهاً غيرَ مُكتَئِبٍ

ولا تَرى اليومَ وجهاً غيرَ مُبتَسمِ

ولا تَرى اليومَ وجهاً غيرَ مُبتَسمِ

Thus yesterday you saw no face but a sorrowful one,

You no longer see a face other than delighted

and today you see no face but a smiling one.

Nor do you see today a face other than smiling