قُل لذي العلم إذا رام العُلى

قُل لذي العلم إذا رام العُلى

إن مجد العلم في أن تعملا

إن مجد العلم في أن تعملا

Say to the learned one when he aspires to the heights:

Tell the man of learning, if he seeks the heights:

The glory of learning lies in putting it into practice.

Indeed, the glory of learning lies in action.

ليس رب العلم من قال أنا

ليس رب العلم من قال أنا

إن رب العلم من قد فعلا

إن رب العلم من قد فعلا

The master of knowledge is not one who says, “I am.”

The master of learning is not the one who says, 'I';

The master of knowledge is one who has acted.

Indeed, its master is the one who has acted.

إن طلبت المثل الأعلى له

إن طلبت المثل الأعلى له

تلقَ في بولس ذاك المثلا

تلقَ في بولس ذاك المثلا

If you seek its highest exemplar,

If you seek its supreme exemplar,

you will find that very exemplar in Paul:

You will find that exemplar in Boulos.

عالمٌ آلى على همته

عالمٌ آلى على همته

أن تطيق العبء مهما ثقلا

أن تطيق العبء مهما ثقلا

a scholar who swore by his own resolve

A scholar who bound his resolve by oath

that it would bear the burden, however heavy;

To bear the burden, however heavy it grew.

وانبرى في جهده منطلقاً

وانبرى في جهده منطلقاً

ينكر الراحة يقصي الملا

ينكر الراحة يقصي الملا

who set himself to his labors and forged ahead,

And he plunged into his labor, pressing onward;

spurning rest and banishing weariness;

He rejects rest and keeps the multitude away.

يرسل النور لنا من ذهنه

يرسل النور لنا من ذهنه

حبذا النور الذي منه انجلى

حبذا النور الذي منه انجلى

sending us light from his mind—

He sends us light from his mind;

blessed is the light that shone forth from it!

How splendid the light that shone forth from him!

هو نور الحقِّ في تاريخنا

هو نور الحقِّ في تاريخنا

وهو نور العدل في شرع العلى

وهو نور العدل في شرع العلى

It is the light of truth in our history,

It is the light of truth in our history,

and the light of justice in the law of the Most High.

And the light of justice in the law of the heights.

لا تقولوا مات سمعانينا

لا تقولوا مات سمعانينا

إننا نبصر ذاك الرجلا

إننا نبصر ذاك الرجلا

Do not say, “Our Assemani is dead.”

Do not say, 'Our Sam‘ani has died.'

We behold that man;

Indeed, we behold that man.

إننا نبصره في بولسٍ

إننا نبصره في بولسٍ

ماثلاً يدهش أحلام الملا

ماثلاً يدهش أحلام الملا

we behold him in Paul,

Indeed, we behold him in Boulos,

present before us, astounding the minds of all,

Manifest, astounding the minds of the multitude,

بتصانيفٍ على آياتها

بتصانيفٍ على آياتها

نزل الروح المنيرُ الرُسلا

نزل الروح المنيرُ الرُسلا

with writings at whose wondrous signs

With writings upon whose verses

the radiant Spirit descended upon the apostles—

The Spirit who enlightens the apostles descended.

راسخاتٌ كلما ناطحها

راسخاتٌ كلما ناطحها

عاصف ناطح منها جبلا

عاصف ناطح منها جبلا

so deeply rooted that whenever a raging gale assails them,

Firmly rooted—whenever they are assailed,

it finds itself butting against a mountain.

The storm butts against a mountain among them.

هي في لبنان مجدٌ خالدٌ

هي في لبنان مجدٌ خالدٌ

يلتوي عن وجهه عادي البلا

يلتوي عن وجهه عادي البلا

In Lebanon they are immortal glory,

In Lebanon, they are an everlasting glory;

before whose face the onslaught of calamity turns aside.

The onslaught of calamity turns away from its face.

عز مارونُ ببانيها فقد

عز مارونُ ببانيها فقد

جدد البالي واحيى الأملا

جدد البالي واحيى الأملا

Through their builder, Maron has risen in glory—for

Maron gained honor through their builder, for

he renewed what was worn and revived hope.

He renewed what was worn out and revived hope.

وجفا الدنيا ولم يسلك إلى

وجفا الدنيا ولم يسلك إلى

غير وجه اللَه منها سبلا

غير وجه اللَه منها سبلا

He shunned the world, never making his way toward

And he shunned the world, never journeying toward

anything but the face of God along any of its paths.

Anything but the face of God along its paths.

وتراه اسداً في علمه

وتراه اسداً في علمه

وتراه في تقاه حملا

وتراه في تقاه حملا

You see him as a lion in his learning,

And you see him a lion in his learning,

and in his piety you see him as a lamb;

And you see him a lamb in his piety.

وتراه للمداجي علقماً

وتراه للمداجي علقماً

وتراه للمصافي عسلا

وتراه للمصافي عسلا

you see him as bitter colocynth to the dissembler,

And you see him as bitter colocynth to the dissembler,

and honey to the true-hearted friend.

And you see him as honey to the sincere friend.

ربّ فردٍ كان في أفعاله

ربّ فردٍ كان في أفعاله

كابن عبودِ يُضاهي جحفلا

كابن عبودِ يُضاهي جحفلا

Many a solitary man, in his deeds,

Many a lone man has been, in his deeds,

like Ibn ʿAbbūd, equals a whole assembly.

Like Ibn Abboud, the equal of a mighty army.