أكرموا مطران أو لا تكرموه

أكرموا مطران أو لا تكرموه

جلّ قدرُ الشعر عن الثناء

جلّ قدرُ الشعر عن الثناء

Honor Mutran, or do not honor him.

Honor the bishop or do not honor him

Poetry's worth is too exalted for praise.

The value of poetry is far above praise

للفتى يبقى من المجد أخوه

للفتى يبقى من المجد أخوه

وهو ما أصدر من وحي الذكاء

وهو ما أصدر من وحي الذكاء

For a man, glory's brother lives on—

For the young man, his brother remains of glory

And that is what he brought forth from the inspiration of genius.

That which he produced from the inspiration of intelligence

شاعرٌ خلّد مجد العرب

شاعرٌ خلّد مجد العرب

بسطور كشذور الذهب

بسطور كشذور الذهب

A poet who immortalized the Arabs' glory

A poet immortalized the glory of the Arabs

With lines like nuggets of gold;

With lines like sparks of gold

وأديبٌ جاز بحر الأدب

وأديبٌ جاز بحر الأدب

سابحاً فوق متون الشهُب

سابحاً فوق متون الشهُب

And a man of letters who crossed the sea of literature,

And a literary figure traversed the sea of literature

Swimming above the backs of shooting stars.

Swimming above the currents of flame

ما لهُ وده الصافي مثيل

ما لهُ وده الصافي مثيل

من هنا سمّاه أهلوه الخليل

من هنا سمّاه أهلوه الخليل

His pure affection has no equal;

He has no peer in his pure affection

Hence his kin named him Khalil—the intimate friend.

Hence his people called him the Friend

وعظيمٌ كل ما فيه جميل

وعظيمٌ كل ما فيه جميل

كالبيان العذب في المعنى النبيل

كالبيان العذب في المعنى النبيل

And a great man: all in him is beautiful,

And great is all that is beautiful in him

Like sweet eloquence conveying a noble meaning.

Like the sweet rhetoric in the noble meaning