إذا ما رمت من مهديك أهلا

إذا ما رمت من مهديك أهلا

لقد أنفدت لؤلؤ كل بحر

لقد أنفدت لؤلؤ كل بحر

If you seek a worthy one among your gift-givers,

When you set forth from your cradle folk,

you have indeed exhausted every sea's pearls.

You had exhausted all the pearls in every sea.

أتت تختال في حبر وحبر

أتت تختال في حبر وحبر

على العشاق لا كبر وكبر

على العشاق لا كبر وكبر

She came swaying proudly in fine robes and ink,

You came waltzing in a sea and a sea

before lovers, with neither arrogance nor old age.

Of passion where for lovers there was no shame or shame.

منعمة الشبيبة لم يرعها

منعمة الشبيبة لم يرعها

مشيب في العذار أقام عذري

مشيب في العذار أقام عذري

Delicate in youth, she was not frightened

The charms of youth had not sought you

by gray in my sideburns, which gave me my excuse.

When grey hair in rejection stayed my excuse.

سعت نحوي على سحر تريني

سعت نحوي على سحر تريني

بدائع حسنها نفثات سحر

بدائع حسنها نفثات سحر

She hastened toward me at dawn, showing me

You stretched out to me with the sorcery you show me,

the marvels of her beauty—breaths of magic—

With the wonders of your beauty and breaths of magic,

إلى أن صيرتني في هواها

إلى أن صيرتني في هواها

أسير القلب مبتهجاً بأسري

أسير القلب مبتهجاً بأسري

until, through love of her, she made me

Until you made me in my love for you

a captive at heart, delighted with my captivity.

A prisoner of the heart, joyous in my captivity.

سرت لي من رُبى بيروت تهدى

سرت لي من رُبى بيروت تهدى

شذي لبنان معلنة بسر

شذي لبنان معلنة بسر

She traveled by night to me from Beirut's hills, offering

You came to me from the maidens of Beirut, whither you repair,

Lebanon's fragrance, revealing a secret.

With choice Lebanese, announcing secretly.

تخبرني وقد ألفت خبيراً

تخبرني وقد ألفت خبيراً

قريب العهد من خَبَر وخُبر

قريب العهد من خَبَر وخُبر

She told me, having found me well informed,

You tell me, for you have known me an expert,

freshly acquainted with news and experience,

Recently come to knowledge, and knowing.

بأن ذوي هواي بها على ما

بأن ذوي هواي بها على ما

عهدت مبرة وكمال بر

عهدت مبرة وكمال بر

that those I love there remained as

That those who love me in it are, as

I knew them, in benevolence and perfect goodness.

I knew, sincere and perfect of fidelity.

ألا حيا رُبى بيروت عني

ألا حيا رُبى بيروت عني

ولبنان الحيا منهلّ قطر

ولبنان الحيا منهلّ قطر

Ah, may Beirut's hills be greeted on my behalf,

Hail, maidens of Beirut, of me

and Lebanon, by rain whose drops stream down,

And Lebanon, whose life is a pouring rainfall.

بدر يملأ الأرجاء دُرا

بدر يملأ الأرجاء دُرا

ويمزج ترب أرضيها بتبر

ويمزج ترب أرضيها بتبر

with a downpour filling the reaches with pearls

Full moon filling the expanse with pearls

and mingling the soil of its lands with gold dust.

And mingling its dust with musk.

وحيا من بها ربي وحيا

وحيا من بها ربي وحيا

زماناً مرّ فيها غير مرّ

زماناً مرّ فيها غير مرّ

And may my Lord greet those there, and greet

And hail whoever in it grew up, and hail

a time that passed there without bitterness.

A time that passed in it, not passing.

وحيا حيّ وافدة أتتني

وحيا حيّ وافدة أتتني

برياها تضوع بنفح عطر

برياها تضوع بنفح عطر

And greet the clan of the visitor who came to me,

And hail, hail, newcomer who came to me

with her fragrance, wafting a breath of perfume,

With her splendor smelling of sweet perfume.

وسرّت بالتحية من سريّ

وسرّت بالتحية من سريّ

حرىّ بالوداد عليّ قدر

حرىّ بالوداد عليّ قدر

and gladdened me with a greeting from a noble man,

And greeted me from her intimacy

worthy of affection, exalted in rank:

Worthy of affection for me is her measure.

سليل كرامة وربيب عز

سليل كرامة وربيب عز

ونسل صيانة ورضيع طهر

ونسل صيانة ورضيع طهر

a scion of nobility and a fosterling of honor,

Scion of glory and nursling of might,

and offspring of chastity, suckled on purity,

And offspring of loyalty and suckling of purity,

وفرع نجابة من عود مجد

وفرع نجابة من عود مجد

أثيل الأصل من أثلات فخر

أثيل الأصل من أثلات فخر

and a branch of distinction from a trunk of glory,

And branch of excellence from a stock of glory,

noble in root, from the tamarisks of pride;

Of noble stock, of outstanding nobility.

كميّ من سلالة أرسلان

كميّ من سلالة أرسلان

ذؤابة قومه الأسد الهزبر

ذؤابة قومه الأسد الهزبر

an armored warrior of Arslan's lineage,

How excellent of the line of Arslan

the crest of his people, the mighty lion;

The ferocious lion of his folk.

فتى خطب العلى وصبا إليها

فتى خطب العلى وصبا إليها

فكان لها صباه خير مهر

فكان لها صباه خير مهر

a youth who courted eminence and yearned for her,

A youth who sought the highest and turned to it,

so his youth was her finest bridal gift.

So for him his youth was the best dowry.

ومن خطب الحسان فلا شفيع

ومن خطب الحسان فلا شفيع

لهن سوى الصبا مقبول أمر

لهن سوى الصبا مقبول أمر

And whoever woos beautiful women has no intercessor

And who sought beauty so no intercessor

whose plea they accept save youth.

For them but youth whose case is accepted.

تعلق قلبه من عهد مهد

تعلق قلبه من عهد مهد

بكسب المجد مجتنباً لخسر

بكسب المجد مجتنباً لخسر

From his cradle days his heart was set

His heart clung from the days of the cradle

on winning glory, shunning loss.

To gaining glory, shunning losing,

وأولع بالمعالي والمعاني

وأولع بالمعالي والمعاني

ونظم الشعر لا لِطلاب وفر

ونظم الشعر لا لِطلاب وفر

He was enamored of high aims and meanings,

And was enamored of the noble deeds and meanings

and of composing verse, not in pursuit of wealth,

And versifying - not for gain or excess,

ولا لصبابة في ورد خد

ولا لصبابة في ورد خد

ولا لصُبابة من خمر ثغر

ولا لصُبابة من خمر ثغر

nor from longing for the rose of a cheek,

Nor for youths in the cheek of youth

nor for a last drop of the wine of a mouth,

Nor for youths from the wine of a mouth.

ولكن لاقتناص شرود معنى

ولكن لاقتناص شرود معنى

يعنّ وحكمة تبدو وسر

يعنّ وحكمة تبدو وسر

but to capture a fugitive meaning

But to catch the fleeting idea

that comes to mind, and wisdom emerging, and a secret.

That gives meaning and appears as mystery.

وان يلعب فما لعب بعيب

وان يلعب فما لعب بعيب

لعهد صبا وشرخ شباب عمر

لعهد صبا وشرخ شباب عمر

And if he plays, play is no fault

And if he played it was not with disgrace,

in childhood's days and life's youthful prime.

For wont of youth and prime of life.

ولكن تأنف الهمم العوالي

ولكن تأنف الهمم العوالي

على رغم الصبا سفساف أمر

على رغم الصبا سفساف أمر

Yet lofty aspirations disdain,

But lofty ambitions scorn

despite youth, anything base;

Despite youth the meanness of affair.

تحرّم قرب أمر فيه إمر

تحرّم قرب أمر فيه إمر

وتوجب هجر كل مقال هُجر

وتوجب هجر كل مقال هُجر

they forbid approaching a matter containing grave wrongdoing,

It prohibited the approach of a commanded matter in which is commanding,

and require shunning every obscene utterance.

And made incumbent shunning all prohibited speech.