مشى مع الدهرِ وأجيالِهِ

مشى مع الدهرِ وأجيالِهِ

يكلأُهُ اللهُ ويرعاهُ

يكلأُهُ اللهُ ويرعاهُ

It walked with time and its generations,

He walked with time and its generations

God guards it and tends it.

May God protect and care for him

وتقرأ الدنيا أساطيرها

وتقرأ الدنيا أساطيرها

مدوّناتٍ في حَناياه

مدوّناتٍ في حَناياه

And the world reads its legends,

And the world reads its legends about him

Recorded in its recesses,

In scripts written in its folds

مسلسلاتٍ قصّةً قصةً

مسلسلاتٍ قصّةً قصةً

كأنّما الأوراقُ أفواهُ

كأنّما الأوراقُ أفواهُ

Linked in sequence, story by story,

Like sequels, story by story

As though the leaves were mouths.

As if the pages were mouths

فَيَّأْ فخرَ الدين يَومَ انتهى

فَيَّأْ فخرَ الدين يَومَ انتهى

منه إليه العزُّ والجاهُ

منه إليه العزُّ والجاهُ

It shaded Fakhr al-Din on the day

So Fakhr al-Din one day when he was done

Glory and high standing passed from it to him.

Glory and grandeur came to him

أعظِمْ بفخرِ الدينِ من سيّدٍ

أعظِمْ بفخرِ الدينِ من سيّدٍ

صاحَبَهُ المجدُ وآخاهُ

صاحَبَهُ المجدُ وآخاهُ

How great a lord was Fakhr al-Din!

Greater than Fakhr al-Din was any prince

Glory accompanied him and took him as a brother.

Glory embraced him and was his brother

أوحى إليه النَّصرُ أياتِهِ

أوحى إليه النَّصرُ أياتِهِ

فصدّقَ الوَحيَ فأملاهُ

فصدّقَ الوَحيَ فأملاهُ

Victory revealed its verses to him,

Victory revealed to him its verses

So he believed the revelation and dictated it.

He believed the revelation and dictated it

أملاه بالسيفِ على جُنده

أملاه بالسيفِ على جُنده

فكانت الرسْلَ سَراياهُ

فكانت الرسْلَ سَراياهُ

He dictated it with the sword to his troops,

Dictated it with the sword to his troops

So his detachments became the messengers.

His messengers were his elite guard

ننافِس الشرقَِ بتأريخه

ننافِس الشرقَِ بتأريخه

ونَجْبَهُ الغربَ بذكراهُ

ونَجْبَهُ الغربَ بذكراهُ

We rival the East with its history,

We compete with the East for its history

And confront the West with its memory.

And match it in the West with his remembrance

حلَفتُ بالأرز وتأريخه

حلَفتُ بالأرز وتأريخه

أقصاهُ في المجد لأقصاهُ

أقصاهُ في المجد لأقصاهُ

I swore by the cedar and its history,

I swear by the cedars and their history

From one end of its glory to the other,

I will recount fully his glory

وبالجبالِ الشُّمّ من حولِهِ

وبالجبالِ الشُّمّ من حولِهِ

تُلامِسُ النجمَ بعَلياهُ

تُلامِسُ النجمَ بعَلياهُ

And by the lofty mountains around it,

And by the Mount Lebanon mountains around him

Touching the stars at its heights,

That touch the stars on their peaks

وبالدمِ المسفوك من أجلِهِ

وبالدمِ المسفوك من أجلِهِ

أطيَبِه أصلاً وأزكاهُ

أطيَبِه أصلاً وأزكاهُ

And by the blood shed for its sake,

And by the blood shed for his sake

The noblest in lineage and the purest:

The finest and purest blood

ما دوّنَ المجدُ لأبنائِه

ما دوّنَ المجدُ لأبنائِه

أكْرمَ مما دَوّنَ ابناه

أكْرمَ مما دَوّنَ ابناه

Glory has recorded nothing for its sons

What glory recorded for his sons

Nobler than what its two sons recorded.

Is nobler than what his own son recorded

قيلَ فِدى لبنانَ قالا أجلْ

قيلَ فِدى لبنانَ قالا أجلْ

بالأنْفَسِ الأغلى فديناهُ

بالأنْفَسِ الأغلى فديناهُ

It was said, 'A sacrifice for Lebanon!' Both said, 'Yes—

It is said he ransomed Lebanon, they said yes

With the most precious, the dearest, we redeemed it.'

With the most precious souls we ransomed it

ماتا كما شاءَ الوفا مِنهُما

ماتا كما شاءَ الوفا مِنهُما

والخالدانِ المجدُ واللهُ

والخالدانِ المجدُ واللهُ

They both died as loyalty asked of them,

They died as loyalty required of them

And the two undying ones are glory and God.

The immortal are glory and God

وقفتُ بالأرزِ وكم موقفٍ

وقفتُ بالأرزِ وكم موقفٍ

برّح بالقلبِ وأشجاهُ

برّح بالقلبِ وأشجاهُ

I stood by the cedar—and how many a scene

I stood by the cedars, how many times

Has tormented the heart and saddened it!

It stirred the heart and saddened it

أقول للأرز وفي ظلّهِ

أقول للأرز وفي ظلّهِ

قبرٌ بأيدينا حفرناهُ

قبرٌ بأيدينا حفرناهُ

I say to the cedar, in whose shade

I say to the cedar in its shade

Lies a grave we dug with our own hands:

A grave our hands dug

يا أرزُ فَيّئْ مجدَنا في الثرى

يا أرزُ فَيّئْ مجدَنا في الثرى

أَلاَ ترى أنَّا دَفَنّاهُ

أَلاَ ترى أنَّا دَفَنّاهُ

'O cedar, shade our glory in the earth;

O cedar shadow our glory in the earth

Do you not see that we have buried it?'

Do you not see we buried it?

يا أيُّها القَبرُ الذي آنَسَا

يا أيُّها القَبرُ الذي آنَسَا

في وحشةِ الظلماءِ مثواهُ

في وحشةِ الظلماءِ مثواهُ

O grave, the two brought comfort

O grave where we found comfort

To your resting place amid the desolation of darkness.

In the gloom of darkness was its dwelling

ضمَ الشبابَ الغضَّ في جوفِهِ

ضمَ الشبابَ الغضَّ في جوفِهِ

فحدَّثتْ بالطيب أرجاهُ

فحدَّثتْ بالطيب أرجاهُ

It embraced tender youth in its depths,

It held the tender youth in its midst

So its recesses spoke of fragrance.

So its scent was perfume

لبنانُ فدّاك بنو خازنٍ

لبنانُ فدّاك بنو خازنٍ

وما لمن فدّاك أشباهُ

وما لمن فدّاك أشباهُ

Lebanon, the sons of Khazin redeemed you,

Lebanon, the Khazens ransomed you

And those who redeemed you have no peers.

And who can match those who ransomed you?

لمّا سألنا المجدَ عن مجدِهِمْ

لمّا سألنا المجدَ عن مجدِهِمْ

حدَّثَنَا الأرزُ وريَّاهُ

حدَّثَنَا الأرزُ وريَّاهُ

When we asked glory about their glory,

When we asked glory about their glory

The cedar and its fragrance told us.

The cedar told us and quenched our thirst