وطنَ النجومِ: أنا هُنا

وطنَ النجومِ: أنا هُنا

حدّقْ، أتذكرُ مَن أنا؟

حدّقْ، أتذكرُ مَن أنا؟

Homeland of the stars: I am here.

Homeland of stars: I am here

Land of the stars: I am here,

Look closely—do you remember who I am?

Look, do you remember who I am?

Gaze closely; do you remember who I am?

أَلَمَحتَ في الماضي البعيدِ

أَلَمَحتَ في الماضي البعيدِ

فتىً غريرًا أرعنا؟

فتىً غريرًا أرعنا؟

Did you glimpse, in the distant past,

You glimpsed in the distant past

Did you glimpse, in the distant past,

a naive, reckless youth?

A merry, impetuous lad?

A naive and reckless boy?

جذلانَ يَمرحُ في حقولِكَ

جذلانَ يَمرحُ في حقولِكَ

كالنسيمِ مُدندنا

كالنسيمِ مُدندنا

Joyful, frolicking in your fields,

Jadlan playing in your fields

Joyful, frolicking within your fields,

humming like the breeze;

Like a murmuring breeze

Humming like the breeze,

المُقتَني المملوكُ ملعبُه

المُقتَني المملوكُ ملعبُه

وغيرُ المقتَنَى!

وغيرُ المقتَنَى!

Acquired, owned land was his playground,

Owned yet owning his playground

Making the owned property his playground,

and unowned land as well!

And unlike the unpossessed!

And the unowned land as well!

يتسلّقُ الأشجارَ لا ضَجَرا

يتسلّقُ الأشجارَ لا ضَجَرا

يُحسُّ ولا وَنَى

يُحسُّ ولا وَنَى

He climbs the trees; neither boredom

Climbing trees not out of boredom

Climbing the trees, feeling no boredom,

nor weariness does he feel.

Feeling, lacking no joy

Feeling neither fatigue nor weakness,

ويعودُ بالأغصانِ يَبريها

ويعودُ بالأغصانِ يَبريها

سيوفًا أو قَنا

سيوفًا أو قَنا

And returns with branches, whittling them

And returning with branches to make

Returning with branches, whittling them

into swords or spears.

Swords or spears for fun

Into swords or spears,

ويَخوضُ في وحلِ الشّتا

ويَخوضُ في وحلِ الشّتا

مُتهلّلا مُتيمّنا

مُتهلّلا مُتيمّنا

And wades through winter's mud,

And wading in winter mud

Wading through the mud of winter,

beaming, expecting good fortune.

Joyous, auspicious

Rejoicing, taking it as a good omen,

لا يتّقي شرَّ العيونِ

لا يتّقي شرَّ العيونِ

ولا يخافُ الألسنا

ولا يخافُ الألسنا

He does not guard against the malice of eyes,

Fearing not the evil of eyes

Heeding not the evil of watching eyes,

nor does he fear tongues.

Nor dreading gossip

Nor fearing the wagging tongues,

ولَكَمْ تَشيطنَ كي يَقولَ

ولَكَمْ تَشيطنَ كي يَقولَ

الناسُ عنه "تشيطنا"

الناسُ عنه "تشيطنا"

And how often he made mischief, so that

And how often you wished he’d say

And how often he played the devil just so

people would say of him, "He's made mischief!"

“He’s naughty,” people would tell

People would say of him: "He has turned into a devil."

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أنا ذلكَ الولدُ الذي

أنا ذلكَ الولدُ الذي

دُنياه كانت ههنا!

دُنياه كانت ههنا!

I am that boy whose

I’m that boy whose

I am that very boy whose

world was here!

World was here!

Whole world was right here!

أنا مَن مياهِكَ قطرةٌ

أنا مَن مياهِكَ قطرةٌ

فاضتْ جداولَ مِن سَنا

فاضتْ جداولَ مِن سَنا

I am a drop of your waters,

I’m a raindrop of your waters

I am a drop of your waters

that overflowed into streams of radiance.

That overflowed brooks from the springhead

That overflowed as streams of radiance,

أنا مِن ترابِكَ ذرّةٌ

أنا مِن ترابِكَ ذرّةٌ

ماجَتْ مواكبَ مِن مُنَى

ماجَتْ مواكبَ مِن مُنَى

I am a speck of your soil,

I’m a speck of your soil

I am a speck of your soil

that surged in processions of hopes.

That stirred processions from Mina

That surged as processions of hopes,

أنا مِن طيورِكَ بلبلٌ

أنا مِن طيورِكَ بلبلٌ

غنّى بمجدِكَ فاغتنى

غنّى بمجدِكَ فاغتنى

I am a bulbul among your birds,

I’m a nightingale of your birds

I am a nightingale among your birds

that sang of your glory and so grew rich.

That sang your glory and thrived

Who sang of your glory and thus grew rich,

حَمَلَ الطّلاقةَ والبشاشةَ

حَمَلَ الطّلاقةَ والبشاشةَ

مِن ربوعِكَ للدُّنى

مِن ربوعِكَ للدُّنى

It carried openness and cheerfulness

Imbibing from your valleys

He carried eloquence and cheer

from your lands to the worlds.

Vivacity and cheer for life

From your dwellings to the entire world.

كم عانقَتْ رُوحي رُباكَ

كم عانقَتْ رُوحي رُباكَ

وصفّقتْ في المُنحنى؟

وصفّقتْ في المُنحنى؟

How often my soul embraced your hills

How often my soul embraced your hills

How often my soul embraced your hills

and applauded in the hollow?

And clapped in the valley?

And clapped within the winding slopes?

للأَرْزِ يَهزأُ بالرياحِ

للأَرْزِ يَهزأُ بالرياحِ

وبالدهورِ وبالفَنا

وبالدهورِ وبالفَنا

For the cedars, mocking the winds,

To the cedar mocking the winds

For the Cedars that mock the winds,

and the ages, and annihilation;

And time and demise

And the ages, and annihilation,

للبحرِ يَنشرُهُ بُنوكَ

للبحرِ يَنشرُهُ بُنوكَ

حضارةٍ وتمدّنا

حضارةٍ وتمدّنا

for the sea your sons unfurl

To the sea where your children spread

For the sea, which your sons spread abroad

as civilization and refinement;

Civilization and urbanity

As civilization and urbanity,

لليلِ فيكَ مُصلّيا،

لليلِ فيكَ مُصلّيا،

للصبحِ فيكَ مُؤذِّنا

للصبحِ فيكَ مُؤذِّنا

for the night in you, praying;

To the night praying in you

For the night within you, praying,

for the morning in you, calling to prayer;

To the dawn making call to prayer in you

For the morning within you, calling to prayer,

للشمسِ تُبطئُ في وداعِ

للشمسِ تُبطئُ في وداعِ

ذُراكَ كيلا تَحزنا

ذُراكَ كيلا تَحزنا

for the sun, lingering in its farewell to

To the sun slowing in farewell

For the sun, lingering in its farewell

your peaks, lest you grieve;

Of your lands, lest it sadden them

To your peaks, so they do not grieve,

للبدرِ في نَيسانَ كحّلَ

للبدرِ في نَيسانَ كحّلَ

بالضّياءِ الأعينا

بالضّياءِ الأعينا

for the full moon in April, which lined

To the moon in April whose kohl

For the full moon in April that lined

the eyes with light;

Adorned the eyes with radiance

The eyes with light like kohl,

فيذوبُ في حَدَقِ المَهَا

فيذوبُ في حَدَقِ المَهَا

سِحرًا لطيفًا ليّنا

سِحرًا لطيفًا ليّنا

and so melts in the oryxes' pupils

Melting into the gaze of the bubbly wine

Melting into the pupils of the oryx

into delicate, tender enchantment;

A subtle, tender sorcery

As a gentle, soft magic,

للحقلِ يرتجلُ الرّوائعَ

للحقلِ يرتجلُ الرّوائعَ

زَنبقا أو سوسنا

زَنبقا أو سوسنا

for the field, improvising masterpieces—

To the field where your poetry sprung

For the field improvising masterpieces,

lilies or irises;

Anemones or lilies

Of lilies or irises,

للعشبِ أثقلَه النّدى ،

للعشبِ أثقلَه النّدى ،

للغُصنِ أثقلَه الجَنَى

للغُصنِ أثقلَه الجَنَى

for the grass, weighed down by dew;

To the grass heavy with dew

For the grass weighed down by dew,

for the bough, weighed down by fruit.

To the branch heavy with fruit

For the branch weighed down by fruit,

عاشَ الجمالُ مشرّدًا

عاشَ الجمالُ مشرّدًا

في الأرضِ يَنشُدُ مسكنا

في الأرضِ يَنشُدُ مسكنا

Beauty lived homeless,

Beauty lived homeless

Beauty lived as a homeless wanderer

on earth, seeking a home,

On earth seeking refuge

Upon the earth, seeking a dwelling,

حتّى انكشفتَ له فألقى

حتّى انكشفتَ له فألقى

رحلَه وتوطّنا

رحلَه وتوطّنا

until you revealed yourself to it, and it laid down

Until you were revealed and it cast

Until you were revealed to it, so it cast down

its pack and settled down.

Its load and settled

Its burden and settled in,

واستعرضَ الفنُّ الجبالَ

واستعرضَ الفنُّ الجبالَ

فكنتَ أنتَ الأحسنا

فكنتَ أنتَ الأحسنا

And Art surveyed the mountains,

And art reviewed the mountains

And Art reviewed the mountains,

and you—you were the fairest.

But you were the finest

And you were the most beautiful,

لله سرٌّ فيكَ، يا

لله سرٌّ فيكَ، يا

لِبنانُ،لم يُعلنْ لنا

لِبنانُ،لم يُعلنْ لنا

God has a secret in you, O

God has in you a secret, O

God has a secret in you, O

Lebanon, which has not been revealed to us.

Lebanon, unrevealed to us

Lebanon, that has not been revealed to us.

زعموا سلوتُكَ.. ليتَهم

زعموا سلوتُكَ.. ليتَهم

نسبوا إليّ المُمكنا

نسبوا إليّ المُمكنا

They claimed I had forgotten you—if only they

They claimed your gloom...If only

They claimed I had forgotten you... Would that they had

had ascribed to me something possible!

They ascribed the possible to me

Attributed to me something possible,

فالمرءُ قد ينسى المُسيءَ

فالمرءُ قد ينسى المُسيءَ

المفترَى ، والمُحسنا

المفترَى ، والمُحسنا

For a person may forget the wrongdoer,

For one may forget those who wronged

For a man may forget the offender,

the slandered one, and the benefactor;

And maligned, and who did good

The slanderer, and the benefactor,

واللهوَ، والحسناءَ، والوترَ

واللهوَ، والحسناءَ، والوترَ

المُرنّحَ، والغِنا

المُرنّحَ، والغِنا

and amusement, the beautiful woman, and the string

And play, and beauty, and the poignant melody,

And amusement, and the beauty, and the string

that sets one swaying, and song;

and song

That sways the spirit, and the song,

ومرارةَ الفقرِ المذلِّ،

ومرارةَ الفقرِ المذلِّ،

بل ولذّاتِ الغِنى

بل ولذّاتِ الغِنى

and the bitterness of humiliating poverty,

And the bitterness of humiliating poverty,

And the bitterness of humiliating poverty,

nay, even the pleasures of wealth;

Even the pleasures of wealth

Nay, even the pleasures of wealth,

لكنّه مهما سلا

لكنّه مهما سلا

هيهاتَ يسلو الموطنا

هيهاتَ يسلو الموطنا

but however much he forgets,

But however much one wanders

But no matter how much he forgets,

never can he forget his homeland.

Never will one forget the homeland

Far be it that he forgets the homeland.