إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ لا شَيءَ يُطرِبُ روحَهُ

إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ لا شَيءَ يُطرِبُ روحَهُ

وَيَهُزُّها كَالزَهرِ وَالأَلحانِ

وَيَهُزُّها كَالزَهرِ وَالأَلحانِ

I am a man whose soul nothing delights

I am a man whom nothing disturbs his soul

I am a man whose soul is enchanted by nothing,

And stirs like flowers and melodies.

And shakes it like flowers and melodies

And stirred by nothing, quite like flowers and melodies.

اللَحنُ مِن قُمرِيَّةٍ أَو مُنشِدٍ

اللَحنُ مِن قُمرِيَّةٍ أَو مُنشِدٍ

وَالزَهرُ في حَقلٍ وَفي بُستانِ

وَالزَهرُ في حَقلٍ وَفي بُستانِ

The melody from a turtledove or a singer,

The melody from a singer or a musical band

The melody of a turtledove or a singer,

And flowers in a field and in a garden.

And the flower in a field and in an orchard

And flowers in a meadow or a garden.

هَذا يُحَرِّكُ بي دَفينَ صَبابَتي

هَذا يُحَرِّكُ بي دَفينَ صَبابَتي

وَيَهُزُّ ذاكَ مَشاعِري وَكَياني

وَيَهُزُّ ذاكَ مَشاعِري وَكَياني

This awakens within me my buried longing,

This moves something deep inside my youth

The latter awakens my buried yearning,

And that stirs my feelings and my being.

And that shakes my feelings and my being

And the former shakes my feelings and my very being.

يَهوى المَلاحَةَ ناظِري صُوَراً تُرى

يَهوى المَلاحَةَ ناظِري صُوَراً تُرى

وَأُحِبُّها في مَسمَعَيَّ أَغاني

وَأُحِبُّها في مَسمَعَيَّ أَغاني

My eye loves beauty in visible forms,

My eyes like to gaze upon images seen

My gaze adores beauty in visible forms,

And I love it as songs in my ears.

And I love them in my hearing as songs

And I love it within my hearing as songs.

وَأُحِبُّها نوراً جَميلاً صافِياً

وَأُحِبُّها نوراً جَميلاً صافِياً

مُتأَلِّقاً في النَفسِ وَالوِجدانِ

مُتأَلِّقاً في النَفسِ وَالوِجدانِ

And I love it as a beautiful, pure light,

And I love them as a beautiful, clear light

I love it as a beautiful, pure light,

Radiant in the soul and the heart.

Shining in the soul and heart

Radiating within the soul and the conscience.

وَأُحِبُّها سِحراً يَرُفُّ مَعَ النَدى

وَأُحِبُّها سِحراً يَرُفُّ مَعَ النَدى

وَيَموجُ في الأَلوانِ كَالأَلوانِ

وَيَموجُ في الأَلوانِ كَالأَلوانِ

And I love it as enchantment fluttering with the dew,

And I love them like an enchantment that flutters with the dew

I love it as magic fluttering with the dew,

And rippling through colors, like colors.

And undulates in colors like colors

Rippling through colors like the colors themselves.

وَأُحُبُّها ذِكرى تُطيفُ بِخاطِري

وَأُحُبُّها ذِكرى تُطيفُ بِخاطِري

لِأَخٍ هَوَيتُ وَغادَةٍ تَهواني

لِأَخٍ هَوَيتُ وَغادَةٍ تَهواني

And I love it as a memory flitting through my mind,

And I love them as memories that roam my mind

I love it as a memory circling in my mind,

Of a brother I loved and a maiden who loves me.

Of a brother I loved and a beauty that allured me

Of a brother I loved, or a maiden who loves me.

أَو مَجلِسٌ لِلحُبِّ في ظِلِّ الصَبا

أَو مَجلِسٌ لِلحُبِّ في ظِلِّ الصَبا

إِنَّ الحَياةَ جَميعُها هَذانِ

إِنَّ الحَياةَ جَميعُها هَذانِ

Or a gathering for love in the shade of youth—

Or a gathering of love in the shade of youth

Or a gathering for love in the shadow of youth,

Indeed, all of life is these two.

Indeed, all of life is those two things

For truly, all of life is comprised of these two.

أَو في خَيالِ مَنازِلٍ أَشتاقُها

أَو في خَيالِ مَنازِلٍ أَشتاقُها

كَم مِن جَمالٍ في خَيالِ مَكانِ

كَم مِن جَمالٍ في خَيالِ مَكانِ

Or in the image of homes I long for—

Or in imagining homes I long for

Or in the imagined vision of homes I long for—

How much beauty lies in the image of a place!

So much beauty lies in imagining a place

How much beauty lies in the memory of a place!

وَلَقَد نَظَرتُ إُِلَيكُم فَكَأَنَّما

وَلَقَد نَظَرتُ إُِلَيكُم فَكَأَنَّما

أَنا في الرَبيعِ وَفي رُبى لُبنانِ

أَنا في الرَبيعِ وَفي رُبى لُبنانِ

And indeed, I looked at you, and it was as though

And I looked at you as if I were

I have looked upon you all, and it was as if

I were in springtime, among the hills of Lebanon,

In springtime and in the meadows of Lebanon

I were amidst the spring in the hills of Lebanon,

أَصغي إِلى النَسَماتِ تَروي لِلرُبى

أَصغي إِلى النَسَماتِ تَروي لِلرُبى

ما قالَتِ الأَشجارُ لِلغُدرانِ

ما قالَتِ الأَشجارُ لِلغُدرانِ

Listening to the breezes telling the hills

I listen to the breezes telling tales to the meadows

Listening to the breezes recounting to the hills

What the trees said to the pools,

Of what the trees told the eavesdroppers

What the trees whispered to the brooks,

وَإِلى السَواقي وَهيَ تَنشُدُ لِلصِبا

وَإِلى السَواقي وَهيَ تَنشُدُ لِلصِبا

وَالحُبِّ في الفَتَياتِ وَالفِتيانِ

وَالحُبِّ في الفَتَياتِ وَالفِتيانِ

And to the streams as they sing of youth

And the streams singing to youth

And to the rivulets as they chant for youth,

And love among the young women and young men,

And love in the girls and boys

And for the love found in young women and men.

وَإِلى الأَزاهِرِ كُلَّما مَرَّت بِها

وَإِلى الأَزاهِرِ كُلَّما مَرَّت بِها

عَذراءُ ذاتُ مَلاحَةٍ وَبَيانِ

عَذراءُ ذاتُ مَلاحَةٍ وَبَيانِ

And to the blossoms whenever there passes by them

And the flowers whenever a maiden with

And [listening] to the flowers whenever there passes by

A maiden endowed with beauty and eloquence,

Grace and eloquence passed by them

A maiden possessed of beauty and grace,

مُتَهامِساتٍ ما نَظُنُّ فُلانَةً

مُتَهامِساتٍ ما نَظُنُّ فُلانَةً

أَحداً بِها أَولى مِنِ اِبنِ فُلانِ

أَحداً بِها أَولى مِنِ اِبنِ فُلانِ

Whispering together: “As for so-and-so, we do not think

Whispering, we don't think anyone

Whispering together: "We do not believe that she

Anyone more worthy of her than so-and-so's son.

Is better for her than the son of so-and-so

Has anyone more worthy of her than the son of that man.

يا لَيتَ يَنثُرُنا الغَرامُ عَلَيهِما

يا لَيتَ يَنثُرُنا الغَرامُ عَلَيهِما

مِن قَبلُ يَنثُرُنا الخَريفُ الجاني

مِن قَبلُ يَنثُرُنا الخَريفُ الجاني

Oh, if only love would scatter us over them both

If only love would shower upon those two

Oh, if only passion would scatter us over the two of them,

Before autumn, the reaper, scatters us.”

What autumn showers upon us

Before the cruel autumn comes to scatter us."

أَلِفَت مُجاوَرَةَ الأَنامِ فَأَصبَحَت

أَلِفَت مُجاوَرَةَ الأَنامِ فَأَصبَحَت

وَكَأَنَّها شَيءٌ مِنَ الإِنسانِ

وَكَأَنَّها شَيءٌ مِنَ الإِنسانِ

They have grown used to dwelling beside mankind, and now

It has gotten used to mingling with people

They grew accustomed to the company of people, becoming

It is as though they were a part of humankind.

And has become something of humanity

As though they were a part of humanity itself.

فَإِذا نَظَرتَ إِلَيهِما مُتأَمِّلاً

فَإِذا نَظَرتَ إِلَيهِما مُتأَمِّلاً

شاهَدتَ حَولَكَ وُحدَةَ الأَكوانِ

شاهَدتَ حَولَكَ وُحدَةَ الأَكوانِ

And when you gaze at them both in contemplation,

So if you look at those two closely

So if you gaze upon them with a contemplative eye,

You behold around you the unity of the worlds.

You see around you the oneness of existence

You witness around you the unity of the universe.