1. يا مَيِّتاً فيهِ جَمالُ الحَياة

    ما حازَ مِنكَ اللَحدُ إِلّا الرُفات

    O dead one, in whom is the beauty of life,

    The grave has claimed nothing of you but your remains.

  2. أَنتَ الفَتى الباقي بِئاثارِهِ

    ما أَنتَ بِالمَرءِ إِذا ماتَ مات

    You are the man who endures through his works;

    You are not a man who, when he dies, is dead.

  3. وَكَيفَ يَمتَدُّ إِلَيكَ الرَدى

    وَذاتُكَ الحَسناءُ في أَلفِ ذات

    And how could death reach you,

    while your beautiful self is in a thousand selves?

  4. إِذا اِختَفى في الوَردِ لَونُ الضُحى

    فَالذَنبُ ذَنبُ الأَعيُنِ الناظِرات

    If the color of morning vanishes from the roses,

    the fault lies with the eyes that look.

  5. يُصَوِّحُ الزَهر وَيَبقى الشَذى

    وَيَذهَبُ المَرء وَتَبقى الصِفات

    The flowers wither, and their fragrance remains;

    a man departs, and his qualities remain.

  6. يا نائِماً أَغفى عَنِ التُرَّهات

    إِنّي وَجَدتُ المَوتَ في التُرَّهات

    O sleeper, slumbering beyond vain trifles,

    I have found death in vain trifles.

  7. أَإِن مَضى نَقولُ اِنقَضى

    إِذَن فَمِن أَينَ تَجيءُ الحَياة

    If he has passed away, do we say he is no more?

    Then where does life come from?

  8. أَلَيسَ دُنيا الصَحوِ دُنيا الكَرى

    وَمِثلُ ظِلِّ العَيشِ ظُلُّ المَمات

    Is not the world of waking the world of sleep?

    And death's shadow is like life's shadow.

  9. تُقَسِّمُ الأَشياءَ أَفهامُنا

    وَلَيسَتِ النَخلَةُ إِلّا النَواة

    Our understandings divide things,

    and the palm tree is nothing but the seed.

  10. وَفي الغَدِ الأَمس وَلَكِنَّنا

    لِلجَهلِ قُلنا الدَهرُ ماض وَآت

    And yesterday is in tomorrow, but we,

    out of ignorance, said: time is past and future.

  11. بَعضُ الرَدى فيهِ نَجاةُ الفَتى

    وَرُبَّما كانَ الرَدى في النَجاة

    In some death lies a man's deliverance,

    and sometimes death lies in deliverance.

  12. يا قُرَوِيّاً عَظُمَت نَفسُهُ

    حَتّى تَرَضَّتها نُفوسُ العُتاة

    O villager whose soul grew so great

    that the souls of tyrants sought its favor,

  13. وَحَسَدَتهُ الصَيدُ في كوخِهِ

    وَحَسَدَت قَريَتَهُ العاصِمات

    and proud lords envied him in his hut,

    and capitals envied his village.

  14. تِلكَ السَجايا لَم تزَل بَينَنا

    ساطِعَةً كَالأَنجُمِ الزاهِرات

    Those virtues are still among us,

    shining like radiant stars.

  15. وَعِلمُكَ الزاخِرُ باقٍ لَنا

    ما بَقِيَت في الأَرضِ أُمُّ اللُغات

    And your abundant knowledge remains ours,

    as long as the mother of languages remains on earth,

  16. في أَنفُسِ الناس وَأَلبابُهُم

    وَفي بُطونِ السَيرِ الخالِدات

    in people's souls and minds,

    and in the pages of immortal biographies,

  17. وَفي تَلاميذِكَ أَهلِ الحِجى

    وَالأَدَبِ الجَمِّ الجَميلِ السِمات

    and in your pupils, people of understanding

    and abundant refinement, beautiful in its traits:

  18. مِن شاعِرٍ كَالرَوضِ أَشعارُهُ

    تَسمَعُ هَمسَ الحُبِّ فيهِ الفَتاة

    among them, a poet whose verses are like a garden,

    where a maiden hears the whisper of love;

  19. وَسامِرٍ تَحسَبُ أَقوالَهُ

    مَسروقَةً مِن مُقَلِ الغانِيات

    and an evening companion whose words you think

    stolen from the eyes of beautiful women;

  20. وَكاتِبٍ تُشرِقُ أَلفاظُهُ

    كَالدُرَرِ المُختارَةِ المُنتَقاة

    and a writer whose words shine

    like choice, carefully selected pearls;

  21. وَصُحُبٍ أَخلاقُهُم كَالمُنى

    يَروُّنَ عَنكَ الحِكَمَ الغالِيات

    and companions whose characters are like dreams,

    who pass on your precious maxims.

  22. لَم يَختَرِمكِ المَوتُ يا دَوحَةً

    باسِقَةً قَد خَلَّفَت باسِقات

    Death has not cut you down, O spreading tree,

    towering, having left other towering trees behind.

  23. يا حِجَّةَ الفُصحى وَدُهقانَها

    وَبَحرِها الطامي وَشَيخَ الثُقات

    O authority on classical Arabic and her master,

    and her surging sea, and elder of the trustworthy,

  24. الضادُ مِن بَعدِكَ في مَأتَمٍ

    حاضِرُها وَالأَعصُرُ الغابِرات

    Arabic, the tongue of ḍād, is in mourning after you—

    her present and the ages long past.

  25. فَلَيسَ في لُبنانَ غَيرُ الأَسى

    وَلَيسَ غَيرُ الحُزنِ حَولَ الفُرات

    So there is nothing in Lebanon but sorrow,

    and nothing but grief around the Euphrates.

  26. فَمِن يُعَزّي جَبَلاً واحِداً

    عَزّى الرَواسي في جَميعِ الجِهات

    For whoever consoles a single mountain

    has consoled the steadfast mountains in every direction.

  27. سَلَخنَها سَبعينَ مِن أَجلِها

    في عالَمِ الطِرس وَدُنيا الدُواة

    Seventy years were spent for her sake,

    in the realm of the written page and the world of the inkwell.

  28. الناسُ مِن حَولِكَ في قَيلِهِم

    وَأَنتَ كَالعابِدِ وَقتَ الصَلاة

    The people around you were at their midday rest,

    while you were like a worshipper at prayer.

  29. غَنَّيتَ بِالضاد وَأَسرارِها

    عَنِ الغَواني وَالطَلا وَالسُقاة

    You sang with ḍād and her secrets

    of beautiful women, wine, and cupbearers.

  30. أَنتَ الَّذي رَدَّ إِلَيها الصِبا

    إِنَّ الهَوى يَجتَرِحُ المُعجِزات

    You are the one who restored her youth;

    passion indeed works miracles.

  31. فَاِختَلَجَت أَوضاعُها بِالمُنى

    وَجالَ ماءُ الحُسنِ في المُفرَدات

    So her forms quivered with hopes,

    and beauty's water coursed through the words.

  32. وَلَهِجَت بِاِسمِكَ آفاقُها

    وَرَدَّدَتهُ في البَوَدي الحُداة

    And her horizons resounded with your name,

    and camel-drivers repeated it in the deserts.

  33. وَحَنَّتِ النوقُ إِلى سَمعِهِ

    وَطَرِبَت مِن ذِكرِهِ الصافِنات

    The she-camels yearned to hear it,

    and the poised steeds thrilled at its mention.

  34. فَيا شَباباً يَطلُبونَ العُلى

    إِنَّ العُلى لِلأَنفُسِ الماضِيات

    So, O young people who seek greatness,

    greatness belongs to resolute souls.

  35. وَيا فَقيراً يَتَمَنّى الغِنى

    هَلّا تَمَنَّيتَ غِنى المَكرُمات

    And O poor man who longs for wealth,

    why not long for the wealth of noble deeds?

  36. وَيا سَراةً يَبذُلونَ اللُهى

    هَذا فَقيرٌ كانَ يُعطي السُراة

    And O nobles who give gifts,

    here is a poor man who used to give to nobles,

  37. وَِن روحِهِ لا فَيضِ أَموالِهِ

    إِنَّ هِباتِ الروحِ أَسمى الهِبات

    from his spirit, not from the abundance of his wealth.

    Indeed, gifts of the spirit are the highest gifts.

  38. لا يَقتَضي قاصِدُهُ حَمدَهُ

    وَيَشكُرُ العافي الَّذي قالَ هَت

    He demands no praise from anyone who seeks him,

    and he thanks the seeker of bounty who said, ‘Give!’

  39. وَإِن مَضى العافونَ عَن بابِهِ

    سارَت عَطاياهُ وَراءَ العُفاة

    And if the seekers of bounty left his door,

    his gifts followed the seekers.

  40. فَكانَ كَالكَوكَبِ يَمشي عَلى

    ضِيائِهِ الرَكب وَذِئبُ الفَلاة

    So he was like a star: journeying by

    its light were the caravan and the desert wolf.

  41. وَكانَ كَالغَيثِ إِذا ما هَمى

    أَصابَ في الأَرضِ الحَصى وَالنَبات

    And he was like rain: whenever it poured,

    it fell upon pebbles and plants on the earth.

  42. وَكانَ كَاليَنبوعِ يَرتادُهُ

    ذو الشِيَمِ الحُسنى وَذو السَيِّئات

    And he was like a spring sought out by

    those of good character and those of evil deeds.

  43. وَكَالفَضاءِ الرَحبِ في حِلمِهِ

    يَضطَرِبُ البازي بِه وَالقُطاة

    And in his forbearance he was like vast open space,

    where the hawk and the sandgrouse flutter about.

  44. يا صاحِبَ البُستانِ نَم آمِناً

    فَإِنَّ في المَوتِ زَوالَ الشُكاة

    O master of the garden, sleep secure,

    for in death suffering comes to an end.

  45. ما غابَ ماءٌ غابَ تَحتَ الثَرى

    فَأَطلَعَ النَبت وَأَحيا المَوات

    No water is lost that vanishes beneath the soil,

    then brings forth plants and revives dead land.